How SpaceX’s new suit revolutionised astronaut wear

This video explores the design and features of the sleek suit used by SpaceX Crew Dragon astronauts, contrasting it with the strikingly different National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) more familiar, bulky counterparts.

SpaceX is a US aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company, founded in 2002 by tech mogul Elon Musk, with the goal of reducing transportation costs towards colonisation of Mars.

In May 2020, the successful launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 reorbital rocket system allowed the world a glimpse of NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley wearing the next generation of astronautical wear.

Each state-of-the-art SpaceX suit was all in one piece and tailored to the individual astronaut, their look conceived by Hollywood costume designer Jose Fernandez. Function-wise, their use was for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule only, to protect crew members from depressurisation, and not intended for spacewalks.

In addition to its 3D-printed helmet, touchscreen-sensitive gloves and ease of use and wear, each SpaceX suit plugged into a single “umbilical” cable in the seat, establishing a communications link and the flow of breathable air.

Read more about the SpaceX suits here.

View the original video here.

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