Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, can help reduce the mass of hard-shell space suits and also allows for the potential for in-situ fabrication and repair of suits.

How Space Suits Are Evolving for Missions Beyond the Moon. ... The Z-2 is the newest prototype, with a bubble helmet, hard upper torso, ... Launius says a hard-shell suit is optimal but impractical.

The space suit is torn between humanity's two chief desires: exploration and protection. None more so than the one some of us will be wearing on Mars—which could determine astronauts' survival ...

From 1966 through the 1990s, NASA Ames worked on a series of hard space suits designed for greater mobility. This is one of the earlier models, from 1966. That's inventor Vic Vykukal inside.

Space Suits, Mission Critical. Season 10 Episode 1012 | 26m 35s Video has Closed Captions | CC. Learn how are space suits made directly from the company that makes them. Aired 01/03/2022 | Expires ...

Of course, you could make a hard shell space suit like NASA's AX-5. This suit has joints that bend without changing the interior volume. It's easier to move around, but heavier with perhaps not as ...

The outcome of their collaboration is a new fabric for the outer layer of space suits, called the environmental protection garment (EPG) shell, that will prevent lunar dust particles from penetrating ...