SpaceX explains the sleek Crew Dragon spacesuits worn by NASA astronauts
The spacesuits and the spacecraft work as one.
The SpaceX spacesuits designed for Crew Dragon astronauts look a lot different from the usual NASA suits that have been in service for years. SpaceX shared an inside look at the spacesuit design in a video released Monday that offers some insight into one of the most visible parts of the Crew Dragon mission.
The spacesuits feature a sleek, streamlined design and have a symbiotic relationship with the seats in the Crew Dragon spacecraft. They hook up via an "umbilical" that connects the astronauts to everything from communications to air for breathing.
Chris Trigg, spacesuits and crew equipment manager, said SpaceX prioritized ease of use for the suits, "something the crew just has to literally plug in when they sit down and then the suit kind of takes care of itself from there."
The video is timed just ahead of the scheduled return of the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are set to come back to Earth, leaving the International Space Station on Aug. 1 and splashing down in the Atlantic on Aug. 2.
Here's how to watch the historic return of Crew Dragon and the final tests it needs to pass before SpaceX can start regular operational flights to the ISS.