The Martian Space Suit

And some more!

http://www.space.com/30695-the-martian-movie-spacesuit-design.html

The costume-design team built the surface suit out of neoprene, the same material wetsuits are made of. The suits weigh a maximum of 15 to 20 lbs. (6.8 to 9.1 kilograms), though the actors wore heavy belts as well, Yates said.
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"I was very lucky — I was able to go to JPL," Yates said, referring to the space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "That was probably the best day of my life."
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Agreed, my trips to JPL are always amazing!

View attachment 536956

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jdecker/albums/72157644948126855
 
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Boom, my speculation back in July of Neoprene was correct :D

Updated: Doing some studying of the helmet tonight. Looks like the used the same pattern printed onto the neoprene to create a decal for the pattern on the helmet.

Screen Shot 2015-10-05 at 4.16.13 AM copy.pngScreen Shot 2015-10-05 at 4.05.24 AM copy.png

Also it looks like the three disc/tubes on the back have machined caps. One more step to add to the build. I've also contacted a skylight company about custom plexiglass oval domes for the visor.
 
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A member shared some photos of the helmet earlier where you could see that those machined caps were held in by blue and red anodized hex screws.

I might get in on purchasing a professionally made visor :)
 
andromeda said:
And on that note, the one or two times you see him really bending his knees or elbows and the armor bends pretty far with him...maybe *all* the armor is foam, just different thicknesses?
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From all the photos I have seen it looks like the armor for knees, elbows, and shoulders may actually be some thin aluminum. If you look at some of the photos they look like they have permanent bends in them, like he hit them too hard on something. Wrong, see posts below.

http://www.therpf.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=525532&d=1434568249 looks like there is a twist in that shoulder. Not sure foam would hold that. Although looking at it again I suppose the one screw on the bottom could be doing the twisting.
WBE said:
Boom, my speculation back in July of Neoprene was correct :D
...
Also it looks like the three disc/tubes on the back have machined caps. One more step to add to the build. I've also contacted a skylight company about custom plexiglass oval domes for the visor.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Neoprene was a great call.
I have a friend with a lathe and milling machine, probably going to ask him about those machined caps, see if I can't get them made.
Definitely interested in those domes, but not exactly excited to hear what the price tag is.
 
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This thread is growing fast!!

Saw the movie yesterday. Got my Fiskars shovel in the mail last week.

Having read the book made me unwillingly compare it to the movie, (this was longer in the book, ohno, they missed such and such), but everything was just as I imagined it while reading, although faster.

I loved it. And my non-book reading friends did too.

Haven´t set a deadline yet,. comiccon? Blu-ray release?

Did notice allot of cool nuances about the suit while watching the movie. Boots may be separate, elbow details, armour honeycomb textured pattern.
 
Picard1138 said:
The EVA suit looked like it may be real Beta cloth. The texture on the folds around the gopro look like the real deal.
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The close up photos show it's definitely not Beta cloth.
"Beta-glass" (the real name) used on the Apollo suits, is Teflon coated fiberglass and is not used on the EMU's. The real EMU TMG's (Thermal Meteoroid Garment) are made of "Ortho" fabric, which is a blend of Teflon, Kevlar and Gortex fibers and it's not made anymore unless special ordered. Also, it's $350 a yard if you want to order it and I think it's a minimum run of 10,000 yards. We bought the last 30 yard roll available for the film Geo Storm a few months back.
 
Ah, I am mistaken then. The gopro cover looked like the real stuff to me on screen. Maybe it was just a textured cotton or poly. It doesn't look like it has any sheen, and they've managed to keep the suit very clean which leads me to believe it might be a synthetic.
 
Thanks FBFX for revealing the material used for the hard parts besides the helmet.

"The chest and backpack, as well as the knees, elbows, shoulders and leg/boot plates are all made from a rigid sprayed polyurethane. There is some flex in the material but it has a "hard" finish and is incredibly tough."

I think the best approach for me who's not very artistic when it comes to clay sculpting would be to 3D print these parts and create a mold of it which can then be cast using strengthened polyurethane resin. I've seen plenty of videos from BrickInTheYard on YouTube to know a thing or two about resin casting and finally doing it would be great :D
 
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Sooo, I just spent most of the day reading all the posts in this thread. You guys are amazing! :)

I would be very interested in 3D-files of the helmet and arm screen/computer holder. I'm waiting on a new 3D-printer, that can print a very big volume, and this costume would be perfect!
 
Browsing through the FBFX hashtag on Instagram I found this (sorry for low res)

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1444058616.755239.jpg

So the boots are separate from the actual suit. That must mean the three ankle straps are there to cover the change from boot to leg of the undersuit

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1444058829.462917.jpg

Edit: upon further studying I want to correct myself. I believe it's the middle strap that hides the overlap. You could tell by the slight change in white/grey patterned fabric

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1444060254.659321.jpg
 
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The most difficult part of this build will be the clear visors. You can't 3D print an optically clear visor, so it will need to be vac-formed or blow-molded. And there are many more considerations when making clear parts than making opaque ones. You need a perfectly smooth AND heat resistant buck. I recommend using PETG instead of acrylic or polycarbonate, especially if you've never done any thermoforming before. PETG is very easy to form (the vacuum pulled from a shop vac is sufficient) and produces nice, bubble free parts. Acrylic is hygroscopic (absorbs water from the atmosphere) so develops little micro bubbles when heated unless it's annealed first. It's also much harder to pull/blow and requires stronger equipment.
 

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