What it takes to make a suit fit for the Moon

It will be the ultimate catwalk.

In 2025, when Nasa's Artemis III mission returns humanity to the Moon, billions of eyes will focus on two astronauts. And what they're wearing. Although the astronauts will undoubtedly bounce, rather than sashay, upon the lunar surface.

The geeks among us already had a glimpse of what's in store after a recent preview in Texas, at Nasa's Houston Space Center. There, a new spacesuit prototype made its debut for a new era of lunar travel.

And on display? One spacesuit, in fashionable black with flashes of orange and blue. Although, when multiple suits appear on the rack, they'll all be classic white - like those used for the Apollo missions more than 50 years ago.

Unlike Apollo, however, these lunar spacesuits will also have a new designer label: Axiom Space. Founded in 2016, this comparative newcomer of a company has already conducted the first private astronaut mission and also plans to build the first commercial space station.

"It definitely felt like we were the new kid on the block," says Mark Greeley, Axiom's EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity or spacewalk) programme manager, who has managed space suit and launch entry suit projects for Nasa throughout his career. "But many of us, probably 90% of the team, has worked in EVA in some form or fashion for their entire career."

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Like Greeley, many Axiom Space staff are ex-Nasa with a leadership team that includes former Nasa administrator and astronaut, Charlie Bolden, as their business development consultant. There was also a touch of star quality involved in Axiom's prototype suit in the form of Esther Marquis.

Marquis was lead textile designer for the Marvel movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and is the costume designer for the award-winning Apple TV+ space drama series For All Mankind.

"With any design challenge there is a level of engagement and commitment one undertakes to achieve the requested goal," says Marquis. "I was eager to apply ideas obtained from my experiences."

The new suit was unveiled to the public, with black coverings to conceal some of the more secret parts of its design (Credit: Axiom Space)

And there was good reason for the prototype suit's outer layer being black.

"My job was to design a 'Custom Cover Layer' to conceal the suit's proprietary design during the spacesuit reveal event held in March," she says. "I am very familiar with historical spacesuits having used them on our show. I wanted to pay homage to that legacy and celebrate space exploration. It was a terrific opportunity to meet and talk about spacesuit design with a company that is actually sending individuals to space and I was delighted to discover that Axiom spacesuit engineers are indeed artists, creatively solving complex problems."

Hand and machine sewing often plays an important role within the space industry – be it on spacesuits, the fabric between the Space Shuttle tiles or on the heat shields of the BepiColombo mission to Mercury.

"It takes a lot of expert seamstresses, or soft goods technicians, to do that kind of work," agrees Greeley. "And they're truly artists."

First and foremost, of course, the new lunar spacesuits are essential, life-supporting pieces of equipment to supply air and protect astronauts from radiation and micrometeoroids. Despite the legacy, there's always room for improvement.

"Apollo used zippers, metal cables and rubber in the suits that were 1960s technology and fine when used for one mission but that's no longer the case," says Bill Ayrey, author of the book Lunar Outfitters: Making the Apollo Space Suit.

"The biggest advances came just after Apollo when the Shuttle suit was designed and made up of many components that could be switched out to accommodate a wider range of crew members," says Ayrey, a former space suit test engineer and historian at ILC Dover. This is the company that made the Apollo suits and those used by astronauts today performing spacewalks from the International Space Station (ISS). ILC Dover is one of Collins Aerospace's partners for making new spacesuits for the ISS.

Many spacesuit materials for both environments still originate from the 1950s and 60s and include spandex, in the snug suit layer for liquid cooling ventilation; Mylar for insulation; Kevlar, which is used in bulletproof vests; flame resistant Nomex, worn by racing drivers; and urethane-coated nylon which can have welded seams and is typically used for the innermost airtight pressure garment 'bladder'.

The new spacesuits for the lunar surface won't be as bulky as the ones currently used on spacewalks (Credit: Nasa)

"Today's suits will utilise advanced composites," says Ayrey, "and other materials to provide structural strength and allow for sizing adjustments and provide greater comfort while also providing an extended lifespan of the suit components."

The sizing is important. In 2019 Nasa had to delay its first all-female spacewalk because the ISS did not have enough spacesuits in the right size.

However, since Nasa had already begun work on the new suit before turning it over to industry, Axiom did not have to begin with a blank page. "We started making modifications where designs weren't closed or complete or where our team's expertise knew that we could make improvements," says Greeley.

"There are a few components, like the hard upper torso and the helmet bubble, that were pretty mature in design but we completely redesigned the pressure garment system. We also reduced [the suit's] mass – a big change, we've taken 20lbs (9kg) out of the suit so far – and we increased mobility."

The angle of the helmet on the Axiom suit no longer resembles a traditional upturned Apollo goldfish bowl either, as it is tilted with extended viewing below the horizon. "For lunar spacesuits, the astronauts are looking down most of the time."

The Moon also has one-sixth of Earth's gravity and this affects the design. "Lunar spacesuits need to be light in weight because they are used in a gravity environment," says Ayrey. "Also, planetary and lunar suits must provide excellent lower torso mobility since you are walking in a gravity environment and not just floating around."

Former Nasa astronaut, Peggy Whitson, described the prototype as "a great example of what innovation can do. This is going to be a much more flexible suit."

More than 50 years will separate the suits worn by Apollo programme Moon explorers and the Artemis astronauts (Credit: Nasa/Getty Images)

She should know. Whitson currently holds the world record for the longest cumulative time in space (665 days) and, as Axiom's head of human spaceflight, is set to extend that record even further on 8 May as commander of Ax-2, the company's second private mission to the ISS. Several astronauts, including Whitson, also had input into the new suit.

"I think the most common comment from astronauts is keep it simple," says Greeley. For the gloves, it's to make sure "they have the right dexterity and keep their hands warm or cool, depending on the environment. Having worked on multiple programmes, I would say our gloves are probably the best that I've seen."

Temperatures on the lunar surface are extreme. Unlike the Earth, the Moon has a cycle of around 14 days daylight and 14 days night. During darkness, temperatures can drop to -253C (-424F), and reach up to 120C (250F) during sunlight. The Apollo astronauts needed that solar power, as will Artemis crew members, and their suits were white to reflect heat and keep body temperatures from becoming dangerously high.

During the Apollo missions the ultra-fine moondust, or regolith, interfered with instruments, caused radiators to overheat and damaged spacesuits. "It will be critical to assure that lunar dust cannot penetrate into the inner layers, the metal bearings and other components," says Ayrey.

Once complete, the new lunar Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit must undergo a test in a space-like environment. A Nasa spokesperson outlined what's required: "An analogue demo could consist of taking place underwater using weight relief, using a thermal vacuum chamber or other methods approved by Nasa."

The final test, of course, will be on the Moon itself. Failure there is definitely not an option.

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