The large, puffy white suits that astronaut Neil Armstrong and his colleagues wore on their trip to the moon as part of the Apollo program half a century ago has become obsolete. Modern astronaut clothing needs body-shaping designs that fit both men and women.
The US Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) unveiled the first model of a newly designed space suit, specifically for the first mission of astronauts who are expected to go to the moon in the next few years.
The latest design of the lunar flight suit was shown at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, USA, at an event organized for the media and students and hosted by the Texas-based Axiom Space Company, which was asked by NASA to make the suits of the astronauts participating in the “Artemis” program.
In December, the “Artemis 1” mission, the first launch of NASA’s powerful new rocket and newly built Orion spacecraft, ended successfully in an uncrewed test flight that circled the moon and then returned.
NASA and the Canadian Space Agency intend to announce on April 3 the four astronauts who have been selected for the “Artemis 2” mission, which will launch soon, perhaps next year, and will also be a mission to orbit the moon and then return to Earth.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said that the new astronaut suits will provide opportunities for more people to explore and conduct scientific studies on the surface of the moon than before, reports a local Arabic daily.