Astronaut revealed Big Upgrade on SpaceX's next-gen EVA Suit Shocked NASA Scientists!

In September 2024, SpaceX and billionaire pilot-astronaut Jared Isaacman didn't just make headlines, they made history. The Polaris Dawn mission flew farther from Earth than any crewed spacecraft since Apollo. And for the first time ever, a commercial crew stepped outside into space, wearing SpaceX's brand new EVA suit. On the surface, it looked like a flawless debut. The sleek, futuristic suit kept the astronauts alive against the brutal vacuum of orbit. But behind the scenes, Jared admitted it was closer to a minimum viable product, a prototype, not a polished moon or Mars-ready design. And yes, it came with real shortcomings. Fast forward a year, and on the SRS podcast, Isaacman finally opened up. He not only revealed the truth about the problems SpaceX faced during that first spacewalk, he also teased something huge. SpaceX has already sprinted two generations ahead of the original design. So what went wrong with that first EVA suit? How is SpaceX fixing it? And what do these new generations mean for the future of space exploration? In today's TechMap episode, we're unpacking the Polaris Dawn spacewalk, Isaacman's unfiltered experiences, and how SpaceX is rapidly building the spacesuits that could one day walk on the moon, and even Mars. You, I mean, you've got all these sensations coming together. You know, you're cold. I mean, we were, we were really cold. You're using two-thirds of your oxygen supplies being used to cool you. The very first thing the Polaris Dawn crew noticed about SpaceX's brand new EVA suit wasn't the view, or even the thrill of floating in space. It was the cold. And not just a little chill. Jared Isaacman and his team were shivering uncontrollably inside those futuristic suits. So what was going on? The culprit was the suit's cooling system. It pumped two-thirds of the oxygen they breathe through a special vent. This vented oxygen helps keep their temperature down, but it can also make them feel very cold when outside in space. Isaacman believes this wasn't an accident, but an intentional move by SpaceX engineers. Why? Because back in the 1960s, during Gemini missions, overheating was a nightmare. Astronauts would come back from spacewalks drenched in sweat, exhausted, and barely able to re-enter their capsules. SpaceX seems to have taken the opposite approach. Better to freeze a little than to cook alive. In other words, the crew may have been uncomfortable, but the system did exactly what it was designed to do. Prevent the kind of heat-related failures that plagued early spacewalks. The problem now? Finding that perfect balance between too hot to handle and too cold to function. The second big challenge? Mobility, or rather the lack of it. You know, you got all these pressure, uh, you know, changes and sensations because we were operating at 5.2 psi. You've got exertion because you're working against the suit at 5.2 psi. SpaceX's EVA suits were designed to operate at 5.2 psi, roughly one-third of Earth's atmospheric pressure. That's enough to keep astronauts alive in the vacuum of space. But it came with a brutal side effect. Movement felt like a full-body workout. Jared Isaacman described it as a constant battle against the suit's internal pressure. Every arm raise, every leg extension, even the simplest motions demanded deliberate force, like pushing against an invisible spring. Think of it this way. Imagine trying to jog or climb while wearing an old-school pressurized diving suit on land. Sure, it keeps you safe, but it also makes every step exhausting. That's exactly what the crew faced out there. So how did they manage? Luckily, Isaacman wasn't floating aimlessly. SpaceX had equipped Dragon with a clever piece of hardware nicknamed the Skywalker. This was essentially a metal framework that replaced the usual docking mechanism, giving astronauts handholds and anchor points to grab onto. With it, Isaacman could perform structured mobility tests instead of flailing against the suit's resistance. The takeaway? SpaceX's EVA suits worked, but they turned every move into resistance training. The Skywalker was less of a luxury and more of a lifeline. This rigidity ties into issue three, Dragon hatch malfunction. So they built this automated hatch motor. It probably took like six to nine months to do it. And then a couple weeks before we launched the mission, they're like, hey, we've been running some numbers and we don't think it's going to work. We think there's going to be enough residual pressure coming out of your suit, venting from your suit, across the surface area of the hatch, that it's going to be, it's going to be, it's going to overpower the hatch motor. So you may need to do it manually. Originally, SpaceX engineered an automated hatch closing motor for the Dragon capsule. But weeks before the September 2024 launch, they hit a snag. When Isaacman vented his suit's residual pressure, it risked overloading the motor. To cue the last minute pivot, Isaacman had to manually crank the hatch closed. He emphasized SpaceX's push to minimize human intervention, making this a humbling, hands-on fix. Now it's important to remember what Jared Isaacman and his crew wore on Polaris Dawn wasn't the final product. That EVA suit was Generation 1, a proof of concept. Since then, SpaceX has sprinted ahead. And by 2025, they'll have already developed two more generations. Each iteration pushing closer to the kind of suits astronauts will eventually need on the moon or Mars. Isaacman himself called the original version a minimum viable product. But he never spoke about it with frustration. Instead, he showed gratitude. Why? Because that first-gen suit represented an incredible engineering achievement. It was built in just two and a half years by SpaceX's in-house team, a team that leaned heavily on NASA's decades of spacesuit heritage to jumpstart their own design. The new EVA suit takes its roots from the pressure suits astronauts already wear inside Crew Dragon, but it's been transformed. It's designed to be lightweight, unobtrusive, and to protect astronauts in the most hostile environment imaginable. As SpaceX principal spacesuit engineer Eric Krause put it, it's kind of like a suit of armor made of fabric. And SpaceX has been stacking innovations on top of that foundation. New flexible joints give astronauts more mobility, while the helmet and visor come with a built-in heads-up display that feeds them vital telemetry, pressure, temperature, humidity, all without blocking their view. For safety, the visor is made of tough polycarbonate, coated with copper and IKO, or indium tin oxide. Together, these layers bounce sunlight away while reflecting infrared heat back when astronauts are turned toward deep space. The suit also features a Faraday layer, a conductive cage woven into the design to shield astronauts from dangerous external electric fields. And when pressurized, the soft fabric portions of the suit stiffen like armor, supported by specialized flexure and rotational joints so astronauts can still move with precision. Another major hurdle, thermal comfort. SpaceX senior spacesuit manager Chris Trigg explained that the suit has to handle extremes. Intense solar heating on one side, freezing darkness on the other side the other, all while keeping the inside safe and comfortable to the touch. And perhaps one of the most impressive aspects, the suit is designed and manufactured right in Hawthorne, California, almost entirely in-house. To speed up production and future scalability, SpaceX even developed a new fabric-based material that makes building these suits faster and more efficient. To truly grasp how SpaceX has revolutionized the space industry, let's hear from someone who's been there, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, who will serve as a mission specialist in the upcoming SpaceX Crew-11. Reflecting on his experience, he shared, In Russia, in Soyuz, we still have a very traditional training education system. So, for example, if we have some need to learn how a microwave works in Russia, you would be taught the physics of how a microwave works or something like that, but in the United States, you just press this button and just set timers. This simple yet powerful comparison captures the essence of the difference in astronaut training philosophies. Some learn how it works, and others just learn what to do. Let's dive deeper into Russia's Soyuz training program. When Yui flew aboard the Soyuz in 2015, he experienced firsthand how rigorous and technically demanding the Russian space training is. Before teaching you which buttons to press, Russian trains you in the underlying physics and engineering. The microwave example might seem simple, but it represents something profound. Russian astronauts must understand the science behind every system. In reality, when pilots practice docking in Soyuz, they spend a lot of time learning manual controls and spacecraft physics so they can fly and fix the ship themselves if needed. Or for emergencies, Russian astronauts study the spacecraft's life support and systems inside out, understanding why things work and how to troubleshoot deeply. It's not just about operation, it's about becoming a mechanic and a scientist in one. This philosophy is born out of necessity. Russian hardware is known for being complex and mechanically intricate. Unlike SpaceX's Dragon, which is designed for simplicity and integration, the Soyuz spacecraft is made up of three separate modules, the orbital, descent, and service modules. Only the descent module makes it back to Earth, while the others burn up during re-entry. This modular design adds layers of complexity to both mission planning and in-flight procedures. Soyuz uses a docking system called KURS, which relies on a mechanical probe and drogue system. While it's capable of automated docking, astronauts are still required to be fully trained in manual docking techniques. In case something goes wrong, another example of the Russian approach to always being prepared to take control. And this complexity isn't just limited to the spacecraft itself. The Soyuz rocket is also an engineering feat. It features a launch escape tower to ensure crew safety during emergencies, and utilizes a multi-stage design with clustered boosters. The launch sequence involves precise timing and coordination, including side booster separation and overlapping upper stage firings, all adding to its operational demands. The Soyuz system has been in continuous service since 1967, making it the world's longest serving crewed spacecraft design. Over the decades, it's gone through several iterations, TM, TMA, MS, each bringing improvements like more efficient solar panels, digital systems, and safer landings. However, these upgrades have also led to an accumulation of legacy systems and protocols, making training even more complex. Once the mission is over, re-entry and landing come with their own challenges. Unlike newer spacecraft with precision landings, Soyuz re-entries can be rough. Although improvements have reduced impact forces to about 5G, astronauts still endure intense deceleration, and landing sites can be off by hundreds of kilometers due to unpredictable winds, requiring rapid and well-coordinated recovery efforts. All of this paints a vivid picture of the Russian approach to spaceflight. Deep, methodical, and heavily grounded in technical expertise. It's a sharp contrast to the user-friendly, touchscreen simplicity of SpaceX's spacecraft, showcasing just how far modern spaceflight has come. SpaceX's training is focused on practical use. You don't need a PhD to operate the spacecraft. You're taught what buttons to press, how to navigate emergencies, and how to stay safe without diving deep into the physics behind it all. To put it in astronaut Kimiya Yui's words, in Russia, if you want to use a microwave, you learn the electromagnetic science behind how it heats food. In the US, you just learn to press, start, and trust the machine. And that's by design. Crew Dragon was built to be autonomous. It flies itself, docks itself, and monitors itself. If something goes wrong, ground control steps in. Only in rare cases do astronauts need to take manual control. So instead of spending years learning to fly the thing manually, astronauts train for the critical, just-in-case moments. And get this. Instead of being surrounded by thousands of physical switches, analog gauges, and confusing panels, Crew Dragon uses touchscreen controls and clean, minimalist displays. It's like flying a spacecraft built by Apple. Why? Because simplicity saves lives. In high-stress situations like during a malfunction or emergency, you don't want astronauts digging through complex manuals or trying to remember which of a thousand switches saves the day. You want systems that are intuitive, reliable, and forgiving. And SpaceX nailed it. Dragon's systems are packed with redundancies and fault-tolerant software that automatically detects and fixes problems before they become disasters. It's like flying with a built-in safety net. The core philosophy here is efficiency and accessibility. SpaceX engineered Dragon so astronauts, whether they're career scientists, doctors, or even civilians, can fly missions without needing to become aerospace engineers. And that's huge. That's what opens the door to a future where space is not just for professional astronauts, but for everyone. So here's the bottom line. While Russian spacecraft are designed for astronauts who can fix their own oxygen systems with a wrench, SpaceX builds its ships for smart, capable passengers. People who know what to do, not necessarily why it works. And that brings me to you. If you had the chance to go to space, would you want to train like a Russian cosmonaut, mastering every system inside and out, or would you rather relax in a touchscreen-powered seat on a spacecraft that practically flies itself? Drop your answer in the comments below. Anyway, if you loved this deep dive, smash that like button, hit subscribe, and ring the bell. We're aiming for 150,000 subscribers. And we need you to get there. Space isn't just for astronauts anymore. And maybe it's your turn next. Now, everything we just talked about, the sleek interfaces, the intuitive controls, the shift toward letting the ship fly itself, none of that happened by accident. This didn't come naturally. What we're seeing today is the direct result of a massive transformation, from what we call old space to new space. A shift driven by commercial powerhouses like SpaceX. Back in the day, NASA's training model looked a lot like Russia's deep, intense, and rooted in theory. It wasn't about pushing buttons. It was about understanding why every single system worked the way it did. From Mercury to Gemini, Apollo to Shuttle, NASA astronauts went through years of foundational training. We're talking full-blown academics, spacecraft engineering, orbital mechanics, manual control, deep dive emergency protocols. It was hardcore. Take the Space Shuttle, for example. That beast had thousands of switches, buttons, and circuit breakers. Pilots didn't just fly it. They had to manage complex systems mid-mission, perform rendezvous and docking, handle repairs, and switch to manual controls if anything went sideways. And it didn't stop at the cockpit. NASA's legendary motto was, train like you fly. That meant every simulation, every drill, every emergency scenario was as realistic and intense as the actual mission. They trained for land survival, water survival, crash landings, you name it. Astronauts weren't just mission specialists. They were engineers, pilots, and problem solvers rolled into one. Fast forward to today, and the game has changed. NASA is still deeply involved, but when it comes to flying modern spacecraft like Crew Dragon, commercial providers are now in charge of the hands-on training. And the focus has shifted from mastering the inner workings to simply knowing what to do and when. This new space approach is designed around efficiency, automation, and let's be real, scalability. You don't need to memorize thousands of systems anymore. You learn the protocols, the procedures, and how to respond with the support of an intelligent, automated vehicle. And veteran astronauts who flew both the Space Shuttle and Dragon, they're loving it. Doug Hurley, who flew on both systems, said the difference is night and day. On the Shuttle, flying required constant attention and a crew of two or three to manage its 2,000 switches and circuit breakers. With Dragon? Dragon is much more automated. It's a cleaner crew module. There's less interaction with the vehicle, he said. It's just learning a different plane as a pilot. Flying is kind of the same. And that's the key. The job is the same, but the way you do it has evolved. We've gone from astronauts being mechanics, engineers, and scientists to being high-level operators in a smart, automated cockpit. It's like going from flying a Boeing 747 manually to sitting in a Tesla that can land itself on the moon. NASA's traditional astronaut training is packed with deep scientific theory, reflecting the agency's focus on exploration, safety, and mission success. Over in Russia, their training philosophy takes cues from legendary thinkers like Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, who believed that mastering physics and engineering was essential for venturing into space. This mindset created a culture where cosmonauts weren't just taught to push buttons. They were expected to understand the intricate workings of their spacecraft inside and out. Historically, the Soviet space program developed under a tightly controlled political system that treated space tech as both a military asset and a symbol of national strength. This meant cosmonauts were trained not just as pilots, but as highly skilled engineers capable of solving problems on the fly, even without automated systems. Their rigorous theoretical education mirrored the intense, military-like standards of the era. Russian cosmonaut training also weaves in powerful traditions rooted in Soviet ideals, honoring courage, discipline, and patriotic service. It's a demanding journey that emphasizes not just brains and brawn, but a strong cultural identity shaped by notions of masculinity and heroism. At the heart of all this is the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, established in 1960. While it continues to evolve with modern practices, it still holds tightly to the legacy of Soviet pioneers. The result? Cosmonauts who are not only technically prepared, but deeply connected to the history and traditions of spaceflight. Last but certainly not least, the Soyuz spacecraft itself follows a design philosophy favoring robust manual control and redundancy over automation. Cosmonauts need to understand the physics and mechanics behind each system to be ready for manual intervention during anomalies. Training reflects this, emphasizing fundamental principles and system-level comprehension to prepare crews for such hands-on operations.