How a Sportswear Brand is Joining Forces With a Space Startup to Send Technology — and Eventually Women — to the Moon

Over time , place exploration has led to many innovations here on Earth , frominfrared ear thermometerstomemory foam mattressestoinvisible orthodontics . Later this year , an earthly invention will repay the favor .

This saltation , Houston - basedIntuitive Machineswill send its Nova - C lander to the surface of the moon carrying NASA shipment , marking America ’s first lunar surface sojourn in more than 50 years . carry a ground - breaking camera organization called the EagleCam CubeStat , the Nova - C will capture its own descent on the lunation ’s surface , making these photos the first third - person opinion of any extraterrestrial touchdown in chronicle . These range will be channelize back to Earth via Intuitive Machines ’ Lunar Telemetry and Tracking web ( LTN ) .

But that ’s not all . This voyage will also sendColumbia Sportswear ’s Omni - Heat ™ Infinityfabric to outer space for the first fourth dimension . The shimmer gold lining — the same one used in Columbia ’s jackets , vests , and boots — will avail protect the advanced machinery from the lunar month ’s uttermost temporary , which fluctuate from +250 degrees to -250 degrees . “ In thermal model , we establish that Omni - Heat Infinity supply our lander a benefit for estrus reflection when used as a panel covering , ” says Intuitive Machine ’s Senior Mechanical Engineer Josh Bluth .

Image: Tom House

Image: Tom House

Although the forthcoming Intuitive Machines and Columbia moon lander mission will not convey any passengers , the project still maintain the astronaut of tomorrow in its sights . To further more women to enter the field of astrophysics and aerospace engineering , Columbia and Intuitive Machines have each add $ 100,000 to form the Intuitive Machines and Columbia Sportswear Advancing Women in Technology Program , which will allow for a group of female student in STEM - link up fields with scholarships and fellowships across the undergraduate and graduate programs at Florida’sEmbry - Riddle Aeronautical University .

To learn more about this multifaceted collaboration , we spoke with two experts — Columbia ’s VP of Innovation Haskell Beckham and astrophysics PhD student and aspiring spaceman Sarafina Nance — about what this project mean for the future of clothes , woman in STEM , and space geographic expedition at large .

A Partnership Written in the Stars

As a textile scientist with a PhD in chemistry and a concentration in polymeric fabric , Beckham say the partnership with Intuitive Machines was a import of adept aligning . “ There ’s a lot of unexpected synergy between Columbia and Intuitive Machines that clear this mission a mutually beneficial collaboration , ” Beckham says . “ We had the materials to help isolate the lander , but we were also motivated by any insights from the mission that could leave to succeeding founding . ”

Twelve twelvemonth ago , Columbia Sportswear was inspire by NASA - engineered place blankets to create the original Omni - Heat material — a argent thermal reflective lining composed of tiny aluminum dots , which would ultimately become the company ’s most successful engineering . Then in 2021 , Columbia launch the next iteration of the tech : Omni - Heat Infinity , that features major upgrades in heat retentiveness while sustain breathability .

By mixing diminished and large loony toons on the fabric , Beckham and his team were able toupgrade the cloth ’s reflective Al surface content to 50 - 60 % , making it even warmer than ever before . To tell apart the tardy lining ’s appearance , Beckham and his team of engineers then touch the protective software on the Al dots an undeniably de luxe gold .

This partnership also felt indite in the stars for Nance , especially when it come time to visit the Intuitive Machines headquarters . “ It was so surreal to see and come to something that will be launching off this planet into space , then landing on the moonshine , ” Nance read . “ It ’s easy to decouple human race - made space technology from the context of space , but it all starts here on Earth . ”

After all , any journey into space begins on terra firma .

From Lab to Likes

To test the carrying out of the Omni - Heat Infinity textile , Beckham and his team traveled around the mankind , let in to South America ’s Andes mountain , in rescript to mold how well prototype reflect the infrared heat from the human body . “ understandably , the environment of the moon is different from the ones we examine it in , ” Beckham says , “ so we had to do a mass of lab experimentation to ensure it was drop dead to survive the launching and entertain up to the circumstance of the moonshine . ” No belittled feat .

Next , there ’s the topic of getting the watchword out about this historic foreign mission . That ’s where Nance comes in .

As an embassador for the collaboration , Nance play a polar role in spreading awareness about space exploration to women and women of color , who are still underrepresented in STEM fields . According toCatalyst.org , women make up only 34 % of STEM employees ; the stats for women of color is worse , at 11.6 % .

Nance usesTikTokandInstagram(130 K followers and counting ) to create content likelayperson - favorable breakdownsof the James Webb scope images , what it signify to live in anexponentially boom Universe , and behind - the - curtain footage of her cosmic dangerous undertaking , including arecent visit to the Intuitive Machines HQ .

The Next Big Leap

In fact , it was during an Intuitive Machines HQ sojourn that Beckham espy a gummed label on a piece of equipment that read “ SPACE IS HARD . ” An understatement to be trusted , but a sentiment astronauts and aerospace applied scientist repeat , because to say something is hard is to say it ’s also not impossible .

“ The moon is a hard mission to execute , but it ’s not as heavily as Mars , ” second Nance . “ The scientific discipline and technology being develop for the moonshine can hopefully get us one step closer to Mars . ”

Whether in her PhD studies at UC Berkeley orlivestreaming at zero gravityto her fan , Nance works toward that destination every day , championing woman in astrophysics and STEM fields at large . And with NASA working on themulti - phase Artemis military mission , her vision for fair sex in blank is on the precipice of its latest milestone .

Artemis Phase I , an remote-controlled moon orbiting mission , was dispatch in 2022 . Phase II , a similar delegation with gang , is slated for 2023 . And in 2024,NASAplans to bring down one man and one woman on the moonlight , 55 age since Neil Armstrong require those landmark first steps and41 years since Sally Ride became the first American woman in space .

With the Advancing Women in Technology program , Columbia and Intuitive Machines are encouraging more young women to envision themselves alighting on an extraterrestrial trunk , providing a historically underrepresented demographic in STEM with the practical substance to shoot for the moonlight .

Steve Altemus , the President and CEO of Intuitive Machines , infer that more women in aerospace means more bright minds pushing humanity into the stratosphere . “ As an alumnus ofEmbry - Riddle , I am drawn to supporting the university that provided the foundation for my aerospace engineering career , ” Altemus says . “ By return back to universities and supporting opening move that encourage diversity and comprehension in STEM theater of operations , we can facilitate create a more inclusive and equitable future for all . ”

Take , for instance , Taylor M. Yow , a current grad student at Embry - Riddle , whose study contributed to the EagleCam tomography system the Nova - C will extend into the skies this spring . “ I would not have been able to pursue my dream without learnedness , awards , and grants , ” says Yow . “ I ’m so grateful to the organizations that have made it possible for me to become an aerospace applied scientist . ”

More proof that this collaboration is one small step for Intuitive Machines and Columbia , but another giant leap for humanity .