NASA needs Spacesuit Designer

The U.S. space agency, NASA is looking for a new tailors to design and build the spacesuits to be worn by future astronauts. On Tuesday, NASA called on prospective spacesuit designers to submit proposals for spaceworthy and flexible spacesuits, to allow astronauts to work outside NASA's future Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) or on the lunar surface.

NASA plans to award a contract for the new spacesuits in June 2008. According to NASA's request for proposals, the agency is seeking a contractor to design, develop, test and produce multipurpose spacesuits for its Orion spacecraft crews. The Orion CEV is NASA's space shuttle successor and is expected to make its first crewed flights to the ISS no later than 2015 and ferry astronauts back to the moon by 2020.

NASA is seeking lightweight spacesuit systems that are simultaneously easy to maintain and quick to don and doff, as well as comfortable to its astronaut wearer. Flexibility, reliability, the ability to be upgraded, as well as work efficiency are key attributes, the space agency said. Link

NASA currently has supplies for about 12 different ensembles of its current spacesuit: the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU). The spacesuit consists of a hard upper torso, helmet and mix-and-match arm, leg and glove components to suit individual astronauts. They were designed solely for use in orbit. So, NASA wants new spacesuits for the Orion spacecraft and future lunar missions.