News JVTech NASA: We’ve waited 50 years for this, and it’s coming soon!
Later this week, NASA and Axiom Space will unveil the new spacesuits that will outfit astronauts for years to come. A small revolution for space visitors.
The news has been moving the small world of aerospace for a few days: NASA is preparing the presentation of new space suits for astronauts who will embark on the conquest of the moon in the coming years. If this news arouses impatience in the community, but also among space fans, that’s becauseThis will be the first major change since the Apollo era.
Artemis era space outfit
NASA has been working on this for several years. In June 2022, the US space agency announced that it had partnered with Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace to design its new suits. These are to be completed quickly and initially tested on board the ISS. Afterward, They are intended to be worn during the Artemis II missionin which a crew from 2024 will make the same journey as Artemis I around the moon. If the schedule is met, Artemis III could launch as early as 2025 and this time the astronaut crew should actually land on the moon.
The evolution of NASA astronauts’ outfits is not insignificant: The current suit has been in use for more than 40 years. And apparently, it’s proven its limitations in recent years: In May 2022, NASA was forced to halt its astronauts’ exits outside the ISS over potentially fatal water leaks inside helmets.
Source: NASA
A future revolution for astronauts
for NASA, the fact of having worked with private companies to develop these new suits is a testament to the evolution of the aerospace sector. “With this new approach to working with commercial partners, NASA is enabling a growing space economy that leverages industry capabilities and NASA expertise to provide spacewalking and lunar spacewalking in the safest, most effective, and most efficient manner.”», states a press release.
Axiom Space is notable for organizing a private mission to the ISS, Axiom-1, in April 2022. It is interesting to note that during this mission The crew, mostly civilians, wore SpaceX suits.
The beginning of a new era within NASA
With these new suits, NASA also wants to initiate the next stage of manned space exploration. Remember that the moon is only one step towards Mars!
“New spacesuits that allow humans to explore the lunar surface will improve our ability for human space exploration”explains the agency. “Under Artemis, new exploration space suits and other surface human mobility systems, the Space Launch System rocket, the Orion spacecraft, ground systems, gateways and human landing systems will enable NASA to bring humans back to the Moon and establish a long-term presence there for scientific discoveries. This experience prepares us for the next big step: sending astronauts to Mars. »
The presentation of the new outfits will take place on Wednesday March 15 at 4:30 p.m. French time. It will be possible to follow the event in streaming from NASA website.
