Jan 26, 2017

Boeing unveils swanky blue spacesuits for astronauts travelling to the ISS

The 'Boeing Blue' spacesuits have been especially designed for astronauts travelling aboard Boeing's private Starliner


Astronauts travelling aboard Boeing's CST-100 Starliner will wear a special new spacesuit developed by the aerospace company. These new suits are comfortable and provide better pressurised mobility, the company says.

Also, they're 40% lighter than the bulky orange spacesuits astronauts wore in the space shuttle days. According to NASA, the blue suits only weigh 9kg when loaded with accessories compared to the 13.6kg of the orange suits.
There are a few small, but important, tech-friendly changes that have been made for the new threads. For example, the gloves now work with touchscreen gadgets and there's a communication headset built straight into the helmet.

Zips have been added to the torso to make it easier for astronauts to move from a sitting to a standing position. Boeing has also widened the visor so astronauts get wider peripheral vision.

"Spacesuits have come in different sizes and shapes and designs, and I think this fits the Boeing model, fits the Boeing vehicle," said Chris Ferguson, Boeing director of Starliner Crew and Mission Systems and a former NASA astronaut.

ByJeff Parsons