Under Armour, Virgin Galactic reveal suits to be worn by space tourists

One day after NASA unveiled prototype spacesuits designed to explore the moon and Mars, Under Armour on Wednesday revealed new equipment it says will be worn by space tourists when Virgin Galactic begins flying beyond the atmosphere.

The uniforms include a spacesuit, training suit, footwear and a jacket. The suits were created specifically for private astronauts, the companies said, and are "deep space blue" with "atmospheric light blue" elements.

The suits will be custom made for every passenger to include national flags and name badges, and there will be male and female versions. The suits were designed based on input from astronauts and trainers.

"We pride ourselves on always getting better and leaning into innovation to drive progress," Under Armour founder Kevin Plank said in a statement. "What we've engineered utilizing our key technologies will define the future of spacewear."

UA said the outer portion of the spacesuit is designed for the changing temperatures of space flight.

It's unclear when Virgin Galactic will begin flying space tourists, as it's still testing spacecraft. Billionaire Richard Branson's company has said it aims to begin flying next year - at an estimated cost of $250,000 per person, per flight. Virgin says more than 600 customers have signed up so far.

Tuesday, NASA also unveiled two suits for its planned exploration of the moon and Mars - the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit and Orion Survival System. NASA said its next manned lunar mission - and the first since Apollo 17 in 1972 - could launch as early as 2024 and include the first woman on the lunar surface.

Source: United Press International

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