From Apollo to Mars The Evolution of Spacesuits

Almost everyone on planet Earth has seen the famous images of astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin standing on the moon. But, often overshadowed by the weight of the historic achievement itself, the most obvious feature of these photographs is also one of the most critical pieces of equipment in crewed spaceflight missions —  their spacesuits.

About half a million individuals worked on NASA's Apollo Project, taking an impossible idea and landing humans on the moon. During their journey, the astronauts relied on specialized spacesuits to protect themselves from the harsh conditions of space, and NASA has built on that legacy in its subsequent spacesuit design work. 

Radiation, extreme temperatures and a number of other factors threaten the lives of those humans who venture off our small blue marble. But the best way to protect astronauts from those risks varies with the details of the mission. Read more

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