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In the news recently was an item about a space suit currently being developed by the Austrian Space Forum Institute, for use on a possible future manned mission to Mars.

One of the factors being considered by the Austrian’s is the fact that Martian temperatures can fall to 113 degrees below freezing, and so astronauts will need to be protected from the cold. Ideal testing conditions for the space suit can be found right on their doorstep in the ice tunnels under the Kaunertaler Glacier, some 5 hours from Vienna.

The suit will also need to be lighter than those used by NASA’s Apollo astronauts. The Moon suits weighed in on Earth at 76lbs, but reduced gravity on the Moon (about one sixth of planet Earth) meant that the astronauts were able to move in them – the gravity on Mars is closer to 40% of that found on Earth, so lighter in this case will definitely be better and with this in mind the Austrian suit is about 10lbs lighter.
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