Fifty years into the future our space born descendants may ponder why their forefathers explored the lunar surface in bulky white suits. With NASA calling out to the private sector for a "space tailor," future suits worn by astronauts may not resemble the outfits worn by the first men on the Moon.
(Moon Today) NASA has issued a request for proposals from industry for the design, development and production of a new spacesuit system for Constellation Program voyages to the International Space Station and the moon. [...]
Prospective contractors are being asked to develop a system that minimizes mass, volume and carry weight; donning time; maintenance requirements; suit logistics; operational overhead; life cycle costs; and operational constraints on the lunar surface in varying geographical, solar and thermal conditions. The same spacesuit system also must maximize pressurized and unpressurized crew comfort, range of motion, reliability and work efficiency throughout multiple suit uses. Designers are being asked to incorporate flexibility and modularity to allow for efficient incorporation of future upgrades.
NASA's best option may lie in choosing skin tight space suits as they would enable an astronaut to actually run upon the lunar world instead of skipping like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.
Note: This would be a perfect time for Louise to show off her space suit, although hopefully she includes a video post on her web journal.
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