Space Suit Design Competition

Space Suit Design Competition now is over!

Space Suit Design Competition: Space Suit Design Competition, international ideas competition has been recently organized by European Space Agency looking for an EVA suit design recognisable as a European suit for our ESA astronauts.

Short description

Space Suit Design Competition, international ideas competition has been recently organized by European Space Agency looking for an EVA suit design recognisable as a European suit for our ESA astronauts.

What do you think the future European space suit should look like?

Future missions will bring Europeans to the surface of the Moon and eventually to Mars and possibly beyond. Once they get there, our astronauts aren't going to spend all their time indoors. As soon as they exit their relatively safe bases to explore these new destinations, they will need protection from the extreme environments they encounter.

The EVA suit is one of the most emblematic features of human space exploration and acts like a mini spaceship designed to protect our astronauts from these harsh conditions. Building a functioning EVA suit is an extremely complicated endeavour and people around the world are coming together to think about the best technical way to build the future EVA suits. But what about the appearance? How can we make an EVA suit instantly recognisable as a European suit for our ESA astronauts? A space suit is designed to enable humans to survive in the harsh environment of space. In particular, astronauts need an EVA suit for activities outside the spacecraft, for example spacewalks or exploring lunar and planetary surfaces.
An EVA suit is in essence a miniature spaceship; it must provide all the same life support tools - air and water - that a spacecraft does while allowing our astronauts to safely explore these new destinations. Not only must the space suit provide life support, but it must also resist harsh conditions such as extreme temperatures, damaging radiation, high-speed debris and clogging dust.

Note! This competition places the emphasis on the look of the space suit rather than the technical elements - anyone with an interest in space and design can participate!

Once you have submitted your proposal, it will be reviewed by our jury panel composed of design & EVA experts, including an astronaut trainer! Up to 5 of the best proposals will be selected and those who submitted them will be invited to an ESA centre later in the year.

Submission requirements:

➜ Organizers are looking for an EVA suit design presented in A3 format, with an accompanying text of up to 400 words explaining how your design represents European identity. The design can be digital or a scanned drawing.

➜ You do not have to worry about detailed technical aspects of the space suit design, but try to strike a balance between an inspiring visual design and something which is technically feasible in the next few decades.

➜ Contestants can submit only 1 proposal. Proposals have to be submitted in English.

Evaluation Criteria:

Your ideas will be evaluated according to the follow evaluation criteria:

➜ Representation of the European identity - both visually and within the accompanying text
➜ Creative but realistic
➜ Quality of the image
➜ Innovative, inspiring design

Who may enter?

The Competition is only open to individuals with residence in a Member State, Associate Member or Cooperating State of the European Space Agency Partecipants have to be 18 years or older.

Prize:

Up to 5 of the best proposals will be selected and those who submitted them will be invited to an ESA centre later in the year.