Boeing Unveiled Its Sleek New 'Starliner' Spacesuit

Astronauts will soon become more stylish as the transporter developer, Boeing also unveiled a new sleek spacesuit. The crew will soon travel to the International Space Station (ISS) using the Starliner spacecraft wearing its complimenting spacesuit.

The new flexible spacesuit is a fitting update to the spacewear that is not only designed to look good but to preserve the life of its wearer in space. The new spacesuit is reportedly more "livable" compared to the older versions.

It is designed to be worn with the new Starliner CST by Boeing once the spacecraft is operational. The spacesuit also offers innovations when it comes to comfort. Engadget reported that it is 40 percent lighter and that it can keep astronauts cooler compared to previous versions.

NASA boasts of the new spacesuit's functionality and safety features. It also considered the historical designs and incorporated it into the new spacesuit. Boeing's new spacesuit also has new joint patterns.

The gloves were also modernized making them touch screen-sensitive so that astronauts can work better even with the gloves on. The new design also allows water vapor to pass out of the suit and away from the wearer. The whole suit isn't light per se, it weighs a total of 20 pounds. However, it is 10 pounds lighter compared to the travel suit the astronauts used to wear. And according to TechCrunch, the shoes were designed by Reebok.

"The most important part is that the suit will keep you alive," astronaut Eric Boe said in a press release. "It is a lot lighter, more form-fitting and it's simpler, which is always a good thing. Complicated systems have more ways they can break, so simple is better on something like this."

The designers also considered the functionality of the spacesuit. They tested various sitting positions that will allow astronauts to work while wearing the spacesuit inside the Starliner.

Boeing plans to conduct a test launch of the Starliner in 2018 with the crew wearing the newly designed spacesuit.