Going to Space in Style

There are two types of suits astronauts commonly wear: flight suits and spacesuits. Flight suits are sleeker and worn inside spacecraft for takeoffs and landings. Bulkier spacesuits are like wearable spacecraft to protect astronauts from unpredictable temperature swings, deadly solar radiation, and the airless vacuum of space, says Kavya Manyapu. She’s an aerospace engineer at Boeing’s Starliner program. The Starliner is a space capsule that will be used to take crews and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS).

“Usually when we say spacesuits, we only think about the white, iconic suit that’s really big,” Manyapu says. That type of suit—called an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU)—is used when astronauts leave the safety of their spacecraft, like during spacewalks to do repairs or perform experiments. These suits have complex life-support systems that create an Earth-like environment by providing oxygen and maintaining air pressure. Mini-fans even blow cool air so the astronauts don’t overheat.

Astronauts commonly wear two types of suits: flight suits and spacesuits. Flight suits are sleeker. Astronauts wear them inside a spacecraft during takeoffs and landings. Spacesuits are bulkier. They protect astronauts outside a spacecraft from extreme temperatures, deadly radiation, and the airless vacuum of space.

Kavya Manyapu is an engineer at Boeing's Starliner program. The Starliner is a space capsule that will take crews and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). "Usually when we say spacesuits, we only think about the white, iconic suit that's really big," says Manyapu.

That type of suit is called an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU). It’s used when astronauts leave their spacecraft to perform experiments or do repairs. These suits have built-in features to keep astronauts alive. They provide oxygen to breathe and keep the air pressure at a similar level to Earth’s. Tiny fans even blow cool air so the astronauts don't overheat. 

Cienski’s Hollywood-inspired design is a big change from flight suits of the past. The first human in space was Yuri Gagarin, a cosmonaut from the Soviet Union. In 1961, he wore a flight suit made of glued-together rubber sheets. A polyester covering held the suit’s shape and prevented the rubber from inflating like a balloon if the suit filled with air.

After that first success, engineers started thinking of different ways to protect astronauts in space. “There have been a lot of really fun and silly ideas that people threw around, like the hamster ball idea and a big can with a robotic arm,” says Allison Anderson, an aerospace biomedical engineer at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Today, high-tech lightweight fabrics and new technologies that create airtight seams and bendable joints have revolutionized spacesuit maneuverability. “We have made so many advances in spacesuit technology since 1961,” says Shane McFarland, a spacesuit engineer for NASA.

Cienski's sci-fi design is a big change from flight suits of the past. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. He was a cosmonaut from the Soviet Union. He wore a flight suit made of rubber sheets stuck together with glue. A polyester covering held the suit in the right shape. It also kept the rubber from inflating like a balloon if the suit filled with air.

Gagarin’s flight suit was a success. After that, engineers starting thinking of different ways to protect astronauts in space. "There have been a lot of really fun and silly ideas that people threw around,” says Allison Anderson. She’s an engineer at the University of Colorado, Boulder. “[There was a] hamster ball idea and a big can with a robotic arm," she says.

Today, suit designers can use high-tech lightweight fabrics. New manufacturing techniques can create airtight seams and joints that bend. That makes new spacesuits much easier to move around in than the old ones. "We have made so many advances in spacesuit technology since 1961," says Shane McFarland, a spacesuit engineer for NASA.

Other types of EMUs were designed for walking. Neil Armstrong wore one when he took the first “giant leap” on the moon’s surface in 1969. A wave of lunar walks followed during the Apollo missions in the 1960s and early 1970s.

That was the last time astronauts set foot on the moon. Suits designed for exploring moons or other planets haven’t been made since. But that’s about to change. NASA is preparing to return to the moon by 2024. In October 2019, McFarland and his colleagues debuted a prototype suit called the Exploration EMU, or xEMU. It’s an updated spacesuit fit for lunar exploration.

Among the upgrades, the xEMU has a new sizing feature on the shoulder that allows a better fit for astronauts of all sizes. “It is our hope that one day, no one will be excluded from their dreams of flying because of how or who they were born as,” says McFarland.

Some EMUs were designed for walking. Neil Armstrong wore one when he took the first steps on the moon in 1969. Other astronauts walked on the moon during the Apollo missions in the 1960s and early 1970s. But people haven’t set foot on the moon since—or made any new suits for it.

That's about to change. NASA is preparing to return to the moon by 2024. In October 2019, McFarland and his colleagues debuted a model of a suit called the Exploration EMU, or xEMU. It's an updated spacesuit meant for lunar exploration. 

The xEMU has a number of upgrades. One is a feature on the shoulder that adjusts the suit to fit astronauts of all sizes. "It is our hope that one day, no one will be excluded from their dreams of flying because of who they are," says McFarland.