03/03/2025
We recently interviewed Aaron Persad, Assistant Professor at UMES, who brought a genuine IVA spacesuit, giving our students a hands-on learning experience. During the interview, Aaron shared incredible insights into the suit's development, explaining the crucial difference between IVA (intravehicular activity) suits, designed for safety during launch and in-cabin use, and EVA (extravehicular activity) suits, used for spacewalks. He also discussed the innovative adjustable design, the reasons behind the often-orange color of these suits, and the ongoing research happening right here at University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Plus, he revealed the surprising cost of these suits, highlighting the immense effort involved in their creation.
A special thank you to the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences , and to Jason Reimuller. We also extend a huge shoutout to Ted Southern and Nik Moiseev, the brilliant designers and builders of this incredible spacesuit!