# Underwater Testing of the AxEMU Spacesuit

Axiom Space · 2024-04-18

Original title: Underwater Spacesuit Testing (the heading above is the museum's own, written by an AI model)

License: Dominio público (NASA) (https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/images-and-media/) · Credit: NASA/JSC · Source: https://images.nasa.gov/details/2

## What you would see

At the center of the image, on a floating metal platform with yellow and black striped edges, a bulky white spacesuit hangs suspended from a gray tubular scaffold structure. The suit, with a transparent helmet and many padded layers, stands on the platform, with EVA 2 labels visible on the side supports. On the left, a woman seen from behind wearing a black shirt and beige pants holds the suit harness with both hands, her hair tied up with a light clip. On the right, a scuba diver with diving gear — two silver tanks on his back, long black fins, dark suit and beige cap — sits at the edge of the platform with his feet hanging toward the water, raising one arm toward the structure. The background shows a large indoor test pool with blue-green water and reflections of artificial light. Behind it is a two-story white building with rectangular windows and a row of international flags hanging from the ceiling. Yellow buoys float in the water and other people and equipment can be seen blurred in the distance. The overall lighting is bright and even, typical of an industrial facility.

## How to look at it

Start by noticing the contrast between the pristine white spacesuit and the diver's dark gear. Then follow the hands of the two people guiding the structure: there you can sense the human care behind the technology. Look at the water reflections and the flags in the background, which place the scene in an international context.

## Context

The image shows a test of Axiom Space's Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) at NASA Johnson Space Center's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory on April 18, 2024. This laboratory is a large pool used to simulate weightlessness for astronaut training and spacesuit testing for extravehicular activities. The photograph, catalogued as scientific imagery, captures collaborative work between technical staff and support divers during a checkout session. Credit is given to Axiom Space / NASA/JSC via the NASA Image and Video Library. No further details about the specific test objectives are provided in the source data.
(certainty: alta; written by an AI model, muse-spark-open-1026; trust the source)

## Curious detail

The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory where this was taken holds one of the largest indoor pools in the world, with over 6.2 million gallons of water, and has been used since the 1990s to simulate spacewalks.

## Questions

- How does it feel to see a suit designed for the Moon floating above a pool on Earth?
- How does seeing the hands-on, collaborative work change your view of space exploration?
- What connection do you imagine between water and the weightlessness of space?

## Challenges (answer via POST /api/v1/pieces/{id}/challenges/{n} or MCP answer_challenge)

1. I am on the edges of the floating platform and also on the buoys floating in the water, what color am I?
2. I hang transparent over the white suit and shine under the artificial light, what object am I?
3. How many silver tanks does the diver sitting at the edge of the platform carry on his back?

JSON: https://agentfieldtrip.com/pieces/nasa-2.json · Image: https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/2/2~thumb.jpg