LAUNCH! ARTEMIS II LAUNCHES WITH A CREW OF 4 TOWARDS THE MOON
— NASASpaceflight.com (@nasaspaceflight.com) April 1, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Clothing design is always fascinating…
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/s…— Anne Laurie (@annelaurie.bsky.social) April 2, 2026 at 3:26 AM
… Though much of the spacesuit-related attention thus far has been levied on the white spacewalk suits being created by Prada and Axiom Space, it is the orange suits that may be the more eye-catching — by design…
The suits, which function as mini life-support systems (astronauts can live in them for 144 hours, if necessary), were custom-made to each astronaut’s physique by NASA engineers. They also feature reflective, sky-blue accent stripes that form a heroic V at the torso and circle the thighs and the upper arms, where they emphasize the armadillo-like articulation of the shoulders.
Not that the blue is merely decorative. The V indicates external straps for rescue crews to grab onto, and blue pouches that look like external batteries contain life preservers and backup oxygen bottles. And the hue is a vivid contrast to the orange, adding a further flex to the suit’s primary shade…
Officially known as AMS Standard 595 color #FS 12197, according to a U.S. federal government standard created for paint, International Orange is described by Merriam-Webster as “a vivid reddish orange,” deeper than safety cone orange or fluorescent orange and specifically meant to stand out against ocean and sky blues…
The Air Force embraced the color in the 1970s, using it for high-altitude pressure suits — the orange facilitated water rescues — and it finally made its way to NASA when the Challenger disaster in 1986 prompted the agency to explore new safety measures. Previous launch and re-entry suits had been white, but the efficacy of orange in search and rescue was impossible to ignore. (The NASA EVA suits, which are worn by astronauts for spacewalks on the International Space Station, remain white because the color repels heat more effectively.) By 1988, the International Orange suits had appeared, complete with a new nickname: “pumpkin suits.”…
This is very cool! I hear getting a patch is a big deal in nasa/space culture so WOOT to Anishinaabe artist Henry Guimond for sending them off in a good way. (quoted article gives good context for the designs)
— Joanne Hammond (@joannehammond.bsky.social) April 1, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Per Space.com, “‘The sasquatch is honesty’: Inside Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen’s Artemis 2 mission patch”:
… Jeremy Hansen, who is with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), will fly as a mission specialist on the Artemis 2 mission alongside three NASA astronauts: Reid Wiseman (the Artemis 2 commander), pilot Victor Glover (who will become the first Black person to leave low Earth orbit, or LEO) and mission specialist Christina Koch (the first woman to do so). Hansen will become the first non-American to leave LEO.
There are many mission patches flying with the astronaut quartet, with all four sporting the Artemis 2 main mission patch as well as a “Freedom 250” commemorative patch marking the year 2026, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. And Hansen’s flight suit patches include a special one symbolizing the meaning of the Artemis 2 mission for himself and his country, including Indigenous communities with whom he has spent time as a CSA astronaut…
The patch, CSA explains, has “elements of Anishinaabe culture.” These are not meant to represent all aspects of First Nations, Inuit and Métis culture, but they do show “the importance of traditional knowledge and Indigenous Peoples in Canada.” The patch was created by Anishinaabe artist Henry Guimond of Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba. Dave Courchene III (Sabe), the leader of the Turtle Lodge in Sagkeeng First Nation, also contributed to the patch.
Hansen said the patch incorporates one element of Anishinaabe perspectives — the culture’s seven sacred laws, as represented by the heptagonal shape of the patch, as well as seven animals.
“Just quickly: The buffalo represents respect. The eagle, love. The bear is courage. The sasquatch is honesty. The beaver is wisdom. The wolf is humility, and the turtle is truth. None of us are perfect. We’re not always able to walk in that integrity, but if we strive to, they will bring a rich life for each of us.” (More information about the animals’ meaning is available on the CSA webpage.)…
(I’m a little sad the mountain lion / bobcat didn’t make the cut, but everyone gets to choose their own spirit animals… )
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