Glove is all they need. NASA, that is, according to New Scientist. They’ve got somewhere to go, but aren’t all dressed up yet – not without their one true glove.
They introduced the contest thusly:
Would you pay $250,000 for a pair of gloves? That’s what’s NASA is offering to the winners of its Astronaut Glove Challenge.
Bending fingers inside pressurised gloves in space is difficult – a day’s worth of precision work often results in bruises, abrasions and damaged fingernails.
But amended it to add:
On Thursday, NASA awarded $350,000 of the glove prize purse. Engineer Peter Homer, who won the 2007 challenge, returned to take first prize again with a glove design that demonstrated the best joint flexibility and strength. Another competitor in NASA’s first glove competition, Ted Southern, won the second place prize of $100,000.
So if you’ve got some ideas, you’ll have to wait for the next showdown. This time, they were interested in the “thermal micrometeoroid garment” that slips over the outside. Next time, maybe it’ll be fabrics. I suppose tulle would be unsuitable….