NASA Has a New Spacesuit for the Moon
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On Wednesday, NASA presented the first prototype of a new spacesuit. The next-generation spacesuit is specially made for the next trip to the moon in a few years.
The new spacesuits were displayed at an event hosted by Axiom Space, a Texas-based company that is building the suits for the NASA Artemis missions.
Last December, the Artemis 1 mission tested NASA’s new, next-generation rocket and a newly built spacecraft called Orion. The uncrewed flight around the moon and back to Earth was a success.
In April, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency will announce four astronauts to fly on the Artemis 2 mission next year.
If the Artemis 2 mission is a success, the Artemis 3 mission will bring astronauts to the surface of the moon this decade. Artemis 3 will also put the first woman on the moon.
The goal of the Artemis missions is to set up a lunar base. The lunar base will help NASA send humans to Mars in the future.
The spacesuits that Artemis astronauts will wear to the moon look very different from the big spacesuits we have now. The current spacesuits have not been redesigned since 1981.
The new suits called “Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit,” or AxEMU are more flexible, and thinner, and come in more sizes than the old spacesuits.
The suits that Axiom presented were gray because the color hides the secret technology they are using. When the astronauts go to the moon, the suits will be white because it is the best color to protect the astronauts from sunlight and extreme heat.
Vocabulary25 words
- Present
- to introduce or explain something to other people; to exhibit; to show; to display
- Prototype
- example; the first version; the original which will be copied later;
- Spacesuit
- a special suit/clothing that astronauts wear when they go outside of their spacecraft, designed to protect them from the dangers of space
- Next-generation
- something that is newer and more advanced than the previous version/model
- Display
- exhibit; show; to put something somewhere so people can see it easily
- Host
- to organize or hold an event; provide space for an event
- Texas-based
- located or operating in Texas
- Mission
- an expedition into space; an important job that a person is sent somewhere to do
- Test
- to do something to learn if it is safe, works correctly, etc.; try out
- Spacecraft
- A vehicle designed/made for space travel, like a satellite or a spaceship
- Uncrewed
- no crew; no people; no operators
- Announce
- share information openly; to tell the public; to make a statement; to report
- Astronaut
- a person who is trained to travel in space
- Surface
- the top or outside layer of something; exterior; ground
- Decade
- 10 years; a 10-year period
- Goal
- aim or purpose; objective; target
- Lunar
- relating to the Moon; something in connection to or from the Moon
- Base
- a place that is the center of operations; camp; headquarters; site; center
- Human
- a person; a man, woman or child
- Mars
- the red planet in space next to Earth
- Redesign
- design again in a different way; to make changes
- Flexible
- able to bend or change shape easily without breaking
- Hide
- to keep something out of sight; to conceal something; to make something not possible to see; to make it difficult to find something
- Secret
- information that is kept hidden or unknown; confidential; classified; information you shouldn’t tell other people
- Protect
- keep safe or secure; guard; defend
Discussion questions
- Would you like to go to the moon? What about space in general? Why or why not?
- In your opinion, should space exploration be a priority for governments around the world? Why or why not?
- What do you think are the challenges of sending humans to Mars? Are there pros and cons for society if we send a person to Mars?
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