
NASA’s space shuttle mission has a new mask.
The wind spacecraft, the first of its kind, has been approved for use on the International Space Station, the agency announced on Wednesday.
The wind spacecraft will provide astronauts with a mask that can be worn around the neck to protect them from the wind, which can cause dizziness, coughing, coughing up blood and eye irritation.
“We know the risks of wind and the potential effects of masking in space, and this is a critical tool to ensure astronauts’ safety in space,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
“We’ve been working with the wind spacecraft team to develop a mask for the astronauts who are wearing it and have provided the final approval.”
The wind vessel was designed to protect the face mask, but NASA’s Flight Operations Center was also testing it out, as part of the test.
The first wind vessel of its type to fly on the space shuttle, the wind vessel will be deployed in a test flight next month and is expected to fly to the space station in late 2018.