Humanity has been preparing to return to the Moon again for over 50 years. The Artemis missions performed for this will be the beginning of a new era. On the other hand, NASA also introduced the new spacesuit that astronauts will wear to explore the Moon as part of the Artemis program.Same design used since 1981
The new suit, made by Axiom Space, is designed to increase the mobility of astronauts working on the lunar surface. The prototype suit developed for the Artemis III mission, which will include the first woman and black human to walk on the Moon, was introduced as part of an event. Although the suit presented is black, white versions of these will be used during the mission, probably for thermal reasons. In addition, it should be noted that these clothes are also designed for women. The current spacesuits worn by space travelers have actually not changed much since 1981, and none of them were suitable for women.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement, “NASA’s partnership with Axiom is critical to landing astronauts on the Moon and maintaining America’s leadership in space. Building on NASA’s years of research and expertise, Axiom’s next-generation spacesuits are just the first Not only will it enable women to walk on the Moon, it will also give more people the opportunity to explore and do science on the Moon than ever before.” said.New clothes give more mobility
A new suit was needed so that the astronauts could walk, bend, and squat comfortably—all crucial when operating in a low-gravity environment like the Moon as opposed to the microgravity environment of the International Space Station. The new suit prototype, called the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or AxEMU, is far ahead of previous suits in terms of improved mobility and safety requirements, as well as thermal requirements to cope with the cold temperatures found at the Moon’s south pole.
During the promotional event, Jim Stein, chief engineer of Axiom Space, wore the suit and saw that it could bend, bend, crouch while wearing it. Of course, it’s not just the suit’s mobility abilities that have changed. The helmet has also been overhauled for better visibility and an HD video camera has been added on the side. In this way, what astronauts see while on the Moon or in space can be transmitted live to Earth, which will work in a way like the new helmet cameras in F1. Boot parts have also been improved to provide better thermal protection in the suit.Axiom’s $228 million next-generation spacesuits will undergo further testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory next year, before launching Artemis III in 2024. The tests are slated to be completed in a few months, followed by the Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2025.
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