NASA crowdsources fashion advice for Z-2 space suit design

TORONTO – Whether you are a fashion lover, or a space nerd, if you have ever wanted to help design a space suit now is your time.

NASA has released images of the prototypes for its next generation deep space suits and is asking the public to vote on their favourite designs.

The images are like something out of a very high-tech fashion editorial spread.

The “Biomimicry” suits draws from the bioluminescent qualities of the world’s oceans – in other words, the design on the suit mimics the light given off by deep sea creatures.

NASA must have heard animal print is in this season, because this design also embraces the “scaly skin” of fish, reptiles, and some of the earth’s toughest creatures.

“Technology” pays homage to the progress that has been made in space suit design, while incorporating ideas for the future of the suit. The design is much more industrial thanks to its electroluminescent wire designs and exposed rotating bearings.

For the “Trends in Society” design, NASA opted for a sportswear inspired look that is meant to envision what “every day clothes may look like in the not too distant future.”

Is that NASA’s way of telling us this is what a relaxed weekend look will look like if humans ever inhabit Mars?

The original suit, the Z-1, debuted in 2012 in a bid to upgrade NASA’s spacesuits for possible manned missions beyond earth’s orbit. The Z-1 was named one of Time Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2012.

NASA plans to have a fully built Z-2 suit by November 2014. The suit will then undergo extensive testing to test the performance of the suit in space-like atmospheres.

So far the tech-themed suit is winning with 65 per cent of the votes. NASA and fashionistas alike are able to vote on the designs until April 15.

The winning suit will be announced April 30.