NASA Unveils Prototype Suit for Artemis III Astronauts; look

More flexible and resistant. The prototype of the new space suit that the crew of the Artemis III mission will use on the lunar surface was presented this Wednesday (15), with significant improvements in relation to those used in the Apollo program.

Scheduled for by the end of 2025, the Artemis III mission will include the first woman to step on the Moon. The crew must arrive at the satellite’s south pole, where “extreme” temperatures and “hostile” environmental conditions can be recorded, dressed in 21st century suits designed and manufactured by the company Axiom Space.

“These new suits have more features and capabilities,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the American space agency, during the presentation of the clothes made by the private company based in Texas (USA).

In turn, Lara Kearney, from NASA’s Extravehicular Activity and Human Mobility Program, said that although the prototype presented this Wednesday is black, the idea is that the suit will be white on the mission, for thermal reasons and to allow more motion to astronauts.

Historically, Lara recalled, NASA manufactures and owns the space suits used in the missions, but, in the case of Artemis III, Axiom will supply the suits through a US$ 228.5 million contract. The suit will still undergo safety testing at the Johnson Space Center.

.@Axiom_Space revealed a spacesuit prototype that our @NASA_Astronauts plan to wear near the Moon’s South Pole on @NASA‘s #Artemis III mission.

The spacesuit will give lunar explorers extra mobility, protection, & the latest technology. Discover more: https://t.co/uxH21hkSjd pic.twitter.com/bqxcrwR6Y6

— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) March 15, 2023

The president of Axiom Space, Michael Suffredini, highlighted that the actions are the result of a strategic alliance between the private company and NASA’s experience.

“We continue NASA’s legacy of designing an advanced spacesuit that will allow astronauts to operate safely and effectively on the Moon,” Suffredini said in a statement, promising that the Artemis III suit “will be ready to tackle the complex challenges of the lunar south pole.” and help towards the goal of “a long-term presence there”.

“Our work will open up opportunities for more people to explore and perform science on the lunar surface and is a testament to American innovation,” NASA administrator Bill Nelson said in a social media message.

“Gloves are a critical part of the design,” said Russell Ralston, deputy director of Axiom Space’s Extravehicular Activity division, during a demonstration of the prototype used by a company engineer.

Ralston explained that engineers spent considerable time designing the gloves and that, thanks to innovative technologies, they will be able to handle a wider range of tools.

The development of insulating layers in the spacesuit, including gloves and boots, also merited special effort. Costume designer Esther Marquis, from the series For All Mankind (AppleTV+), participated in the creation of space shoes.

Composed of “many layers”, the Axiom suit has an opening at the back, in addition to a greater number of joints in the legs and arms that provide greater flexibility compared to the suits used 50 years ago during the Apollo program missions.

The helmet has a set of lights and a high-definition video camera, while the life support system, where oxygen is stored, will be located on the astronauts’ backs.

The suit boasts a compendium of technological innovations which, however, have not managed to exclude an essential element for astronauts who use them: diapers.

NASA seeks to establish a permanent presence on the Moon through the Artemis program, whose first mission returned to Earth on December 11 after 25 days of travel, during which the unmanned spacecraft Orion flew by the Moon.

The US space agency plans to send Artemis II in November 2024, a mission that will follow the same route as its predecessor, but with a crew.