I Tested NASA's New Spacesuit (feat. Axiom Space)
Summary
TLDRThe video script details a behind-the-scenes look at the development of NASA's new spacesuits by Axiom Space for the Artemis III mission. The spacesuits, a critical upgrade from those used decades ago, are designed to allow astronauts to work for extended periods in the harsh lunar environment. The host, a civilian, experiences wearing a prototype suit, highlighting its features like the liquid cooling garment, the maximum absorbency garment (MAG) for waste management, and the suit's layers, including the bladder, restraint, and insulation layers. The suit's design is modular to fit a wide range of body types and is tested for various tasks, including a treadmill run and a squat, simulating lunar activities. The video emphasizes the suit's role as a personal spacecraft, essential for future space exploration and the interplanetary journey of humanity.
Takeaways
- 🌕 **Only 12 People on the Moon**: A small number of astronauts have walked on the Moon, all within a short span of 4 years.
- 🚀 **Return to the Moon**: There are plans for astronauts to return to the Moon to prepare for long-term living and future interplanetary travel.
- 🪖 **Spacesuit Upgrades**: The spacesuits used on the Moon have been outdated for decades and are now receiving significant upgrades.
- 🧑🤝🧑 **Diversity in Design**: New spacesuits are being designed to fit a wider range of body types, making space travel more accessible.
- 🔧 **Customizability**: The new suits move away from custom designs to a modular approach, allowing for adjustments for individual astronauts.
- 💰 **Cost Reduction**: The development goal for the new spacesuits is to reduce production and usage costs, making space exploration more economically feasible.
- 👩🔬 **Handmade Precision**: Despite technological advancements, many parts of the spacesuits are still handmade to ensure quality and precision.
- 🛡️ **Protection from the Elements**: The suits are designed to protect astronauts from extreme temperatures, radiation, and the vacuum of space.
- 👀 **Visibility and Aesthetics**: The suits' color and design are not just for show; they serve practical purposes like reflecting light and protecting against the elements.
- 🤝 **Collaboration with Prada**: High fashion brand Prada is involved in the final design of the spacesuits, indicating a blend of style and function.
- 🌟 **Inspiring Future Generations**: The new spacesuits are not just technological marvels but also serve as inspiration for future explorers and the public.
Q & A
How many people have walked on the Moon?
-Only 12 people have ever walked on the Moon.
Why is there a need to upgrade the spacesuits for the Moon?
-The spacesuits for the Moon haven't been updated in decades and are necessary for astronauts to survive and work in space, which is one of the most dangerous conditions a human can face.
What is the significance of the Artemis III mission?
-The Artemis III mission is significant as it will see astronauts return to the Moon for the first time since 1972, and it will involve the first humans exploring the region near the lunar south pole.
What are the new requirements for the spacesuits being developed for the Artemis III mission?
-The new spacesuits need to provide protection against extreme heat and cold, offer more flexibility and range of motion, fit a wider range of body types, and be sustainable and cost-effective for long-term use.
How does the lack of atmosphere in space affect a human body?
-Without an atmosphere, there is no oxygen or pressure to keep the human body intact. The pressure difference can cause air to rush out of the body, leading to rapid blacking out due to lack of oxygen in the blood, and potential swelling as the boiling point of bodily fluids decreases.
What are the two main types of spacesuits?
-The two main types of spacesuits are launch and entry suits, which protect astronauts in case of cabin depressurization, and extravehicular activity (EVA) suits, which are used when astronauts are outside the vehicle, such as on the surface of the Moon or during spacewalks.
How does the new spacesuit design aim to reduce costs?
-The new spacesuit design aims to reduce costs by being maintainable on orbit or on mission, thus increasing its sustainability and reducing the need for frequent refurbishment. The goal is to decrease both the cost of producing the suits and the cost of using them in space.
What is the role of a spacesuit in space exploration?
-A spacesuit provides an atmosphere for the astronaut, supplying oxygen and pressure, and protects the astronaut from extreme temperatures, radiation, and physical hazards such as cuts and punctures. It is essentially a human-shaped spacecraft.
How are the new spacesuits tested for functionality and safety?
-The new spacesuits are tested in a suit test lab where various aspects of the suit, including its pressure, mobility, and life support systems, are evaluated. Astronauts also use training suits to practice movements and tool use in simulated environments.
What are the challenges astronauts face during an EVA, and how does the new suit address these?
-Astronauts face challenges such as extreme temperatures, lack of atmosphere, radiation, and microgravity during an EVA. The new suit addresses these by providing thermal protection, a life support system, radiation shielding, and improved mobility to perform tasks in microgravity.
What is the process of designing and manufacturing a spacesuit?
-The process of designing and manufacturing a spacesuit involves creating a 2D pattern from a 3D model, cutting the material with automated precision, and then hand-sewing the suit with extreme care for quality and safety. The suit is tested extensively before being used.
Outlines
🌕 Moon Missions Revival and Spacesuit Upgrades
The paragraph discusses the historical context of Moon landings, highlighting that only 12 people have walked on the Moon within a short span of 4 years, followed by a 50-year hiatus. It introduces the imminent return of astronauts to the Moon, not just for short visits but to establish long-term living conditions and prepare for interplanetary travel. The crucial role of spacesuits in this endeavor is emphasized, particularly the need for updated suits that can withstand the harsh conditions of space and enable astronauts to work efficiently. The speaker expresses excitement about trying on a new, upgraded spacesuit and getting a glimpse into the design, construction, and testing process of NASA's latest spacesuits.
🚀 Preparing for Space: Medical Tests and Spacesuit Types
This paragraph details the rigorous medical testing required to wear a spacesuit, emphasizing the dangers of full pressurization for individuals with certain medical conditions. It distinguishes between different types of spacesuits: launch and entry suits, which protect astronauts in case of cabin depressurization, and extravehicular activity (EVA) suits, which are designed for spacewalks and lunar surface exploration. The evolution of spacesuits is discussed, from the early high-altitude suits to the modern EMUs, with a focus on the need for maintenance and sustainability in space. The paragraph also touches on the economic aspect of spacesuit development, with a goal to reduce costs and increase accessibility to space.
🧊 The Spacesuit Experience: Fitting and Function
The speaker describes the process of getting into a spacesuit, starting with wearing a 'cooling pajama' or liquid cooling garment, and using a 'MAG' (maximum absorbency garment) for waste management. The paragraph emphasizes the complexity of the spacesuit as a human-shaped spacecraft, with layers designed to provide oxygen, maintain pressure, and offer mobility. The speaker experiences the sensation of being inside the suit, noting the calm feeling and the unique sensation of wearing a functional piece of equipment rather than clothing. The paragraph also explains how the suit maintains life support, with oxygen and carbon dioxide processed through a backpack system.
🧵 Crafting the Spacesuit: Design, Fit, and Challenges
This paragraph delves into the craftsmanship of spacesuits, noting the majority of the work is still done by hand to ensure precision and safety. The speaker learns about the layers of the suit, the insulation properties of the boots, and the modular design that accommodates a wide range of body types. The modular approach is contrasted with the custom-designed Apollo suits, highlighting the cost and accessibility benefits of the new design. The paragraph concludes with the speaker attempting various tasks while wearing the suit, simulating lunar surface activities, and facing the physical challenges of moving in a pressurized suit.
🏃♀️ Spacesuit Challenges: Treadmill, Squat, and Moonwalk
The speaker engages in a series of physical challenges while wearing the spacesuit, including running on a treadmill designed for horses, performing a squat under Earth's gravity, and attempting a moonwalk. These activities highlight the suit's design for flexibility and movement, despite its weight and the restrictions imposed by the suit's pressurization. The paragraph emphasizes the technological sophistication of the spacesuit, which must be both protective and adaptable to human movement for tasks in space.
🎉 Reflections on the Spacesuit Experience
The speaker reflects on the profound experience of wearing a spacesuit, likening it to a dream from childhood. They express gratitude to the Axiom team and highlight the collaborative effort behind designing and building the suit. The paragraph underscores the significance of every detail in the suit's design and the collective work of the team. It concludes with an invitation to follow for more space-related content, hinting at future episodes about space exploration and technology.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Spacesuit
💡Artemis III mission
💡Axiom Space
💡EVA (Extravehicular Activity)
💡Lunar surface
💡Pressure differential
💡Life Support System
💡Thermodynamics
💡Modular suit design
💡Space exploration
💡Human factors
Highlights
Only 12 people have ever walked on the Moon, and they all did it within just 4 years of each other.
Astronauts are preparing to return to the Moon for long-term living and to pave the way for the first humans to another planet.
Spacesuits for the Moon haven't been updated in decades, but now they are getting a major upgrade.
New spacesuits will provide astronauts with increased capabilities and endurance for longer space operations.
Axiom Space has been selected by NASA to build the Artemis III spacesuit, marking the first time NASA has outsourced suit production.
The Artemis III mission is planned for 2026, with astronauts spending 6.5 days on the Moon, a record duration.
Astronauts will explore the lunar south pole region, searching for crucial resources like water and metals for lunar living and Mars missions.
New spacesuits are designed for better protection against extreme temperatures and increased flexibility and range of motion.
The suits are being developed to fit a wider range of body types, aiming to cover 90% of men and women in the U.S.
The new suits are designed to be maintainable on orbit or on mission, marking a shift towards sustainability in space travel.
The cost of the new spacesuits is a focus, aiming to reduce the price per suit as more are produced.
The spacesuit is likened to a one-person human-shaped spacecraft, emphasizing its role as a life-support system.
Spacesuits are critical for survival in space, providing oxygen, pressure, and protection from temperature extremes and radiation.
Astronauts use a 'MAG' (maximum absorbency garment) for bathroom needs while in the spacesuit.
The new spacesuit's outer layer is designed to be white to reflect light and stay cool on the Moon.
Axiom's spacesuit development process is mostly handmade, ensuring precision and quality control.
The new suit incorporates unique boot design for insulation and is modular to fit various body types.
Testing of the new spacesuit includes challenges that simulate lunar tasks, such as sample collection and movement in reduced gravity.
The experience of wearing the new spacesuit is described as being akin to wearing an Iron Man suit, highlighting its advanced technology and protective capabilities.
Transcripts
Only 12 people have ever walked on the Moon and they all did it within just 4 years of each other...
Then, for the last 50 years, no one has gone back. But that is about to change. Soon, astronauts will
return to the Moon to prepare for people to live there long term and to get us ready to
send the first humans to another planet. But to do all of that, they need to be able to survive
outside in space and work for hours in one of the most dangerous conditions a human being will ever
face. The problem is our spacesuits for the Moon haven't been updated in decades. But now
to make this next chapter in space possible, spacesuits are getting a major upgrade. These
new suits will give astronauts the superpower to do more for longer and I am one of the first
civilians to put one on. In this video, we're taking you behind the scenes to show you how
they're designing, building, and testing NASA's new spacesuits. I'm going to put myself and
this suit to the test to give you a sneak peek into what it looks like, what it feels like, and
how it might change what humanity can do in space...
"Ignition sequence starts...."
"Liftoff! We have a liftoff!"
"Altitude: 1600."
"The eagle has landed..."
"That's one small step for man..."
... one giant step for Huge If True!
JUSTIN: Are you ready to go see a spacesuit? CLEO: I have never been more ready for anything in
whole life. Like this is the episode that is most what 10-year-old Cleo would have
desperately wanted to be doing now. The stuff we get to do for this show is just ridiculous! Today
we're at Axiom Space, the company that NASA selected to build the Artemis III spacesuit.
Hi! So nice meet you! This is a big deal. It's the first time that NASA has outsourced
the production of their suits, to replace the legendary but now aging and outdated suits that
they have. That's where Axiom comes in. These new suits that they're building will be used
for NASA's upcoming Artemis III mission. Here's the plan: In 2026, four astronauts will leave
Earth on one of the most powerful rockets ever made and take the several day journey to the
Moon. When they arrive, two of them will descend to the surface and spend 6.5 days there
which is twice as long as anyone has ever spent on the Moon and the first time that humans will
have been back since 1972. And they'll be the first humans to explore this region near the lunar
south pole, where they hope to find resources like water and metals which are crucial for
living on the moon and getting to Mars. To do all of that, these astronauts need to
be able to stay outside on the lunar surface longer than ever before. They need new kinds of
protection against extreme heat and extreme cold. No one has ever spent so long in areas
that never get any sunlight. They need more flexibility and even more range of motion
to do their job, and they need suits that fit more kinds of people. For this big ambitious
mission and for the future of space travel, astronauts need the next generation of space suits...
RUSSELL: "So this is our prototype space suit that we use here at Axiom Space and this is our
suit test lab. So this is the lab where we do a lot of our testing." This suit is almost done
but they're still testing and updating this prototype. The lives of astronauts depend on
the people, technology, and work being done in this room. "That's the purpose of a space here right, is
yeah we want to go into space, we want to go to explore wherever it is, you know low earth
orbit or the surface of the Moon, and the spacesuit is there to enable you to do that. That's
its job." One of my big questions that I've always had is: If I were to snap my fingers and
instantaneously be in space, in the vacuum of space, how would I die? "So this is a controversy in
the in the community actually..." Amazing. Basically there are dozen things that are gonna kill you, the
controversy is what order they're going to kill you in. Most sci-fi gets this wrong. You probably
wouldn't immediately freeze or explode. If you snapped your fingers and you were in space right
now, your first problem is going to be there's no atmosphere, meaning no oxygen but also meaning no
pressure keeping you together like on Earth. So the pressure difference between inside and
outside of your body would immediately cause all of the air to just rush on out of you. Imagine a
balloon... but don't hold your breath because then your lungs might [POP]. Then, in about 15 seconds, your
brain would stop getting the leftover oxygen in your blood, so you'd black out, which is probably
good because your body would be swelling up since the lower pressure would then start to lower the
boiling point of the water inside of your blood and your tissues turning it into vapor inside of
you, though you likely wouldn't explode because your skin is super stretchy. Your next problem
is temperature. Because there's no atmosphere, there's no ambient temperature around you but
if you were in the Sun, the light would make that side of your body heat up to potentially
150° C while simultaneously the other side of your body would be slowly freezing down to 150°. Oh and
if somehow you survive that you'd be getting so blasted by radiation that it would probably poison
you and give you cancer, and you might eventually get shred to bits by flying objects going fast
than bullets. But if you got rescued before about 90 seconds, you might actually survive! After that
though... So... spacesuits are really important. The first step to putting on a spacesuit is to
basically sign your life away and get a bunch of medical tests. This is a medical history that says
that I'm fit to be inside a spacesuit. Probably. The reason I need these tests is that they're
going to fully pressurize the suit around me, which protects astronauts from dying but can
have dangerous consequences if you have certain medical conditions. "Perfect. I want you to close
your eyes really tight and don't let me open them. Chicken wings. Don't let me press down... don't let
me pull up. Perfect." One thing I realized as I was prepping to get in the suit is that we've got to
stop thinking about spacesuits as clothing. These are not clothes, not even really high-tech clothes.
This is a one-person human-shaped spacecraft. But not all spacesuits are the same. There are a few
big buckets you should know: "One is what's called launch and entry suits. And the other one is what I
would call EVA suits or extravehicular activity suits. And that's the suit that we're working on
here. Launch and entry are those orange orange space shuttle suits, they're the white and
black suits that SpaceX uses, they're essentially high altitude suits such that if your vehicle
experiences a problem and loses its ability to control the atmosphere of the vehicle those suits
become an atmosphere for you and allow you to at least re-enter to get back to Earth safely." Spacesuits
began in this launch and entry bucket. "So when you go back and look at the Mercury program
really what they were dealing with is these high altitude suits that protected you in case your
your cabin lost pressure or something like that. It's kind of like being on an airplane. They tell
you like, hey your mask will come down if we lose air pressure and that's to give you
oxygen. The difference with space flight is you're so high not only do you need oxygen you also need
a suit to keep the pressure on your body, right." But as humans did more in space, we needed
suits that could do more too. The kind of extravehicular activity suit that NASA uses is called
the "'Extravehicular Mobility Unit,' or the EMU. Those are ones where you're outside - extra vehicular
right - you're on the surface of the Moon or you're floating a low earth orbit and those suits are the
ones that let you go out and explore into space." Some EMUs allow astronauts to walk on the surface,
like this, and some are just for zero gravity space walks, like this. But until now an EMU has
been basically impossible to fix in space which is a problem if we want to live there. "That suit
was originally designed for these 14-day missions of flying up, coming down, being refurbished, flying
up, coming down, being refurbished. This is different than that. We've designed this suit from the ground
up from the very beginning to be maintained on orbit or on mission. It's much more sustainable in
terms of helping space flight costs come down over time, so that more people can access space."
The goal is to bring down the cost of getting the suits to space and also the cost of the space
suits themselves. The NASA suits from the 1970s were each reported to cost about 150 million in
today's dollars. NASA gave Axiom 228 million for the development of the new model but the plan is
to reduce the cost per suit as they make more of them. The future of space travel needs suits that
are cheaper to make and cheaper to use. It sounds like this moment reflects a major transition in
the way that we're thinking about humans in space at all. "Absolutely." That's why this new
suit is so "huge if true." It's part of this big change in what humans can do in space. So now
it's time to put this new suit to the test. Hang on, I want to show you something. So traveling to
see a spacesuit is just one of the episodes that we've been making for Huge If True. We've also been
traveling to visit CERN in Switzerland. We went to go see a Formula 1 car in Bahrain. It's been
awesome. But one of the things I always do when I'm traveling is I want to make my computer feel like
I'm still in the United States. Just so websites are automatically in English and things are in
dollars and none of my streaming shows get blocked, that kind of thing. It just feels like home online
to me which is nice and I do that with a virtual private network or VPN like Surfshark and they're
sponsoring this video. So here's what this looks like: I can set it to the US when I'm abroad
like this but then when I get home, sometimes I want my computer to think that I'm in another
country like when I'm doing research I sometimes want to see what a site looks like in another
country or some government sites, stuff like that. That's super easy too. With Surfshark, I can just
set it to one of a hundred different countries so I can be anywhere in the world right here in
my studio. If you don't use a VPN, I think you might find it useful. I know I do. And if you want to try
it, they offer a 30-day money back guarantee and you can get get an extra 3 months free by using
the link in my description or using promo code "CLEO" at Surfshark.deals/Cleo. Now back to the
spacesuit. Now I got to go put on my cooling pajamas before I get in the suit. The "cooling pajamas"
that astronauts wear look like this. They're technically called liquid cooling garments. You
wear these under the suit and water runs through these tubes to make sure that you don't get too
hot. So this is the answer to the question of how to astronauts go to the bathroom.
They use a diaper! And they don't call it a diaper, they call it a "MAG" - a maximum
absorbency garment. And then this and then I'm ready. Okay awesome. Okay go away!
Let's do this thing. Put me to work. I'm technically a test subject! Oh I get a little
hat! I wanted to say I've never been more ready for anything in my life but I am also really
nervous. "And hey Cleo, scratch your face before you get in!" Oh I was going to ask! How
you deal with being itchy? "Use the neck ring and the valsalva but like sometimes you're like, I can't
get to it!" Those were two of my big questions: How do you pee? And how do you itch? And it seems like
the answer is... "You deal with it." All right boss. "Let's get you to walk back here. You to walk up
the steps." "If you're uncomfortable at any point just say so. We can get you out fast." Thank you.
"Are you reading me?" I read you. "Can you give me a quick five count?" 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. They're hooking up
my cooling. I'm starting to feel it cooling my lower legs. Now my upper legs. Now I'm feeling
it in my top as well. Huh wow I feel cooler. "So at this point, you're clear to drop into the suit..."
This suit is just a marvel of human engineering. It represents decades
of achievements, not just in space flight but in manufacturing and design and chemistry and
textile science and thermodynamics and so much more. It's the next step in our interplanetary future.
Now it's the big moment...
As the helmet went on, there was this moment where I just felt...
calm. I closed my eyes and I imagined being an astronaut...
This feels as cool as I thought it would when I was a kid. I can't believe I'm inside a spacesuit
right now and it's everything that I ever imagined. Can you hear me now? Okay yeah testing
testing. I don't know I know how to describe this. It doesn't feel mechanical, it doesn't feel like
fabric, it doesn't feel like a big coat. It's like wearing an Iron Man suit? It feels like a
spacesuit! It feels like you imagine a spacesuit feels! I don't know how else to describe
it. The thing that's becoming really clear to me right now is that spacesuits are not clothes. This
is much more like a humans shaped spacecraft. "Yes it is. Yeah, it's a human-shaped spacecraft.
Your life depends on this. It has that reliability and that robustness built into it to protect you
from all these things that could harm you." Okay so here's how this spacesuit stops you
from dying in space. "First and foremost, the suit provides you an atmosphere. It provides
you oxygen that you can breathe and pressure that your body can can operate in." The oxygen
that I'm breathing right now comes from tubes running into the suit from this machine but in
the final suit all of the oxygen and carbon dioxide being breathed in and out will be
processed inside a big backpack, the primary life support system. As they're pumping oxygen into the
suit with this machine, the pressure inside the suit for me is increasing. And that new
pressure will be contained by the inner bladder layer. There are lots of layers to a spacesuit but
you can think of them in three major sections. Before I got into the suit, we got to see each
of them being made. "So what we have here is that bladder layer right. So this is the layer of the
glove that actually holds the pressure." If you want to know what these feel, like go
find a pair of dishwashing gloves it's basically similar except with a really fancy proprietary material.
material. Then on top of the bladder layer, there's a restraint layer that stops the whole thing from
inflating like a balloon because of the pressure. And this restraint layer also defines how the
suit can move. Astronauts need to practice how to move in a space suit with a model like this.
"This is what we call our 1G analog suit or you can just think of it as a training suit. This
is what the astronauts will wear when they're doing geologic training out in say the
desert somewhere. We use this to train them on what motions they can and can't do with tools
and so we have a variety of different joints and mobility elements that kind of teach the astronaut."
If you think about how your shoulder moves, it doesn't only move that way. That's one way you could lift
your arm. So astronauts have to learn, lift your arm this way, like this. It was wild to actually feel
that inside the suit. Oh that's very interesting, I can already feel that my arms move in these very
specific ways. I feel like I could do anything I want with my arms but I would have to follow a
specific path to get there. That's the motion that I can do right now. But as they add pressure like
they would on the Moon, it gets harder to move and it feels a little weird too. What's happening right
now is they're very very slowly pressurizing the suit so I'm feeling a little bit of weirdness in
my ears. "Just notice how the resistance changes as the pressure increases." Spacesuits get pressurized
to 4.3 PSI or pounds per square inch. The pressure that you'd normally feel at sea level is 14.7 PSI
so getting pressurized an extra 4.3 PSI feels like diving to the bottom of a pool. Just enough
where you need to pop your ears. You can experience this yourself right now if you're watching this
by holding your nose and blowing through it. That feeling in your ears is what I'm feeling
right now. The way that I clear my ears since I obviously can't hold my nose is, I go like this...
Works great! I'm at 2.5 right now, we're going up to 4.3. And you can tell that
my hands are getting stiffer. The suit itself is starting to feel a little bit different but I
can still do some things. I can... I am feeling okay! "Another thing for you to just think about while
you're sitting right there is, on a real EVA day, an astronaut will be doing this right here for
about 13 hours. So you're in there for the next 13 hours. It's a challenging job." 13 hours... I'm wearing
a diaper and I can't scratch my face. So together the bladder layer and the restraint layer contain
the atmosphere that you need and define how you can move. The final insulation layer helps protect
you from all of these. That's the black outer layer. One thing you might be wondering is, why
is it black and not the iconic white? The answer is because this is just a prototype. On the Moon,
it'll be white like this. And you might have heard that Prada is helping with pieces of the final
design but the color isn't just stylistic. They have to use white because they want to reflect
as much light as possible to keep cool. This outer layer also protects astronauts from certain kinds
of dangerous radiation and against cuts and punctures from dust and debris. They're still
testing exactly what fabric to use to do all of that and before I got into the suit I got to see
that process. "So here we've got one of our cutting tables and so one of the things people may not
realize is that you know this this space suit is this three-dimensional thing but it starts out
as a two-dimensional shape." And how much of this is handmade versus done by a larger
machine? "It's mostly handmade. There's there there are some things that we've automated
through machines. The cutting process is is now automated. But in some cases you're turning
these machines by hand very slowly because of the precision that we need in the stitching. A lot of
inspection, a lot of quality control on it so that we know that whatever we're building is going
to be safe." I'm a little bit surprised that it's so handmade, that that precision is human precision as
opposed to computer precision. "That's right yeah and some of that comes from you know we don't
make millions of space suits so you would bring in that automation when you talk about
a high production environment but for us you know we're not making those kinds of volumes and
so it's not really necessary right now." I got to talk to one of the people actually hand sewing
these prototype suits. "Sewing a spacesuit is a very unique job even within the world of sewing.
It's highly technical, very precise. So this crew of of people, they're the ones that are making
sure this suit can keep someone alive basically!" As I was in the suit, I could feel the craftsmanship
that they put into it. It's an incredible piece of technology from the top all the way to the
bottom. One new aspect of this suit is how well this outer layer insulates your feet. "These boots
have some unique proprietary features in them that essentially will insulate your foot from
the surface in the moon because the surface will be very very cold. In permanently shaded regions,
regions of the Moon that haven't seen sun, it's going to be very very cold." Another feature of
these suits is that they're designed to fit a wide range of body types which is crucial for
sending more people to space. They're supposed to cover 90% of men and women in the United States.
This is unlike previous Apollo suits that were custom designed to fit each astronaut which is
very expensive and also limiting." To fix this, Axiom uses a small, medium, and a large base option and
then they swap out and tailor additional pieces for the person inside in the days leading up to
this shoot I had to and my measurements. Not just my height and my weight, but also my chest breadth
and my inter wrist measurement and my crotch height. They assembled this suit for me. This
kind of modular suit design will open the door to space to so many more people. This
suit is incredible. Every little bit is pushing modern technology to the max. It's a spacecraft
made as small and flexible and human-shaped as possible to make it easier to collect samples
and do research and traverse the lunar surface. And now... I'm going to get to show you a tiny taste of
some of those tasks... if I can. It's tricky! Ooh I really don't want to fall down in your spacesuit.
They're about to put me through four challenges to see if I have what it takes to even try to be an
astronaut. I'm doing this on Earth which has six times the gravity astronauts will experience on
the moon. Axiom wouldn't share exactly how much this prototype suit weighs but it felt like I could
stand in it for maybe 5 minutes without help and the weight is distributed all around my body so
I would guess that it's somewhere between 150 to 200 lb on Earth. On the Moon, it will feel feel much
lighter though it'll be way harder to use for other reasons. So to get a more realistic sense
of its Moon weight they're using pulleys to help lift me up. I both feel very serious, this is
one of the greatest honors of my life. I also feel quite silly. "Oh man!" All right, challenge number 1:
collect a sample. "This is going to be a challenge 'cause those gloves are very long." Okay so just to be
very clear, this is not indicative of what an astronaut will be able to do in space partly
because I'm going to stink at this and partly because these gloves are both prototypes and quite
large. The first tools that they had me use were a chisel and a hammer. I can do it, I can do it, I
can do it, I can do it. The goal here is to simulate the process of breaking off and collecting lunar
rock samples. Okay so now I've broken off a piece... The next part of this challenge was to collect
my sample using only the tools.
This was a lot harder than it looked!
I got it! So I would swing my arm...
Aha! I got it. I got it.
I feel like an extremely technologically sophisticated squirrel.
One small step for mankind, one giant step for Huge If True. Oh no
my nose is running and I can't do anything about it! Don't look at me... I'd say challenge number one
accomplished. Challenge number 2: Run. And by run I mean walk fast. That treadmill that I'm
about to get on is built for horses. Let's go. Put me on the treadmill. I got it, I got it...
Alright. Work me out!
It's not that it feels heavy. It's that it feels... weird. It's like, I'm not actually moving
my legs straight like you would normally walk. It's like I'm rotating the inside of the bearing and
that's how I'm walking. So it's sort of like, imagine waddling like a duck but like in a much
more graceful way. I could go faster. How fast is fast? "Oh this, it'll go fast." Okay, take me to 2!
Ok 2.5! I mean I couldn't do this for very
long! Yeah I mean, I'm definitely warmer but I'm not I'm not hot. This feels quite comfortable. I
mean it's a relative term. Listen, not to brag but later they told me that this is
the fastest they'd ever seen a guest go on the treadmill. Wait guys, wait for the best part!
I don't think I've ever been so happy. Challenge 2: check! Challenge 3: Do a
squat in full Earth gravity. I would love to attempt that. I about to try bearing all
of the weight of the suit by myself which at Earth gravity is quite heavy. This is much much
heavier than it will be on the moon or on Mars. All right here we go, the hardest squat of my life...
Thanks guys. Challenge 3? Check! Final challenge: Kneel
and get back up. So the goal is to put one knee on the
ground. I feel like I'm planting a flag. This is an example of something you would not be able to
do in the current EVA suits, being able to be in a position like this in a full EVA suit. Thank you and
now for extra credit: Do the moonwalk. "Yeah you got to try to do the moonwalk, you got to." Wait
yeah okay, how do you do the moonwalk? I can't even do the moonwalk without a spacesuit on! But it's
like [WOMP WOMP]. You let a YouTuber inside a spacesuit. Okay so I am not the most graceful person to
have ever dawned a spacesuit. But I was just so impressed by what they had built: a portable
spacecraft that not only protects you from the harsh realities of space but it can also bend
and flex and work with our human bodies. The hope is that the suits that they make here
will help us reach beyond our planet and unlock interplanetary future that as far as we know only
our species has ever even attempted. Getting to try on this spacesuit was the experience of a
lifetime. It's what I dreamed about when I was a kid. And likely one day this suit and other
prototypes like it will be in museums for other kids to see in exhibits dedicated to the people
and the equipment that prepared humanity to go farther than we've ever gone before. If there's
only one thing you take away from this video it's how much work goes into designing a suit
like this. Every time you see an astronaut do something new, every time you see an astronaut
take a space walk or set foot on the moon again or set foot on Mars don't just think about that
astronaut. Think about all of the people that designed all of the things that that astronaut
uses all the way down to the intricate details of the suit that they're wearing.
This is so cool!
Wait can you say that again into my mic? [LAUGHTER] What was that? "You're the first person
that has gone up to 2.5 on the treadmill so very very impressive. We've not had anybody go up that high."
Thank you for giving me the opportunity. I wanted to say a big thank you to the Axiom team. We are the
first creators that they've let into their facilities and we were blown away by all of
the amazing people on their team. Also while we were there, they showed us a model of the SPACE STATION
that they're building which was insane so subscribe if you want to see more because this
is not the last episode that we'll be making about space. If you want to see that and more
optimistic stories about space and our future, subscribe. We've got so much in the works for you.
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