Back in the 1960s, the Apollo missions to the moon ushered in awe and wonder as astronauts seemed to push the boundaries of human capability. This spring, when NASA astronauts took flight with SpaceX, many of us tuned in once again to witness the possibilities of imagination and ingenuity.

Space provides endless opportunities for exploration, from Mars to long-term living on the moon but there are risks to such endeavors, chief among them radiation. Physics professor Jay LaVerne is working with a team to redesign the Apollo-era-style space suits still worn by astronauts to make them safer, less cumbersome, and more capable.