SpaceX Crew Dragon Suit: NASA Astronauts To Test Spacesuit That May Propel Humanity In Space
A look at the Crew Dragon suits that NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will be wearing during the spaceflight.
NASA¡¯s Commercial Crew Program is set to take its next flight in SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for the first time ever on May 27.
For this, the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Crew Dragon spacecraft are already onsite at SpaceX¡¯s facilities in Florida.
Reuters // These are the old NASA suits
The take off has been termed as Crew Dragon¡¯s second demonstration mission aka Demo-2. For more than a decade, more than 90% of the trips to the International Space Station have been conducted in a Soyuz spacecraft.
Demo 2 will see NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley finalise SpaceX¡¯s efforts to bring back space flight to the US. In the process, the two astronauts will be wearing SpaceX¡¯s in-house design - Crew Dragon suits, spacesuits that look straight out of a sci-fi movie.
SpaceX Crew Dragon Suit
A look at them and you will know that the spacesuits are nothing like ever seen before. Though their debut will mark a trip to the International Space Station, they look like they have been designed to explore the far off depths of our solar system, including a much-touted trip to Mars according to Elon Musk.
SpaceX Crew Dragon Space Suit Features
SpaceX says that the suits are ¡°custom-tailored¡± for all the crew members with a single piece. The highlights, however, are common, including 3D printed space suit helmets, heel sliders for securing feet to the footrest as well as a connection for the suit to the cabin, with just one plug.
Understandably, the suit is not just all looks. They are meant to be a crucial protection between life and death for the wearer. That is done by providing a pressurized environment for the crew members in case an undesired situation such as cabin depressurization arises. For now, the suits have been designed for use within the Dragon capsule.
NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley in SpaceX Crew Dragon Suit. (Image: NASA)
A long standing expectation with SpaceX is to have a design laden with tech features. The Crew Dragon suits are true to this, with features like touchscreen compatible gloves, hearing protection, flame resistance and an ability to ¡°route communications and cooling systems to the astronauts aboard during regular flight¡° as per SpaceX.
The suits by themselves have provided critical data to SpaceX in the past, with the Demo-1 mission. The same will be applied for all future missions, Benji Reed, director of crew mission management at SpaceX confirmed to Inverse in a press conference.
