GERMANY
A panel of experts led by Dr Jan Beringer of the Hohenstein Institute in Germany has named the ten finalists in the Spacetex 2030 design competition.
Entrants from three participating universities had to design functional suits that could be used as "station wear" for astronauts on long-term missions, such as the planned mission to Mars in 2030. The designs had to take into account the functional and physiological requirements for spending months in a weightless environment.
Schoeller Textil will provide the finalists with high-tech materials and each must produce one male and one female outfit by the autumn. The panel will then name the top three and award total prize money of 3,000 Euros.