Related topics: astronauts

Spacesuits need a major upgrade for the next phase of exploration

Humans have long dreamed of setting foot on the moon and other planetary bodies such as Mars. Since the 1960s, space travelers have donned suits designed to protect them from the vacuum of space and stepped out into the unknown.

Check out the cool new designs for Europe's future spacesuits

While the European Space Agency isn't planning to build their own spacesuits anytime soon, they want to be ready. ESA recently had the Space Suit Design Competition, allowing the public to propose designs for future European ...

Building a better spacesuit

It's been 50 years since humans first walked on the moon. Since then, astronauts have primarily explored low Earth orbit. Now that NASA is preparing to return to the moon, experts are reevaluating the practicality of the ...

Image: Power glove

Spacewalks are a risky business and wearing a spacesuit that protects against the vacuum outside our atmosphere is cumbersome. This glove is a mockup concept for astronauts that adds extra functions to the five fingers.

NASA defends scrapping all-women spacewalk

NASA responded to accusations of sexism Wednesday over its decision to cancel a planned historic spacewalk by two women astronauts due to a lack of well-fitting spacesuits.

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Space suit

A space suit is a complex system of garments, equipment and environmental systems designed to keep a person alive and comfortable in the harsh environment of outer space. This applies to extra-vehicular activity (EVA) outside spacecraft orbiting Earth, and has applied to walking, and riding the Lunar Rover, on the Moon.

Some of these requirements also apply to pressure suits worn for other specialized tasks, such as high-altitude reconnaissance flight. Above Armstrong's Line (around 19,000 m/62,000 ft), the atmosphere is so thin that pressurized suits are needed. Hazmat suits that superficially resemble space suits are sometimes used when dealing with biological hazards. The first space suits were made by the Goodrich Corporation, then based in Akron, Ohio.

This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA