Elon Musk unveils sleek space suit for SpaceX astronauts bound for Mars
The new space suit designed by SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk isn't just elegant. It's super functional, too.
Musk revealed a photo of the suit on Instagram Wednesday, worn by a SpaceX engineer.
It wasn’t a mock-up version, either. It was the real deal.
In fact, Musk added that the suit has already been tested to double vacuum pressure, though building a suit with both the aesthetic appeal and functionality was no easy feat.
The pressure suits, meant to be worn by astronauts riding SpaceX’s Dragon capsule (and not actually for them to walk out on) put an elegant twist on the classic space suit worn by NASA astronauts for ages.
The Dragon spacecraft made history in 2012 when it became the first commercial spacecraft to deliver cargo to the International Space Station and then safely return the cargo to Earth. The capsule was initially designed to carry humans.
According to the SpaceX website, the company is currently refining the capsule for NASA astronauts to fly in.
The Dragon spacecraft’s first manned test flight is expected as early as 2018.
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