Boeing Blue is the Latest in a Long Line of Space Suits

(upbeat jingle)

[Narrator] This is the future of space suits.

Everything about the new Boeing blue suit

is streamlined and modern, from the sporty new space boots,

designed with Reebok, to the soft zip-on hoodie helmet.

It's super light, just 20 pounds,

and packed with 21st century tech.

The gloves are built for touchscreens,

the shoulders and knees are made for movement.

Each suit is custom fitted to an astronaut.

But modern as it is, it's job is the same

as every space suit that's come before it,

protect a human body as it rockets away from earth.

First, there were the Mercury suits,

Alan Shepard, the first American in space wore one,

and so did John Glenn, when he orbited earth.

Roger. Zero-g and I feel fine.

Capsule is turning around.

Oh that view is tremendous.

[Narrator] BFGoodrich modified Navy Mark IV

high-altitude pressure suits for space travel,

the aluminized nylon suits weighed 22 pounds,

and had as many as 27 zippers to customize the fit.

But coolest of all, some of them had tiny lights attached

to the fingertips in case the capsule illumination failed.

How do you like that, ET?

For the Gemini missions, astronauts wore a new suit

designed not just for takeoff and re-entry.

[Announcer] The EVA helmet has three visors.

[Narrator] But for space walks as well.

[Astronaut] I feel like a million dollars.

[Narrator] For the Apollo missions, astronauts donned

variations on the A7L suit, which was made for launch

and for walking and driving on the moon.

The suits came with the famous fishbowl

intra-vehicular helmets.

When the space shuttle first lifted off in 1981,

astronauts again wore modified high-altitude pressure suits.

That suit was soon replaced by

the familiar orange pumpkin suit,

these came with a parachute, a life raft,

survival gear, and a 30 minute supply of oxygen.

Now, we have the Boeing blue,

the suits still have to undergo more testing

before astronauts board the Starliner capsule

and blast off atop an Atlas rocket

to the International Space Station,

so get ready Major Tom, zip your helmet on.

We're go for launch, we're ready

to take America back into space.

(light music)