NASA hot-pants space suit for Moon mission

NASA’s bold plan to send astronauts to the Moon again could be a ‘giant leap for fashion’ after it flagged the concept of a hot-pants space suit.

The 2024 manned lunar mission will involve technology far different to 1969 when Neil Armstrong, the first man to step on the Moon, said: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.

NASA has given us a taste of one of the changes when it tweeted: “What will the astronauts wear on moonwalks in five years”. It was accompanied by a rendered image of an astronaut wearing what appeared to be a cropped t-shirt and shorts over leggings.

The image triggered a few reactions from space fans on social media.

 "I love you NASA but can we make the spacesuits without it looking like the astronaut is wearing short shorts and a tee shirt," one Twitter user said.

"Is that suit supposed to make the astronaut look like they are wearing a crop top and hot pants?" another asked.

Whatever looks NASA settles on, the space suit will have a vital functional role: protecting its wearer from extreme temperatures and lack of oxygen on the Moon’s surface.