Science

Take a look at the incredible new NASA spacesuit

New NASA spacesuit, known by Axiom as "Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit," or simply "AxEMU," are more streamlined and flexible than previous Apollo suits

By Web Desk
Published March 16, 2023
Axiom engineer Jim Stein modelled the spacesuit on stage during the live event.— Sceengrab via NASA TV
Axiom engineer Jim Stein modelled the spacesuit on stage during the live event.— Sceengrab via NASA TV

For both men and women, lunar dressing fashion now demands something more comfortable and form-fitting which brings us to the new NASA spacesuit.

The first model of a brand-new, next-generation spacesuit was unveiled by NASA on Wednesday. It is planned to be used by the first astronauts who return to the moon's surface in the coming years.

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Axiom Space, a Texas-based business hired by NASA to construct suits for Artemis, the programme that will replace the Apollo moon programme, conducted an event for the media and students at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston where the most recent in moon-wear was on show.

In December, the successful completion of the Artemis 1 mission marked the debut of NASA's potent next-generation rocket and its freshly constructed Orion spacecraft on an unmanned test voyage around the moon and back.

The Artemis III spacesuit prototype, the AxEMU. Though this prototype uses a dark gray cover material, the final version will likely be all-white when worn by NASA astronauts on the Moon’s surface, to help keep the astronauts safe and cool while working in the harsh environment of space.— Axiom Space
The Artemis III spacesuit prototype, the AxEMU. Though this prototype uses a dark gray cover material, the final version will likely be all-white when worn by NASA astronauts on the Moon’s surface, to help keep the astronauts safe and cool while working in the harsh environment of space.— Axiom Space

The four astronauts who have been selected to fly on Artemis 2, another out-and-back mission, are expected to be announced by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency as early as next year.

If that voyage is successful, it will open the door for an Artemis 3 astronaut journey to the lunar surface later in the decade — the first ever to reach the moon's south pole. It will be the first time a woman will be sent to visit the moon. Future Artemis missions, according to NASA, will send the first person of colour to the moon as well.

The program's ultimate goal is to create a viable lunar station as a stepping stone for future human exploration of Mars. It is named after Apollo's mythological twin sister.

NASA unveiled the prototype for a new spacesuit that could be worn by the next astronauts on the Moon in 2019.— NASA
NASA unveiled the prototype for a new spacesuit that could be worn by the next astronauts on the Moon in 2019.— NASA

Nasa chief Bill Nelson said the new spacesuits “will open opportunities for more people to explore and conduct science on the moon than ever before.”

Six Apollo flights from 1969 to 1972 involved a total of 12 NASA astronauts, all of whom were white men.

The seven men wearing spacesuits in this portrait made up the first group of astronauts announced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).— NASA
The seven men wearing spacesuits in this portrait made up the first group of astronauts announced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).— NASA 

The cumbersome spacesuits of yesteryear would look nothing like the clothes worn to the moon by Artemis' crew.

The new suits, known by Axiom as "Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit," or simply "AxEMU," are more streamlined and flexible than the previous Apollo suits, offering a wider range of motion and better size and fit flexibility.

According to NASA, they are made to fit a wide spectrum of possible wearers and can accommodate at least 90% of both the male and female populations in the US. They will also contain improvements in avionics, pressure suits, and life support systems.

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