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The results are in: back in March we wrote about NASA’s crowd-selected contest to decide on the design for their newest prototype space suit. Of the three options, the Z-2: Technology model was the clear forerunner, owning 65% of the vote over it’s counterparts Biomimicry, and Trends in Society. Well, that lead was enough to bring Z-2 Technology to victory, as NASA announced yesterday. Stargazers the world over can expect to see the luminescent space suit prepped for tests by November of this year.
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Said NASA:
With 233,431 votes, the “Technology” option has won NASA’s Z-2 Spacesuit design challenge with just over 63% of the total vote.
[…] “Technology” pays homage to spacesuit achievements of the past while incorporating subtle elements of the future. By using Luminex wire and light-emitting patches, this design puts a new spin on spacewalking standards such as ways to identify crew members.
The design specifically includes electroluminescent wire and patches across the upper and lower torso, exposed rotating bearings, collapsing pleats for mobility and highlighted movement, and abrasion resistant panels on the lower torso.
Check out our original feature on the contest here, and enjoy these awesome renderings of what the Z-2 Technology might look like in action, come November 2014:
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