At NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, a new wave of lunar explorers and future engineers are diligently shaping the future of space exploration. With tools ranging from traditional sketchbooks to advanced computer-aided design software, these innovators are crafting visions that promise to thrive in the extreme conditions of outer space. This is all made possible through NASA’s Student Design Challenge, known as Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students (SUITS). This challenge is turning students’ imaginative designs into tangible mission technologies.
The SUITS challenge is a unique initiative encouraging university and graduate students across the United States to create, build, and test interactive displays that can be integrated into spacesuit helmets. This tradition has been a vital part of hands-on field evaluations for eight years, simulating the conditions astronauts may encounter on the lunar surface. The purpose of this technology is to assist astronauts with real-time navigation, manage tasks efficiently, and visualize scientific data during moonwalks. While the challenge offers a remarkable platform for shaping future lunar missions, for many participants, SUITS also serves as a springboard into rewarding aerospace careers.
The challenge promotes collaboration among students from various disciplines, including design, engineering, and computer science, reflecting the teamwork essential for actual mission development. This interdisciplinary approach ensures that participants not only hone their skills but also learn how to work in diverse teams, a critical component of successful space missions.
Keya Shah, now a softgoods engineering technologist working in the Softgoods Laboratory at Johnson Space Center, found her calling through the SUITS challenge while she was pursuing industrial design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). “SUITS taught me how design can be pushed to solve the many unique challenges that space presents,” Shah explained. “Whether applied to digital or physical products, it gave me a deep understanding of how intuitive and thoughtfully designed solutions are vital for space exploration.”
As the lead designer for her team’s 2024 Mars spacewalk project, Shah guided over 30 designers and developers through stages of user flow mapping, iterative prototyping, and interface testing. She emphasized that design’s value lies in thinking beyond merely identifying a problem to also figuring out how to make the solution most efficient and user-oriented. This principle of design thinking, emphasized by SUITS, continues to influence her work in designing softgoods.
Currently, Shah is engaged in creating fabric-based flight hardware at Johnson, which includes thermal and acoustic insulation blankets, tool stowage packs, and components for spacesuits. “There’s a very exciting future in human space exploration at the intersection of softgoods with hardgoods and the digital world, through innovations like smart textiles, wearable technology, and soft robotics,” Shah expressed. “I look forward to being part of it.”
Felix Arwen, another RISD alumnus and now a softgoods engineer at Johnson, also found the challenge to be invaluable. “It gave me the opportunity to take projects from concept to a finished, tested product—something most classrooms didn’t push me to do,” Arwen noted. Serving as a technical adviser and liaison between SUITS designers and engineers, Arwen played a crucial role in bridging gaps between disciplines—a skill that is crucial to NASA’s team-based approach.
“It seems obvious now, but I didn’t always realize how much design contributes to space exploration,” Arwen reflected. “The creative, iterative process is invaluable. Our work isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about usability, safety, and mission success.” Arwen significantly contributed to expanding RISD’s involvement across several NASA Student Design Challenges, including the Human Exploration Rover Challenge, the Micro-g Neutral Buoyancy Experiment Design Teams, and the Breakthrough, Innovative, and Game-changing Idea Challenge. These teams, often collaborating with Brown University, showcased how a design-focused education can uniquely tackle complex engineering problems.
“NASA’s Student Design Challenges gave me the structure to focus my efforts on learning new skills and pursuing projects I didn’t even know I’d be interested in,” Arwen said. Both Arwen and Shah continue to be involved with SUITS as mentors and judges, eager to nurture the next generation of space designers.
Their advice to current participants is to build a portfolio that reflects their passion, to seek opportunities outside the classroom, and to not be afraid of applying for roles that might not seem a perfect fit for a designer. “While the number of openings for a designer at NASA might be low, there will always be a need for good design work, and if you have the portfolio to back it up, you can apply to engineering roles that just might not know they need you yet,” Arwen suggested.
As NASA prepares for upcoming lunar missions, the SUITS challenge continues to bridge the gap between student imagination and real-world innovation, inspiring a new wave of space-ready problem-solvers. “Design pushes you to consistently ask ‘what if?’ and reimagine what’s possible,” Shah shared. “That kind of perspective will always stay core to NASA.”
For those interested in joining the next NASA SUITS challenge, more information can be found on NASA’s official website. The next challenge will open for proposals at the end of August 2025.
In conclusion, the SUITS challenge not only equips students with practical skills and experiences but also fosters a sense of community and collaboration, which are essential in the field of aerospace. By engaging with this challenge, students are given a platform to showcase their talents, contribute to significant technological advancements, and potentially kickstart promising careers in space exploration. The importance of design in this context cannot be overstated—it is a critical component that ensures the success and safety of space missions, making it an indispensable element of NASA’s innovative efforts.
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