Space may be the final frontier, but it’s wildly inaccessible and downright deadly for any brave human being without a great spacesuit.
Astronauts are scheduled to return to the Moon for the first time in 50 years in 2025 with NASA’s Artemis III mission. The space agency has just presented a new suit for the occasion, developed by the private company Axiom Space.
NASA contracted Axiom to build its latest spacesuits in June 2022, after spending years and millions trying to develop its own.
In August 2021, the agency reported that, despite having spent 420 million dollars –396.11 million euros– since 2017, its suits would not be ready to go into space before April 2025 “at the earliest”.
Axiom’s new extravehicular mobility unit leverages NASA’s own version of exploration, introduced in 2019.
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But the first operational spacesuits arrived in the early 1960s to protect high-flying astronauts as they risk their lives in the name of space exploration.
From the silver Mercury suits to Elon Musk’s sleek Crew Dragon suits, This is how astronaut space suits have evolved for 6 decades.
Mercury suit (1961-1963)
He Project Mercury it marked the first time American citizens had ventured to visit Earth orbit.
To protect early astronauts from the sudden loss of pressure, NASA modified the pressurized suits on the US Navy’s high-altitude jet aircraft.
Each spacesuit had a layer of neoprene-coated nylon on the inside and aluminized nylon on the outside, to keep the temperature inside the suit as stable as possible.
With it, 6 astronauts flew into space before NASA withdrew it from service.
Gemini Suit (1965-1966)
gemini it was NASA’s second space program, with more ambitious goals. The Gemini capsule took a crew of 2 astronauts into space and had an uncomfortable mission that lasted 2 weeks.
The David Clark Company designed the Gemini suits to be flexible when pressurized and took additional steps to make them more comfortable than the Mercury suits.
For example, could be connected to a portable air conditioner to keep the astronauts cool until they could connect to the lines of the spacecraft. These suits weighed between 7 and 15 kilograms.
Gemini spacewalk suit (1965-1966)
One type of Gemini suit, called the G4C, was designed with NASA’s early spacewalks in mind. Astronauts would open the hatch during these adventures and leave the safety of their vehicle to work in the vacuum of space.
To withstand the harsh space environment, the suit connected astronauts to the spacecraft via a hose, which supplied them with oxygen. However, should there be a problem, some variants of the suit provided up to 30 minutes of backup life support. The heavier variant weighed about 15 kilos.
Apollo spacewalk suit (1967-1975)
the apollo program put astronauts on the moon, and it was no walk in the park. Astronauts needed more protection than the Gemini or Mercury suits could offer.
The first people to walk on the Moon needed a shield against fine regolith – dust as sharp as glass; protection against sudden changes in temperature from the sun to the shade; flexibility to install equipment and collect moon rocks; and the ability to last hours away from a spaceship.
The suit came with a dozen layers of cloth, thick boots, and a robust life support system. Each weighed more than 80 kilograms on Earth, but only one sixth in the weaker gravity field of the Moon.
First space shuttle flight suit (1981)
A mission called STS-1, short for Space Transportation System-1, was the first orbital spaceflight of NASA’s space shuttle program.
Columbia, the first 100-ton orbiter, carried a crew of 2 astronauts into space and orbited the Earth 37 times before re-entering the atmosphere and glide back to a runway.
The astronauts did not venture outside, so they only wore an emergency ejection escape suit, which like the Mercury suit was a modified version of a US Air Force high-altitude pressure suit.
Extravehicular Mobility Unit (1979-present)
Space shuttle-era astronauts would regularly work in space to maintain satellites and build and maintain the International Space Station (ISS).
They needed a spacewalking suit for such tasks, so NASA created the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU). This 14-layer pressurized suit could withstand the harsh vacuum of space and keep astronauts alive for more than 8 hours.
Fully loaded with equipment and supplies, it could weigh almost 145 kilos on Earth.
NASA also tested a jetpack-like device for the EMU, called a manned maneuvering unit, which allowed astronauts to fly freely without tether. People aboard the ISS today use an advanced version of EMU to maintain the station.
Space Shuttle Flight Suit (1988-2011)
The suit worn by astronauts during the space shuttle program is sometimes called the “pumpkin suit” because of its bright orange color. The suit is equipped with gloves to disconnect the locking rings on the wrist, liquid cooling, enhanced ventilation, and additional layers of insulation.
Sokol Launch and Entry Suit (present)
The fancy blue lined spacesuit you see many astronauts wearing today is actually a Russian suit called Sokol or “Falcon” space suit.
The 10 kilo suit is quite similar to the space shuttle flight suit, although it is used to protect people flying inside Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft.
SpaceX Crew Dragon Flight Suit (2020 – Present)
The sleek white spacesuits were designed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company. Musk unveiled them during a press conference in 2017, and NASA astronauts Bob Nehnken and Doug Hurley first wore them when they flew into space in a SpaceX capsule in May 2020 on the Crew Dragon mission.
José Fernández, a Hollywood costume designer who has worked on films such as X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Aquaman and Thor: Ragnarok, devised the design. While sleek and futuristic, the suits were only made for the Crew Dragon capsule and they are not suitable for a space walk.
These suits are used to transport NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station, as well as for commercial flights.
Boeing CST-100 Starliner Flight Suit (2022 – present)
First expected in 2019, Boeing unveiled its bright blue Starliner flight suit in June 2022. It is designed to be used in CST-100 Starliner capsuleswhich are expected to take their first crew into space imminently.
The suit includes a headpiece attached with a thick watertight zipper and does not require a heavy or bulky neck ring.
Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit Suit (2023)
The suits for the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or AxEMU, will be delivered to NASA in the summer. The dark gray and orange version presented in March 2023 is a prototype and the final version will be white.
Astronauts must wear white when on the moon to reflect heat and protect themselves from high temperatures.
