(Radio Iowa) – Some Iowa ingenuity will be going into orbit and eventually onto the surface of the Moon. Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids is the choice to produce the next generation of spacesuits for American astronauts. Collins officials say their design offers enhanced mobility, they’re lighter than the current suits and will allow for longer missions. The suits are to be used by astronauts working outside the International Space Station and, in the next decade, on the Moon.

Collins Aerospace photo

The suits boast being able to accommodate nearly every body type and they can rapidly incorporate new technologies. Collins also designed the first spacesuits used by Apollo astronauts in the 1960s and ’70s.