NASA Announces Z-2 Spacesuit
Posted on May 1, 2014
NASA has announced its prototype Z-2 spacesuit. A final version of the design will begin testing in November 2014. The Z-2 suit received 63% of the votes during the recent design challenge.
The Z-2 suit has a hard composite upper torso. The suit will feature cover layer design elements, like electroluminescent wiring, never used before in a spacesuit. It also features exposed rotating bearings, collapsing pleats for mobility and highlighted movement, and abrasion resistant panels on the lower torso.
NASA says its Z-series suits are a non-flight phase. They won't be the final suit used in a manned Mars mission. NASA says "each iteration of the Z-series will advance new technologies that one day will be used in a suit worn by the first humans to step foot on the Red Planet."