posted 12-21-2012 04:03 PM               

NASA's prototype spacesuit borrows from Buzz Lightyear

What do you get when you cross the historic spacesuit worn by Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin and the futuristic spacesuit 'worn' by Disney-Pixar's Buzz Lightyear?

NASA's prototype Z-1.

The space agency's first new spacesuit to be designed, built and tested in about a decade, the Z-1 features pliable fabrics, a rear-entry "suitport," and — even if unintentional — more than a passing resemblance to a certain animated space ranger.

posted 04-22-2013 10:02 AM               

NASA awards Z-2 spacesuit contract to ILC Dover

ILC Dover, the designer and manufacturer of NASA's space suits and a wide range of engineered film and fabric products, announced today it was awarded an 18 month contract to design, manufacture and test the next generation of NASA's Spacesuits — the Z-2.

The new suit, designed for enhanced spacewalk capability, will operate at higher pressure levels than previous models, which will greatly improve exploration work efficiency.

"This contract is a testimonial to the continued trust and faith NASA and the Johnson Space Center (JSC) have in ILC Dover — a partnership that has existed since the Apollo space missions," said Patricia Stoll, Space Suit Assembly Product Manager, ILC Dover.

"We are honored to have been awarded this contract and we look forward to working with NASA to develop the next generation space suit that may eventually walk on the surface of the moon or Mars."

The Z-2 will be designed to interface with NASA's portable life support system currently under development at the JSC. The new suit will also be designed to interface with both classical air locks and NASA's latest suit port design.

ILC Dover will be working with the following teammates on this project: Air-Lock Inc., Analytical Mechanical Associates, University of Delaware Center for Composite Materials, Wolverine World Wide, Devilsfork Consulting, and the Philadelphia University.

The public will be able to track the various stages of manufacturing, testing and delivery of the Z-2 through a specifically designated section of ILC Dover's website.

posted 03-24-2014 10:39 AM               

Z-2 Spacesuit Design Vote

NASA's Z-2 Suit is the newest prototype in its next-generation spacesuit platform, the Z-series. As a follow-up to the previous Z-1 suit, which was named one of Time Magazine's Best Inventions of 2012, the Z-2 takes the next step in fidelity approaching a final flight-capable design. Most exciting, the Z-2 marks several milestones for NASA:

• First surface-specific planetary mobility suit to be tested in full vacuum
  
• First use of 3D human laser scans and 3D-printed hardware for suit development and sizing
  
• Most advanced use of impact resistant composite structures on a suit upper and lower torso system
  
• First integration of the suit-port concept with a hard upper torso suit structure
  
• Most conformal and re-sizeable hard upper torso suit built to date

In addition to these firsts we, the spacesuit engineers, have found ourselves with another exciting opportunity: the chance to make a suit with a look unlike any suit ever built before.

After the positive response to the Z-1 suit's visual design we received, we wanted to take the opportunity to provide this new suit with an equally memorable appearance. The cover layer of a prototype suit is important as it serves to protect the suit against abrasion and snags during the rigors of testing. With the Z-2, we're looking forward to employing cover layer design elements never used in a spacesuit before.

The designs were produced in collaboration with ILC, the primary suit vendor and Philadelphia University. The designs were created with the intent to protect the suit and to highlight certain mobility features to aid suit testing. To take it a step further, we are leaving it up you, the public, to choose which of three candidates will be built.

Please review the three concepts here and make your selection. Voting is open through April 15, 2014 at 11:59pm EDT.

posted 05-01-2014 12:01 AM               

We have a winner! With almost 150,000 votes, the "Technology" design will be the look of the upcoming Z-2 spacesuit!