Regular spacesuits don't give astronauts much range of motion. That's because they're pressurized, making them large, stiff and puffy. People who travel through the cosmos in sci-fi movies often have much cooler suits — ones that allow for all sorts of acrobatics.
Well, it looks like that idea is moving over from the fiction side of things to the plain old science side. A team at MIT has developed an awesome-looking, skintight spacesuit that removes the bulk astronauts have to deal with today.
Instead of gas pressure, the suit uses mechanical pressure, created by tightly wrapped material around the body, which exerts force on the astronaut for protection from the vacuum of space. The sleek design doesn't only allow for a greater range of motion; it also keeps space travelers fit by providing resistance, just like those machines at the gym.
MIT's space tailors hope to roll the suit out in about 10 years, just in time for a planned manned mission to Mars. — Adam Frucci
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