Getting safely into space and back is about a lot more than engineering, computer systems, mathematics and physics. The humble craft of sewing is also an essential component of every mission. A spacecraft and its crew cannot survive in space without special textiles to provide protection from low gravity, radiation and the extremes of heat and cold. In this article, I explain how NASA’s team of talented seamstresses and textile technicians kept astronauts alive in the cold void of space during the Apollo and Space Shuttle eras by ‘dressing’ both astronauts and spacecraft, and I look at the impact of new technical textile programs and initiatives on the space industry.

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Published in ROOM, the Space Journal of Asgardia. Issue 34, Spring 2024. Pages 84-89.