If space is the final frontier, Mars is the first stop. And since you can’t get there in jeans and a t-shirt, NASA, which describes itself as being “laser focused on a path to Mars,” has been working on the apparel one might need to live and work on the red planet. Wednesday began fashion week at the space agency as it unveiled its latest Mars Z-2 spacesuit prototype.
NASA even went a little American Idol and let all you space fans at home weigh in and vote on the final design. Of three finalists, the “Technology” suit won the most hearts and minds, tallying 63 percent of the vote. The design will be incorporated into the final suit design and put through tests this fall. “This suit will be the first suit tested in full vacuum conditions at Nasa’s John Space Center in Houston, where it will also be tested in a pool and on a false Mars surface. Nasa will build the suit using 3D human laser scans and 3D printing hardware,” according to the Guardian.
If you want to check out the new space duds from every angle, NASA has a pretty cool slideshow of the winner, and also-rans, here.
