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NASA Unveils New Z-2 Spacesuit Prototype

By Kamal Nayan | Update Date: May 01, 2014 08:50 AM EDT

NASA has announced the result of the public vote on next generation spacesuit design. An external layer name "Technology" equipped with glow-in-dark patterns and electroluminescent wring took the top spot in the voting. 

The suit has been created by ILC Dover with the help of students from Philadelphia University. NASA will begin testing the suits at Johnson Space Center in November. 

The prototype Z-2, which will eventually be the new generation of spacesuit from the Z-1 type currently used, has a hard upper torso for better durability. It will also use materials designed specifically for the vacuum of space, IB Times reported. 

"The cover layer of a non-flight suit still performs an important function in ground-based testing. The cover protects the lower layers and technical details from abrasion and snags during testing," Nasa officials said, as reported in Space.com.

"The cover layer on flight suits used for spacewalks performs many other important functions like protecting the spacewalker from micrometeorite strikes, the extreme temperatures in space and the harmful effects of radiation," the agency added in a statement. "These requirements drive selection of specific high-performance materials and design details that aren't necessary at this stage in a prototype suit."

The glowing panels will also offer an intuitive way to identify crew members in the space.

According to reports, the Z-2 design has been developed with future long-duration manned missions to the Red Planet in mind. 

Officials said although the winning design was not intended to resemble the Tron film, they welcomed the comparison. 

"We're always going to find those parallels between science fiction and reality," Dan Huot, a Nasa spokesman, told NBC News. "I'm all for it."

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