NASA has unveiled the look of the next gen spacesuits for the Artemis Programme. In an event at the space agency’s headquarters in Washington DC, NASA’s Chief, Jim Bridenstine shared a close up of the spacesuit, looking similar to the ones used at the International Space Station. But this is an improved version, with comfort, fit and mobility on the Moon.
Dressing for the occasion!
Many missions require 2 spacesuits: 1 for spacewalks and 1 for protection during launch and reentry. @NASA_Astronauts will wear the orange @NASA_Orion suit on #Artemis missions during liftoff & return to Earth. Details: https://t.co/bMqhQozqHJ pic.twitter.com/4P3gKYom83 — NASA (@NASA) October 17, 2019
The Chief presented the new Moon suit, demonstrated by spacecraft engineer Kristine Davis, from Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, USA.
The red, white and blue suit is designed to give a customised fit, regardless of the size, with more mobility in the shoulders. A large piece called a bearing, allows movement at the astronaut’s waist and protects the suit from lunar dust.
The suit is 100% oxygen environment, helping astronauts to work immediately rather than spend time to purge nitrogen from their bodies. The suit’s life support system gives around eight hours’ worth of air, with an extra hour for contingency.
Also, the Orion Crew Survival System was showcased, an orange flight suit with helmet that the Orion spacecraft crews will wear for launch and re-entry. This suit was demonstrated by Dustin Gohmert, a project manager at JSC.
The suit is tailored to the human body and Orion’s seat. It protects astronauts against an accidental depressurisation, where the air pressure is lost from the inside of the spacecraft while it is travelling in a vacuum or near-vacuum.
Can’t wait to see how it helps the NASA astronauts!
