Media are invited to NASA Headquarters in Washington Tuesday, Oct. 15 to get an up-close look at the next generation spacesuits the first woman and next man to explore the Moon will wear as part of the agency’s Artemis program.
NASA is preparing to send astronauts to the Moon by 2024 and is moving forward with design and development of the suits astronauts will wear on the lunar surface and other destinations, including Mars.
The public event will take place at 2 p.m. EDT and feature NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, who will host a demonstration with spacesuit engineers. The spacesuit demonstration will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
Using ground prototypes, NASA will showcase its two spacesuits designed for lunar exploration – one for launch and re-entry aboard the agency’s Orion spacecraft, known as the Orion Crew Survival Suit, and one for exploring the surface of the Moon’s South Pole, known as the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU).
The xEMU suit improves on the suits previously worn during the Apollo era and those currently worn during spacewalks outside the International Space Station. This new spacesuit will accommodate a broad range of astronaut sizes and features an improved fit, comfort, and mobility for the lunar surface. NASA recently sought input from industryon interest in future production of the xEMU spacesuit.
Immediately following the event, media in attendance will have a brief opportunity to photograph the spacesuits. NASA experts will be available in-person and on a teleconference at 3:45 p.m., to answer questions from the media about the spacesuits. Media interested in attending the public event are asked to hold their questions for subject matter experts until after the show or during the media teleconference following the event.
Students from local middle and high schools will be among the participants in the audience. Students will be able to watch the demonstration and take part in a Question-and-Answer with NASA experts. Connecting students to these unique opportunities provides authentic STEM experiences to encourage the next generation into science, technology, engineering, and math.
To attend the event in person or join the media call, media must contact Sean Potter at sean.potter@nasa.gov no later than Noon Tuesday, Oct. 15. NASA Headquarters is located at 300 E Street SW.
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