from the October 20, 2005 edition

This suit is made for walking (on Mars)

By Samir S. Patel | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor

In 1972, when humans last visited the surface of the moon, the bulky, stiff legs of spacesuits made the "moonwalk" more of a swaying hop. Since then, manned missions to space have stayed in Earth orbit, where astronauts mostly use their arms to get around. But when explorers get back to the moon, or if they ever get to Mars, these old spacesuits aren't going to cut it, scientists say.

Both destinations, in fact, are in NASA's long-range plans. Last month, the agency announced an ambitious plan to return to the moon by 2018 as a launching pad for a mission to Mars. If they pull it off, astronauts will need added mobility and dexterity for the next stage of modern experiments, exploration, and construction.

"We need to design some pretty revolutionary spacesuits if we're really going to realize human exploration of other [planetary] bodies," says Dava Newman, a researcher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. By combining an old idea with the latest technology, Dr. Newman and her team are trying to build a better spacesuit: the BioSuit, a form-fitting "second skin," designed for lunar and Martian living.

Artistic rendering of a BioSuit emphasizes how it aids maneuverability.
IMAGE COURTESY OF MIT

The rest of the article: The Christian Science Monitor