NASA's Newest Spacesuits Are a Retro Sci-Fi Throwback
If you're a fan of outer space, old school sci-fi, or the color blue, you'll wanna sit down for this: NASA's just revealed its newest astronaut spacesuits, and they're a slick mix of retro styling with modern enhancements.
Created by Boeing for its upcoming CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, the new "Boeing Blue" Starliner spacesuits have a serious 2001: A Space Odyssey vibe, and feature boots that'd be at home on any streetwear look book, but it's not all for show -- they're also 40% lighter, offering the flight crew increased mobility and comfort. The wider visor provides better peripheral vision as well, which is important when you're in as hostile an environment as outer space.
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As you'd expect, there are also a number of technological innovations on these new suits, including a more sophisticated communications headset inside the bubble-shaped helmet, but the main update has to be the addition of touchscreen-sensitive gloves, which seems like it should've already been a thing.
Boeing's CST-100 Starliner is currently scheduled to begin ferrying its well-dressed astronauts to and from the International Space Station in early 2018.