Elon Musk has revolutionized the space industry, giving us a consistent dose of unprecedented
innovations and inventions that have made space travel easier and cheaper.
The latest of them all is a fascinating high-tech space suit that ridicules all the NASA-made
space suits before it.
But how is this space suit different from its predecessors, and how does NASA feel about
it?
Let’s find out.
In a world where there are many space suits that guarantee the utmost safety of astronauts
in space, the SpaceX high-tech suit stands in a league of its own.
It’s equipped with top-level cutting-edge features and a blockbuster exterior design
that would embarrass NASA’s space suit designer.
Back in the day, space suits had only one job - keeping astronauts safe from the many
dangers in space.
However, times are fast-changing, and the design of space suits is undergoing a paradigm
shift from what it used to be.
Contrary to what you might think, a spacesuit is not just an ordinary outfit that astronauts
wear to space.
Instead, they’re designed like a mini spaceflight.
Spacesuits consist of many components or segments if you like.
The first and probably most obvious is the helmet which protects the head just like a
normal helmet would.
The only difference is that the helmet in a space suit is much more robust and technologically
advanced.
As standard practice, the visor of an astronaut’s helmet is tinted with a thin layer of gold
to protect them from the effects of intense solar radiation.
Also, this helmet protects astronauts from space dust which sometimes travels at speeds
up to 44 miles per second.
Generally, space suits are designed to have different layers which work for different
purposes like supplying oxygen and shielding the face from dust and other particles.
Underneath the space suits, astronauts are required to wear a cloth that covers their
entire body except their head, hands, and feet.
A tube that transports water is weaved in this cloth, and this helps to cool the temperature
of the astronauts.
Behind the spacesuit, you’ve got a backpack that houses oxygen and passes out carbon dioxide.
This pack also houses the power unit of the space suit and a water tank.
Also, in times past, space suits were fitted with a device called SAFER, which featured
small thruster jets that helped astronauts fly back to base after their extravehicular
activities.
But space suits have since evolved in terms of design and aesthetics.
Beginning from the Mercury suit in the 1960s.
Most notable, it was worn by John Glenn for the first American orbital mission, which
happened on the road 20th of February 1962.
During this iconic mission, John orbited the Earth three times, traveling 75,679 miles
in four hours, and 55 minutes.
Designed by the B.F.
Goodrich Company, Mercury space suits were modeled off the U.S. Navy Mark IV high altitude
jet aircraft pressure suit, which featured a Neoprene-coated nylon fabric to regulate
temperature.
After the Mercury phase, came the Gemini era, and of course, the transition was marked by
the introduction of a new space suit called Gemini space suits.
They were in service between 1965 and 1966, helping humanity to explore space even better.
The Gemini suit was worn by astronauts like Gus Grissom, John Young, and Ed White, who
performed the first American spacewalk in it.
Designed and manufactured by the David Clark Company, the concept behind these suits was
to make them more comfortable than their predecessor.
A typical Mercury suit weighs between 16 to 34 pounds.
And in addition, they offered more connectivity, making it easier for astronauts to connect
with spacecraft and helpful gadgets like air conditioners.
Next, President John F. Kennedy decided it was time to visit the Moon.
At the time, the Moon was unknown territory, but cosmic scientists figured we would need
a more robust space suit to explore it, and that led to the invention of the Apollo Spacewalk
suit, which was in service between 1967 and 1975.
In designing the Apollo space suit, astronauts had three boxes to tick.
First, the suit must be able to protect astronauts from the Moon’s regolith and dust.
Temperature was also a concern, so they needed a space suit that could shield the astronauts
better than the Gemini suits did.
An ideal spacesuit for the Moon needs to offer extended operational time.
And finally it had to be extra flexible to allow astronauts to pick up samples and tools.
The spacesuit met all of these requirements.
And at 180 pounds, it remains one of the heaviest space suits ever made.
However, it weighed six times less on the Moon, which made things easier for Neil Armstrong
and Buzz Aldrin when they became the first astronauts to land on the lunar surface in
1969.
After the success of the Apollo suit, expectations were high within the space industry for the
next space suit, and for sure, astronauts were not disappointed with what they got next
- the Space Shuttle Flight Suit.
Beginning from 1988, this suit was a main feature for space shuttle missions until the
program was abolished in 2011.
It was later upgraded and offered as the Advanced Crew Escape Suit (ACES).
With additional perks like built-in parachutes and drinking packets for extended extravehicular
activities, the Space Shuttle spacesuit outperformed its predecessors.
It did an all-important job of keeping the astronauts safe.
But it was an absolute disaster in terms of design.
You could tell just by staring at it that aesthetics wasn't a priority for the manufacturers
of the suit.
Link to Pumpkin space suit here.
But thankfully, the new SpaceX space suit is designed with a different approach.
And it's not a surprise anyway, given that Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, is a stylish
multi-talented man himself.
Following the end of the Space Shuttle Program, American astronauts were forced to travel
to space aboard Russian rockets.
So obviously NASA had bigger problems to tackle than focusing on the design of space suits.
Eventually, Elon Musk came to the rescue with the reusable SpaceX Dragon rocket, which ferried
two NASA astronauts, Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken.
It was a landmark event that marked the first time NASA astronauts will travel to the ISS
in an American spacecraft.
And it's needless to say they got the best costume to go with it.
This exquisite space suit was designed by prestigious Hollywood costume designer Jose
Fernandez who also made the costume for blockbusters movies such as Captain America, Iron Man 2,
Civil War, Spider-Man, and Batman vs. Superman.
That certainly explains why the SpaceX high-tech space suit looks more like a superhero outfit.
It features a flawless and tight-fitting design that captivates the attention of onlookers
and without doubt, this suit could pass for a fashion exhibition outfit.
Due to its flashy design, many people doubted if the SpaceX suit was an actual space suit.
Musk got a hint of this worry and had to offer reassurances that the suit “definitely works.”
“You can just jump in a vacuum chamber with it, and it's fine,” the tech billionaire
said.
Aside from its breathtaking design, the SpaceX high-tech space suit is a performance machine
as well.
It’s made with nonflammable materials to prevent incessant fire outbreaks.
Furthermore, it is equipped with integrated valves, microphones, and touch-sensitive gloves,
and 3D helmets.
All of these features were available to Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken during their trip to
the ISS in May 2020, and judging from their comments afterward, you can tell they absolutely
love the SpaceX suit.
"I bet you we've donned and offed those suits a couple hundred times,” Hurley said in
excitement during a press conference aboard the ISS.
Adding that “they were actually much easier to get in and out of in zero-G.”
During the same interview, his partner Bob Behnken echoed similar thoughts.
“We'd have to get the suits a five-star rating,” Behnken said.
“These suits didn't have to do that job for us, which was nice.
But it was clear that they were ready.”
Behnken also claimed that the SpaceX space suit “has at least one big advantage”
over the pumpkin space suits.
He wasn’t specific about what this advantage is but I think we can tell
Well, it might interest you to know that this space suit was used to launch a Tesla dummy
back in 2018.
We should also mention that the SpaceX suit is strictly an intra vehicular space suit,
meaning it can only be worn inside spacecraft.
But nevertheless, it’s a beauty to behold, and we hope the impeccable design can be implemented
with the existing or future extravehicular space suits.
Be sure to check out this next video over here.