In a press frenzy on Wednesday, NASA revealed that Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace will provide new-and-improved — and very expensive — spacesuits for the upcoming Artemis Moon landings.
This information is a pretty big deal, which is why observers felt a little disappointed when neither NASA nor the contractors produced any actual imagery of the fits.
Since the announcement, though, we got a sneak peek at the Collins suits. Honestly? Kinda fire.
The suit, shown above, and the below rendering do appear to be more streamlined than the marshmallow-esque uniforms of astronauts past. Which checks out, given that Collins Aerospace's Dan Burbank — a senior technical fellow at the company, not to mention former NASA astronaut — said during a press conference that they're going for a sportier, outdoorsy vibe. Moon hike, anyone?
NASA has also made clear that the ensembles in development must be able to fit a variety of body types, as the Artemis III landing, planned for 2025, will be a major moment for diversity in space travel.
"When we get to the Moon, we will have our first person of color and our first woman that will be wearers and users of these suits in space," said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, during the press conference.
Though not much technical detail has been disclosed, there's clearly much to be excited about.
At the end of the day, visiting Earth's OG satellite is cool — but it's even better if you look fresh doing it.
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