Astronauts will once again step on the lunar surface in white suits, as they did more than 50 years ago, but more flexible, elegant and resistant to the hostile environment of Earth’s natural satellite.
A prototype of the suits was presented today in Houston, United States, by the American aerospace company Axiom Space, to which the North American Space Agency (NASA) has contracted the service for $ 228.5 million (216.6 million euros).
NASA hopes to return astronauts to the lunar surface in 2025 – the first women and first black men – under the Artemis III mission.
Only the United States flew astronauts to lunar soil, 12 in all, between 1969 and 1972, during the Apollo program.
As they have been for more than 50 years, the moonwalk suits will be white, so they can reflect heat and keep astronauts cool.
The helmet will contain a series of lights and a high-resolution video camera, while the life support system, where oxygen is stored, will, as before, be located on the astronauts’ backs.
Axiom Space, which organizes flights to the International Space Station, in Earth orbit, hopes to get new (but not yet final) versions of the model presented today for NASA summer training purposes.
During the presentation, a company employee wore a dark suit, squatting and twisting his waist to show his flexibility.
Despite the planned improvements in the lunar walking suits, astronauts will still have to wear diapers to urinate or defecate.
