SEE IT: NASA unveils two new spacesuits for future Moon mission

Orion Crew Survival System Dustin Gohmert, Orion Crew Survival Systems Project Manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, poses for a portrait while wearing the Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS) suit, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019 at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The Orion suit is designed for a custom fit and incorporates safety technology and mobility features that will help protect astronauts on launch day, in emergency situations, high-risk parts of missions near the Moon, and during the high-speed return to Earth. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky) (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

By Gene Wexler

NASA on Tuesday unveiled two new next-generation spacesuits for the future mission to the Moon.

The suit for the planned landing at the lunar south pole is called the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU).  NASA says the suit is a bit like a spaceship in the way it protects astronauts.  It’s red, white and blue.

Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (NASA)

The other suit is orange and called the Orion Crew Survival System.  That one will be worn during launch and later during re-entry in the Orion spacecraft.  The suit provides thermal protection for the astronauts.

NASA says these new suits improve on the technology used in the Apollo suits as well as those currently used by astronauts on the International Space Station.

Humans haven't landed on the moon since 1972, and NASA's Artemis program is aiming to put the first woman and next man on the moon by 2024.

(App users click here to see video of the new spacesuits)