Future Nasa moonwalkers to sport sleeker spacesuits

Moonwalking astronauts will have sleeker, more flexible spacesuits when they step onto the lunar surface later this decade.

The company designing the next-generation spacesuits, Axiom Space, will have the new versions ready for training purposes for Nasa later this summer.

The moonsuits will be white, like they were during Nasa’s Apollo programme more than a half-century ago, that’s to reflect heat and keep future moonwalkers cool. The suits will provide greater flexibility and more protection from the moon’s harsh environment, and will come in a wider range of sizes.

Nasa awarded Axiom Space a $228.5 million contract for the outfits, for the first moon landing in more than 50 years. The space agency is targeting late 2025 at the earliest to land two astronauts on the moon’s south pole. At the event in Houston, an Axiom employee modelled a dark spacesuit, doing squats and twisting at the waist to demonstrate its flexibility. But the final version will be different, including the colour.

Melissa McCarthy plays Ursula in new The Little Mermaid

Disney movie fans got a first proper look at Melissa McCarthy as movie villain Ursula in a new trailer for The Little Mermaid. The trailer featured songs, dance sequences and photorealistic CGI animals who can talk for some reason.

The comedy movie star McCarthy is taking on the famous Disney villain in the live-action Disney remake, which features Halle Bailey as Ariel and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric. There’s plenty of underwater action in the new teaser, but the most exciting new development is a glimpse of McCarthy as sea witch Ursula. The Little Mermaid is due in May.

Willem Dafoe will play Spider-Man villain one more time

Green Goblin is one of the best Spider-Man villains, for sure, and Willem Dafoe joined a handful of the evillest Marvel Cinematic Universe characters in 2021 Spider-Man: No Way Home, to battle Spider-Man actor Tom Holland and a selection of his multiversal buddies.

As we now live in a multiverse-accessible landscape as part of Marvel’s Phase 5, it is certainly possible that Dafoe could show up in another Marvel movie somewhere down the line.

Whatever happens with the Green Goblin, there’s plenty for Spider-Man fans to get excited about as we look ahead to the Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse 2 release date, and the possible Spider-Man 4 release date.

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 1st, 2023