Collins Aerospace’s new spacesuit for NASA passes crucial test
A new spacesuit to be used by International Space Station astronauts has passed a crucial test in mirogravity conditions.
Collins Aerospace's chief test astronaut John Olivas is seen here performing tasks wearing the spacesuit.Collins Aerospace's chief test astronaut John Olivas is seen here performing tasks wearing the spacesuit. (Collins Aerospace)
North Carolina-based Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of RTX Corporation, built a spacesuit and tested it in a microgravity-like environment, announced NASA on Monday. The next-generation spacesuit is designed for use as a pressure garment for astronauts when they work outside the International Space Station.
The test was conducted on a microgravity aircraft that provided brief periods of weightlessness. The pilot of the commercial aircraft does this by conducting a series of roller-coaster manoeuvres in a parabolic flight, allowing engineers and scientists to test hardware and conduct scientific experiments in a space-like environment at a fraction of the cost.