NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Astronauts Suiting Up

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams perform checks of their Boeing spacesuits in the crew suit-up room inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, May 6, 2024. Photo credit: NASA

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are being outfitted in their Boeing spacesuits inside the crew suit-up room at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as preparations continue for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test.

The Boeing Starliner suits are specifically tailored for tonight’s launch.

  • The blue suits are lighter and more flexible than previous spacesuits, with advanced materials and featuring zippers at the elbows and knees, which enables flexibility when the astronauts are standing or seated.
  • The helmet and visor are attached to the suit instead of detachable.
  • Touchscreen-sensitive gloves
  • Suit has vents but can still pressurize immediately.
A graphic displaying Boeing’s spacesuit for Starliner astronauts. Photo credit: NASA/Boeing

The full suit, which includes shoes and accessories, weighs about 20 pounds – close to 10 pounds lighter than suits worn by space shuttle astronauts.

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronaut Butch Wilmore participates in a traditional game of cards after suit-up and final fit checks inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, May 6, 2024

Once suited, Wilmore and Williams play the ritual card game that occurs before any human spaceflight mission launching from the Florida spaceport. The point of the game is that the commander must use up all his or her bad luck before the launch, so the crew can only leave for the pad when the commander loses.

Launch is scheduled for 10:34 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

NASA’s mission coverage begins in just under 30 minutes at 6:30 p.m. on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.