NASA's new suits are one giant leap for space fashion

Engadget ^ | Jun 13th 2008 at 8:30AM | Thomas Ricker

[CarrotAndStick]

 

 

NASA just awarded its future spacesuit contract to Oceaneering International. The US firm must now design, test, and produce two suits -- the default suit (pictured after the break) worn on-board for launch and landing and a second, more versatile, cheese-proof suit worn during space walks and upon the surface of the moon. The suits must be ready for the first scheduled launch of the Orion Space Capsule in 2015. The contract is valued at the government special price of just $745 million. Hey, we have to keep up appearances at the International Space Station, you know.

 

[Hegemony Cricket]

Cool - looks like it has a built-in cellphone pocket - definitely not needed in the original...

[Celerity]

No holster ?

[sam_paine]

“cheese-proof “?

[LIConFem]

Does it only come in white? What will they wear after Labor Day?

[Doomonyou]

“cheese-proof “?

Also "Moose-Proof" from what I hear.

[sionnsar]

"cheese-proof"?

[null and void]

cheese-proof suit?

I like cheese.

So does my moose...

[Vince Ferrer]

“cheese-proof “?

I think its attempted humor. Since the moon is made of cheese, the suits have to be cheese proof.

[retrokitten]

I don’t know if I’m just hungry or such a South Park fan that it’s always on the brain, but I read that as “cheesy poof.” ;-)

[kenth]

Well, it is meant for the moon.

[MeanWestTexan]

“Cheese-proof”

The most vicious alien pirate raiders on the dark side of the moon are French.

[CarrotAndStick]

Yup.

If you take a look at the comments on the original source, you'll find this:

CapWKidd @ Jun 13th 2008 9:03AM

Cheese-proof?

Alex @ Jun 13th 2008 9:22AM

the moon is made of cheese, DUH

you don't want track that back into your space whip.

OneLove @ Jun 13th 2008 10:55AM

yeah, it took me a while too.

______________________________________________________________________

[Jonah Hex]

The most vicious alien pirate raiders on the dark side of the moon are French.

Sheer luna-cy...

[CarrotAndStick]

luna-cy

 

Hyphen not required :^)

 

lu·na·cy  (ln-s)

n. pl. lu·na·cies
 

1. Insanity, especially insanity relieved intermittently by periods of clear-mindedness. See Synonyms at insanity.

2.

a. Great or wild foolishness.

b. A wildly foolish act.

3. Archaic Intermittent mental derangement associated with the changing phases of the moon.

 

 

 

[UCANSEE2]

“I think its attempted humor. Since the moon is made of cheese, the suits have to be cheese proof.”

---

I think it means ‘goof’ proof. Cheesing something means screwing it up, like ‘screwing the pooch’, or ‘hoseproof’.

However, you are probably correct.

It could be an ‘inside joke’ with NASA. Ya never know.

[null and void]

I would have got it if they said "green cheese-proof"

[Yo-Yo]

This was one of the prototypes not selected:

[UCANSEE2]

What I want to know is what this means”

“the default suit (pictured after the break)”

Which one of the three is that? And when will the break be over?

[macamadamia]

[UCANSEE2]

Who needs a holster when you’ve got a low velocity, razor sharp flechette cannon mounted on your chest, like the guy in the middle?

[Coffee200am]

These Space Suit designs go way back to the 50's and earlier...

Atomic Rocket

[Rebelbase]

Galactic codpiece.

[CarrotAndStick]

LOL!

[dangus]

Apparently you didn’t read the latest reports from NASA. Turns out your great grandmother was right.

[6SJ7]

Here's the space suit you want for close encounters.

[Traction]

How many millions? Was there a decimal point left out? Chris Gilman at Global Effects studios is producing the first commercial spacesuits for a fraction of that. They have produced many prototypes for NASA plus majority of the suits used by the studios based on the actual suits used by the astronauts. On the movie suits, they try to copy the actual suites as close as possible (fabric, fittings, closures, helmets, etc). I believe the ones in the picture were made by Global Effects.

Ocean Engineering is a good company and they will produce a good suit. I am sure the cost is associated with the paperwork, not the product (20lbs or paper for each once of product).

[ryan71]

NASA needs a worth while mission...

How about a revolutionary energy solution?

[macamadamia]

But my spacesuit has a really big number 3 on the front and a blinking bulb thingy on top!!

[Knitebane]

Cool - looks like it has a built-in cellphone pocket - definitely not needed in the original...

What, that's not a cigarette pocket? Then I aint gettin' one!

[CarrotAndStick]

On their comments page, at Engadget, I remember seeing that the amount is not for just one suit, but for all the suits that will be needed by the crew, plus the development charges and other expenses.

Or, since the article is from a blog, it just might be an exaggeration.

[6SJ7]

But my spacesuit has a really big number 3 on the front and a blinking bulb thingy on top!!

I do actually like that sort of retro "2001 Space Odyssey", Popular Mechanics flying-car kind of look.

[DCBurgess58]

The New Prototypes

Kinda snazzy looking, eh?

[Hegemony Cricket]

Hehehe!

[MeanWestTexan]

No peripheral vision.

[mikrofon]

With these, you can just drop the astronauts and
they'll eventually bounce to a stop on the surface:

[MikeD]

You are correct about the cost of paperwork — you spend more in paperwork on a NASA project than hardware or other things. That’s why the cost of building the same thing for NASA keeps going up despite the fact that you get better at it as time goes on...