As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) gets ready for the Artemis program, the campaign aims to go back to the moon and take the first woman to our lunar satellite by 2024. The Artemis program is also optimistic in taking another giant leap for mankind by sending humans to explore Mars.
To be able to make this dream a reality, NASA is on its way to completing a new set of technology including new spacesuits for the first batch of Artemis astronauts. These new spacesuits were unveiled earlier by the agency in a press conference.
BETTER FORM, BETTER FUNCTION
Although the two new spacesuits look just like the older generation of spacesuits, NASA explained that the difference lies in the comfort it brings to an astronaut while in space. The two new spacesuits were first shown to the public at the agency headquarters in Washington, D.C. by NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine and in attendance were several spacesuit engineers including Kristine Davis who modeled for the new white spacesuit and Dustin Gohmert who was wearing the new orange suit.
The new Artemis Generation spacesuit developed by NASA can fit both men and women and is more flexible and mobile than the old generation suits. The white spacesuit exhibited by Kristine Davis -- called the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit or xEMU-- is a bulky piece of suit that will be made to be worn by the astronauts on their return to the Moon's surface. NASA explained that the xEMU can be considered as some sort of a personalized spaceship that will guard the astronauts as they explore the harsh zero-gravity environment of the Moon. for instance, the suit can withstand extreme temperatures from -250 degrees Fahrenheit to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. The xEMU also contains a set of voice-activated microphones, filters for the lunar soil made up of tiny shards, and a diaper-like garment.
The second orange-colored suit called the Orion Crew Survival System or OCSS is what astronauts will use for the launch and reentry in the Earth's atmosphere. This is sleeker than the xEMU because it will not be used outside the carrier spacecraft. An additional appeal for the OCSS is that it is definitely more aesthetically pleasing than the xEMU (of course, we need to understand that in critical missions such as these, the function should be considered above the form). In cases of cabin breach, the OCSS will be able to keep the astronaut alive for about 6 days.
Both of these new spacesuits will be custom-tailored to the astronaut wearing them unlike the old generation suits which only came in small, medium, and large sizes.
GRADUATION OF NEW ASTRONAUTS
NASA recently celebrated the graduation of the 13 astronauts that will pioneer the Artemis missions. In a program organized by the agency to recognize the efforts of the new batch of astronauts in completing the program.
This batch of astronauts is a diverse batch in terms of field expertise: some of them are medical doctors, marine biologists, physicists, engineers who were previously involved in spacecraft design, and pilots.
