Spacesuits, Ranked

The Blue Origin spacesuit is unquestionably awful. In addition to having the silliest looking rocket, the Jeff Bezos-led company also boasts the most embarrassing space outfit. Looking like a deflated parachute, the suit is unflattering, unsophisticated, and unbecoming of what a spacesuit is actually supposed to look like. Prior to his historic 10-minute flight to suborbital space, Bezos himself was clearly not big on the flight gear, as his personal tailor had to be flown to Texas to make his crotchal area look just right.

So, technically speaking, this NASA spacesuit doesn’t actually exist, or at least not yet, and thank goodness for that. Can’t say I’m thrilled with this clumsy, jumbled look. The suit shown here at a 2019 NASA event is a ground prototype of the space agency’s xEMU (Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit) Moon suit, which is still under development and behind schedule. The final version will likely look very different (fingers crossed), but this fashion faux pas aside, xEMU promises to be a truly amazing suit for exploring the lunar surface.

Space Shuttle astronauts will always be remembered for their bright and bulky orange Advanced Crew Escape Suit, or ACES, which went into service in 1994 and replaced the similar-looking Launch Entry Suit (LES). These suits were designed to help astronauts survive some of the most extreme conditions, so some fashion awkwardness couldn’t be prevented, like the oversized shin pockets. Still, the outfit doesn’t look too, too bad, but they were affectionately referred to as “pumpkin suits.” The full-pressure outfits featured built-in parachutes, life preservers, and even survival drinking packets.

Not to be confused with the cast of a Babylon 5 reboot, this is Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson and his team showing off the company’s suborbital space suit. These suits are worn during 90-minute flights to suborbital space inside the pressurized SpaceShipTwo spaceplane. The UA|VG suit, as it’s called, features a proprietary material that forms to the shape of a person’s body, while still allowing for flexibility. The “atmospheric light blue elements and pops of gold throughout” were “inspired by an image of the sun in space, casting its rays on Earth,” according to Under Armour, which designed the outfit. The UA|VG suit certainly looks the part, but I’d argue that it looks a bit too much like a sci-fi trope of a spacesuit.

Several versions of the Russian Sokol spacesuit have appeared since it debuted in 1973, but the suit—still worn today—has managed to stay clean, simple, and sharp. This is the suit that’s worn inside the Soyuz spacecraft, and it’s meant to keep astronauts alive in the event of accidental depressurization, among other mishaps. NASA’s ACES suit would be the U.S. equivalent. The current version of the suit is called Sokol-KV2, which has been in service since the 1980s. It’s a classic case of not fixing what ain’t broke.

I must admit, I am a fan of the form-fitting SpaceX spacesuit, which the Elon Musk-led company introduced in 2020. The no-frills pressure suit almost looks too casual to be real, but it’s designed to protect astronauts from fire or depressurization during flights inside the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. The simplified look is made possible by the capsule’s seat, which attaches to the suit with an umbilical. The seat does the heavy lifting, providing electronics for communications, air to cool the suit, and gas during depressurization.

The Extravehicular Mobility Units worn by Apollo astronauts while walking on the Moon are without parallel. The oversized helmet and mirrored face shield are as iconic as it gets. The Portable Life Support System, or backpack, finishes the classic look. Sure, Apollo astronauts had difficulty walking and moving in these outfits, but the Moon suit got the job done, allowing Neil Armstrong to make that giant leap for mankind.

A no-brainer choice—this is exactly what a spacesuit is supposed to look like. The Mark IV suits were actually borrowed from U.S. Navy pilots, who wore the outfits during high-altitude flights. NASA made some adjustments to the pressure suit, such as adding the aluminum-coated nylon outer shell for improved thermal control, special gloves to allow for finer finger control, and new straps and zippers to ensure a tighter fit. The suit was worn throughout the Mercury era and was later replaced by the Gemini suit in the mid-1960s. To infinity and beyond!