Hi Raoul,

Thank you for the heads up on the article. But all the images you have there are from Global Effects a Hollywood costumer. The current design is about 210 lb. (95.25 kg). Rear entry is better for easy of access that waist entry as you need to nearly dislocate your shoulders to get into a Shuttle EMU. There are of ways to reduce the weight by using advanced materials. Still something as heavy as the Mark III is not desirable for Mars but probably would work okay for the Moon.

JSC2005-E-38294 (8-13 September 2005) --- Dean Eppler of SAIC and Keith Splawn of ILC-Dover collect soil samples during Desert RATS activity in Arizona
(CV the editor: I-Suit (Keith?) in forground and Mark III (Dean?) with shovel).

JSC2004-E-43618 (October 2004) --- Dean Eppler, equipped with a Mark-III suit, operates the controls for a robot named Matilda as part of a NASA-led effort using the rugged terrain and variegated climate of Arizona desert land to try out prototype spacesuits and innovative equipment that may help America pursue the Vision for Space Exploration to return the Moon and travel beyond. The Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS) team is led by scientists from the Johnson Space Center and the Glenn Research Center. Eppler spent a number of long sessions attired in the planetary surface exploration suit technology demonstrator as he interfaced with much of the gear used during the field trip.

JSC2005-E-38267 (8-13 September 2005) Keith Splawn of ILC-Dover stands beside a core sampling tool on the edge of Meteor Crater during Desert RATS activity in Arizona.

I found these images thru: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/index.html