In December I showed some concepts of the main character in my next short, Europa. The main character’s name is Savannah. Since then I have worked out a style that I am happy and while similar to the style used in The Lift, it is much simpler and easier to draw. I have 3 more versions of Savannah to draw including a version in a space suit, a preteen and a child version.
So you may ask why is her suit so tight? The reason is on space missions there is an inner-liner in the space suit that is used to insulate the body, usually these are pretty skin tight. The space suit itself is actually going to be tight as well, though slightly bulkier. In the missions to Mars, NASA is looking at making new space suits that are less bulky and allow for more maneuverability. The current suits are bulky because they are pressurized and have a 1/3 atmosphere. The new suit concepts are skin tight and are more akin to shrink wrapping the body then pressurizing it. Because of the lack of pressure and space between the wearer and the outer skin of the suit its easier to bend and move and better for land based expedition.
I watch NOVA every week and recently they aired this segment about the new NASA suits Nova Science Now.
Today’s space suits are mini spaceships, cumbersome oxygen-filled balloons that provide life-saving air pressure but that are notoriously difficult to move and work in. MIT’s Dava Newman wants to design a space suit for future Mars explorers that’s more like that worn by Captain Kirk than by Neil Armstrong—form-fitting and mobile. But protecting our cells from the vacuum of space is a lot harder than you might think.
