USA: The astronauts' newest spacesuit, which will be used on the Artemis moon landing missions, has been unveiled by NASA. The most recent space suits are more streamlined, better in terms of size and fit, and thermal protection than the ones worn by the Apollo astronauts, who made history by becoming the first humans to set foot on the Moon about 50 years ago. But what NASA has displayed is only a prototype; the final moon suit might look different.
The bulky spacesuits currently in use will be significantly different from the new moon suits that the Artemis astronauts will wear. Notably, the Artemis mission will send a woman and a person of colour to the Moon for the first time. Only 12 astronauts, all of whom are white men, have stepped foot on the moon so far.
The new moon suits were developed in conjunction with the Texas-based company Axiom Space with funding from NASA totaling $228.5 million. The spacesuit was unveiled at a Johnson Space Center event in Houston, where an Axiom employee dressed in a dark spacesuit and demonstrated its flexibility by bending and squatting. According to the company, every aspect of the final product will differ, including colour.
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The new suits, dubbed "Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit" (AxEMU), are more adaptable than the Apollo suits from the past.
According to NASA, they are made to fit a wide range of potential wearers and can accommodate at least 90% of both the male and female populations in the US.
The suit has a rucksack that Axiom refers to as its "portable life-supporting system" and includes improvements in avionics and pressure suits.
The spacesuit has several layers, including an air-holding bladder layer and a shape-maintaining restraint compartment. The insulation layer is intended to shield the astronauts from the harsh lunar environment while the outer layer is resistant to abrasion and dust. Up to 8 hours can be spent wearing the suit at once.
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Spacesuits' exact appearance has been kept a secret. The one on display featured a grey outer layer with patterns in orange and blue as well as the logo for Axiom "intended to hide the proprietary design of the suit. Bill Nelson, the head of NASA, said the new spacesuits "will make it possible for more people than ever to explore and conduct research on the Moon.
Before Artemis 3, which will make history by putting astronauts on the Moon's south pole for the first time, Axiom will test the suit in a spacelike environment. According to the manufacturer, white is the best colour to reflect heat and shield wearers from the harsh lunar environments, so astronauts will be wearing it on the lunar south pole.
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The new spacesuit, which Axiom Space calls "revolutionary," will still incorporate one element from the Apollo missions. In the spacesuits, we still use diapers, according to Axiom Space's Russel Ralston. They're really just a very good solution, Ralston continued.