NASA wants to return to the moon and in that context, the organization just unveiled their new outfits.
This is nothing new, but NASA wants to set foot on the moon, or at least return there. That’s the goal with the mission Artemis III, the name of the space mission that must take place in 2025 and whose goal is to allow man to re-enter our neighboring star. The crew would include four astronauts, two of whom will descend to the lunar surface aboard the HLS spacecraft for a six-and-a-half day stay. And to carry out this project, NASA wanted to celebrate the occasion by unveiling the new outfits.
A fancier NASA outfit?
NASA has unveiled the new space suit that astronauts will wear to explore the moon as part of the Artemis program. This was developed by Axiom Space and is intended to improve the mobility of astronauts working on the lunar surface. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said:
NASA’s partnership with Axiom is critical to landing astronauts on the moon and maintaining American leadership in space. Axiom’s next-generation spacesuits, drawing on NASA’s years of research and expertise, will not only allow the first woman to walk on the moon, but also give more people the opportunity to walk on the moon, to explore the moon and research scientifically like never before
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Everything has been thought out to allow astronauts to walk, bend and crouch comfortably, which is of course especially important when working in a low-gravity environment like the moon. Because everything contradicts the microgravity environment of the International Space Station. A different combination was therefore necessary and imperative.
A changing design
Fun fact, the prototype seen above was designed in collaboration with costume designer Esther Marquis, who did an amazing job on the TV series For all mankind on AppleTV+. But alongside the design, as we mentioned above, developments have focused on issues such as the thermal requirements to deal with the cold temperatures of the lunar body. Ditto for mobility and security. To demonstrate all of this to the world, Jim Stein, chief engineer at Axiom Space, wore the suit and demonstrated that he could twist, flex, and duck. The new design has more joints, especially in the bottom half, allowing for movements that would have been impossible with the old design. About the color know that the final version should be white, temperature issue.
What do you think of this new design?
