Nasa Versatile New Spacesuit

Image Source: Gizmag SPACE NASA IS DEVELOPING A NEW SPACESUIT SUITABLE FOR THE MOON, THE PLANET MARS, OR AN ASTEROID. THE Z-1 PROTOTYPE SPACESUIT IS DESIGNED FOR VERSATILITY. THE DESIGN IS CALLED A "REAR-ENTRY SPACE SUIT" MADE UP OF A COMBINATION OF SEVERAL HARD ELEMENTS MOUNTED ON A SUIT OF FABRIC THAT'S FLEXIBLE WHEN UNINFLATED. Due to the fact the agency does not clearly have a plan of what the next major manned missons will be, NASA is building a do-it-all spacesuit that could handle a trip to the moon, Mars, or an asteroid."Its like youre trying to go on vacation, but you dont know if youre going to Antarctica, Miami, or Buckingham Palace," says Amy Ross, a spacesuit engineer at Johnson Space Center. The Z-1 prototype-currently being tested in a vacuum chamber-has been designed for versatility: to explore alien surfaces, float outside a space station, and even weather the radiation of deep space. "Were building a lot of tools for the toolbox," Ross says. "Right now were asked to be very flexible." The current U.S. space suit used by NASA was designed in 1992, and it was only ever intended to be used by crews aboard the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS). Now, with eyes turning increasingly toward missions to the Moon, Mars and the asteroids, space explorers need something better. For that reason NASA is designing its first new suit in twenty years.Developed by NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES), the Z-1 prototype space suit currently undergoing vacuum testing at the Johnson Space Center is a wearable laboratory of new technology.READ MORE...For the latest please visit www.33rdsquare.com

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