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Comment by luckystartup | Hacker News Reader

These are still not very cool. Why is there such a big disconnect between Hollywood movies, and these real space suits? I mean, even the shade of blue isn't particularly nice. If this was a toy, I don't think it would sell very well.

I know it doesn't really matter and the function is far more important than the aesthetics. But still... can they hire some of these Hollywood guys?

I think Elon Musk has the right idea: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3573869/Elon-...

I do think these NASA suits are getting better, though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_series_space_suits

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Because Hollywood movies are not generally based in, you know, reality. They're meant to be flashy and futuristic because that is what the audience expects in sci-fi movies. Real life isn't flashy and futuristic, though, and there's a lot of requirements to the suits which aren't super exciting.

So, yknow, good thing it's not a toy but a functional piece of clothing that's supposed to help astronauts do their job.

PR is certainly part of their job. I think OT has a point.

Not really. Their job is to keep astronauts safe. Glitz and glam don't keep astronauts safe, boring does.

Flashy lights and colors will most likely distract the astronauts in flight.

Without PR, there is no public interest, no funding, and no astronauts in flight needing protection.

Why do you think there is big announcement, press event if not for PR?

PR is other peoples jobs, just not the people designing a suit. IMO, critical safety systems are reasonable exceptions to the PR game.

Design is completely subjective. Those Z series suits you linked look like a buzz light year costume.

I think these suits (Boeings) look fine, Boeing is just absolutely terrible at marketing. The giant image with "Tailored for Starliner" looks like it's from the 90's.

They don't say much about how well these suits can work. Are the just for protection or do they actually enable human functionality in space?

Zipper on the back? I sure hope they have a rope you can use to pull it up your back. This sounds like one of those design details that movies use as plot points.

For example, on a space station a disaster depressurizes a central capsule. A single astronaut is trapped with a suit on one end of the stations and because of a zipper at the back of the suit cannot be rescued.

> Why is there such a big disconnect between Hollywood movies, and these real space suits?

For the same reasons there's sound in space in movies but not in real life.

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