Photo: Axiom Space
We space exploration enthusiasts started the year with not-so-great news: NASA announced that the crewed Artemis Moon missions will have to wait an extra year. The announcement did not come out of the blue, but it still kind of killed the buzz surrounding the missions.
Despite the postponement, the space agency continues to prepare for the missions with the same intensity, and shares as many of its exploits as possible with the rest of us. This week, the focus fell on those brand-new spacesuits imagined for the Artemis astronauts.
It was back in March last year when we got our first glimpse at them. Meant to be used by the people going on the Moon with Artemis III (now scheduled for 2026), the suits are made by Axiom Space and specced in such a way as to respect the rigors of a Moon landing.
We don't know the exact capabilities and components of the suits yet, but we do know they will have to resist the abrasive lunar dust and harsh temperatures on the surface, and they'll pack the latest in protection and comms technologies.
When the suits were first shown last year, they came in a cover designed by Esther Marquis, best known for costume work done for high-profile movies and TV series the likes of the Fast and Furious Hobbs and Shaw spinoff, Westworld, and For All Mankind.
That means we didn't get a look at the real things back then. That changed, it seems, as NASA is seeking to keep people interested in its Artemis program, so here's the suit in all its glory, not on a mannequin but on an actual human being.
The images you can see in the attached gallery have been snapped at NASA's Johnson Space Center, the place where the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), as the suit is known, is being put through its paces.
The tests were conducted at the end of last year and focused on the maneuverability these things will have to display to allow astronauts to conduct their work up there. That includes moving, bending, kneeling, using tools, you name it.
The setup at Johnson allowed NASA and Axiom engineers to go through all these motions in simulated environments. Although they look like kids playing in a sandbox, they are performing tasks that will prove crucial for the survival of the Artemis astronauts and the success of their mission.
Up next for the suits are tests at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, that large indoor pool where NASA simulates weightlessness. There is no set date when these tests will begin, but one thing is certain: the Axiom suits will have to be ready by 2026 to serve the needs of Artemis III.
It was back in March last year when we got our first glimpse at them. Meant to be used by the people going on the Moon with Artemis III (now scheduled for 2026), the suits are made by Axiom Space and specced in such a way as to respect the rigors of a Moon landing.
We don't know the exact capabilities and components of the suits yet, but we do know they will have to resist the abrasive lunar dust and harsh temperatures on the surface, and they'll pack the latest in protection and comms technologies.
When the suits were first shown last year, they came in a cover designed by Esther Marquis, best known for costume work done for high-profile movies and TV series the likes of the Fast and Furious Hobbs and Shaw spinoff, Westworld, and For All Mankind.
That means we didn't get a look at the real things back then. That changed, it seems, as NASA is seeking to keep people interested in its Artemis program, so here's the suit in all its glory, not on a mannequin but on an actual human being.
The images you can see in the attached gallery have been snapped at NASA's Johnson Space Center, the place where the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), as the suit is known, is being put through its paces.
The tests were conducted at the end of last year and focused on the maneuverability these things will have to display to allow astronauts to conduct their work up there. That includes moving, bending, kneeling, using tools, you name it.
The setup at Johnson allowed NASA and Axiom engineers to go through all these motions in simulated environments. Although they look like kids playing in a sandbox, they are performing tasks that will prove crucial for the survival of the Artemis astronauts and the success of their mission.
Up next for the suits are tests at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, that large indoor pool where NASA simulates weightlessness. There is no set date when these tests will begin, but one thing is certain: the Axiom suits will have to be ready by 2026 to serve the needs of Artemis III.
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