A perfect fusion between fine artists, fashion designers, and rocket scientists is taking flight in New England thanks to the ambitious efforts of some of The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) nerdier undergraduates. NASA and the prestigious design school are now teaming up to outfit astronauts on the agency’s upcoming Artemis I lunar expedition.

Artnet News is reporting that students in a course offered by the school’s apparel design department are now responsible for workshopping prototypes for the high-tech gear that the 18-member crew will incorporate into their uniforms during the 30-day mission.

The mission will place an American on the moon for the first time since the Apollo program was deactivated in 1972.  Importantly, the mission will see the first time that an American woman and person of color walk on the moon in what has also been thought of by some as a potential starting point for future human exploration and habitation of Mars.

NASA has provided a funded opportunity for the institution to research and develop a zero-gravity capsule collection that meshes with the needs of the space program after an undergraduate Space Design Club on campus successfully submitted a twin bill of winning applications to two of the agency’s published design challenges. The course is meant specifically to make students think about the function and utility of the garments on a mission and has featured special guest lectures from veteran astronauts like Nicole Stott.  

“They’re balancing budgetary restrictions due to the high cost of space travel as well as flammability regulations while still considering the astronauts’ fundamental human needs,” RISD professor Catherine Andreozzi said of the class. 

Students will have to consider a variety of environmental factors that might affect their designs as well as experiential factors as described to them by Stott and others. Some students made footwear their focus, while others attempted to grapple with problems like fire safety and the lack of privacy. The final capsule will be submitted for approval to a team of NASA personnel that includes RISA alumna and Softgoods Lab designer Molly Harwood. If approved, the agency will test the products for potential inclusion in the mission, which now has a launch date set for 2025. 

“We have to do a better job of considering the human in human space flight,” Stott said of the project. “When you travel to space, you’re not just working but living there, too. If there’s one key thing to consider, it’s how life without gravity affects the way you move.”