The Astronaut's Old Clothes

{image via Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum collection}

Have you ever heard the phrase, "the clothes make the man?" While education, experience and passion for space are all important aspects in the career of an astronaut, you can't get very far without the proper wardrobe. There's a neat interactive feature on the New York Times website that gives you a chance for a closer look at many different articles of clothing and gear used by NASA scientists.

Some of the items shown have never been to space, such as prototypes and test suits. Others played a much more important role, including the Apollo AL-7 suit worn by Buzz Aldrin when he stepped onto the moon. Some of these suits are on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, but if you can't visit there anytime soon, hop over to the NY Times feature and take a look. Click on any part of the image to zoom in and explore.

If you were designing a spacesuit, what would it look like? What features would you include? What color would it be? It's fun to think about!

Space out on your Computer!

Have you ever wanted to just sit and stare into space? Maybe you don't have a telescope or there isn't much sky visible where you live. Now you can actually stare at your computer screen and feel like you are looking out into the night sky!


The above image is just a screen-shot of an application that will let you see the solar system from different perspectives. With a grown-up's help, you can select the Copernican (sun-centered) or Tychonian (earth-centered) model and then rotate the system by clicking and dragging the outer ring. You can also set the date and see what phase the moon would be during that particular time.

Here is a link to the application if you'd like to take a look! Just don't get lost in space!