Space Industry and Business News  
SPACE TRAVEL
Virgin Galactic unveils commercial space suits
by Staff Writers
Yonkers, United States (AFP) Oct 17, 2019

The date for the world's first commercial space flight is not even confirmed yet, but future passengers' Star Trek-like outfits are ready and waiting.

Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson on Wednesday introduced the custom suits that will be worn by the first private astronauts.

US sportswear designer Under Armour "worked day and night for about two years on this project" said Branson, who himself served as a model at the presentation at a skydiving simulator near New York.

The 69-year-old British billionaire donned the personalized royal blue suit that he plans to wear during his company's inaugural flight -- sometime in 2020.

"Spacesuits are a part of the iconography of the first space age. Our visual impressions of human spaceflight and what astronauts wear are inextricably linked," Branson explained. "I love the way the spacewear looks and I love the way it feels."

"I also love the fact that the next time I put it on, I will be on my way to space."

Under Armour president Kevin Plank said the suits' creators approached the design the same way they would think about clothing for extreme sports.

"They approached it just like one of our typical uniform deals," Park said. "They started with... understanding the sport, understanding the needs of the athlete, understanding the extreme conditions they go through."

The material for the suits, undergarments and boots were chosen for their ability to aid in the body's temperature and moisture regulation.

A transparent interior pocket was added so space-exploring customers can keep pictures of their loved ones "literally... close to the heart," according to a statement from Virgin Galactic.

And they are designed so wearers can fit perfectly into the spacecraft's seats.

Every space tourist will get their own custom suit that they can take home with them back on Earth, complete with a label of their name and their country's flag.

"To be able to touch the suit is equivalent to touching the spacecraft for the first time," said British Trevor Beattie, one of some 600 clients already signed up for Virgin Galactic's first flights. "It's tangible."

"It's a new stage that we're involved in and we're closer still," he said. "But we're still patient, we can wait."

Virgin Galactic, which was founded in 2004, has spent years developing its space program, and after a fatal accident in 2014, has twice crossed the barrier into the final frontier.

But the company has still not yet piloted a space flight with clients on board.

The company plans to offer weightless flights to six passengers at a time, at $250,000 (225,750 euros) a ticket for the first customers.

The client-astronauts will be able to float around the ship's cabin and look out of portholes to see the curvature of the Earth, all while surrounded by the blackness of space.

The Virgin Galactic suits were unveiled in the wake of NASA's presentation of new uniform prototypes for "real" American astronauts, who are set to return to the Moon in 2024.


Related Links
Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


SPACE TRAVEL
Maldives targets one million Chinese with more direct flights
Male, Maldives (AFP) Sept 25, 2019
The Maldives is seeking more direct flights from China to attract up to a million tourists annually - triple the current number - by 2023, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid sought to boost air connectivity between the two countries during his visit to Beijing over the weekend. "During my meeting with the Chinese foreign minister, we discussed the possibility of adding more direct flights from China to the Maldives," officials quoted Shahid as saying. Ther ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

SPACE TRAVEL
Unique sticky particles formed by harnessing chaos

AFRL reimagines tech development with virtual reality

There's a new Clean Up Sheriff in LEO

Analysis of Galileo's Jupiter entry probe reveals gaps in heat shield modeling

SPACE TRAVEL
Satlink shows the most advanced satellite telecommunications solutions to Spanish Special Forces

DARPA announces final teams for Spectrum Collaboration Challenge Championship event

Eight companies share Navy's $968.1M C4ISR contract

US Air Force selects Hughes to strengthen SATCOM resilience

SPACE TRAVEL
SPACE TRAVEL
Satelles, Inc. Secures $26 Million in Series C Funding Round Led by C5 Capital

ISRO works with Qualcomm to develop improved geo-location chipset

Highly accurate GPS is possible thanks to NASA

Northrop Grumman awarded $1.39B for new Air Force navigation system

SPACE TRAVEL
NASA, US industry aim to electrify commercial aviation

General Atomics awarded $12.5M for EMALS work on Navy's aircraft carriers

U.S. Navy establishes wing for CVM-22B Osprey aircraft

Air Force F-35 squadrons improve readiness capability amid deployments

SPACE TRAVEL
Radiation detector with the lowest noise in the world boosts quantum work

Researchers develop tiny infrared spectrometer

The future of 'extremely' energy-efficient circuits

Spin devices get a paint job

SPACE TRAVEL
NASA spacecraft launches on mission to explore frontier of space

AI for understanding and modelling the Earth System

A new alliance begins between KSAT and Japanese SAR satellite startup Synspective

New method delivers first global picture of mutual predictability of atmosphere and ocean

SPACE TRAVEL
Delhi pollution 'action plan' comes into force

Sunlight degrades polystyrene much faster than expected

Project launched to study artificial lighting at night from space

Astronauts and citizens team up against light pollution









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.