NASA Suit Engineer Prepares Crew for First Moon Trip Since 1972

At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Dustin Gohmert and his team are creating something extraordinary: spacesuits that function as personal spacecraft.

As manager of the Orion Crew Survival System, Gohmert leads the team designing pressure suits for the Artemis II mission, which will send astronauts around the Moon for the first time since 1972. These aren't ordinary spacesuits. In an emergency, they can sustain human life for up to six days, providing oxygen, hydration, food, and waste management as astronauts make their way back to Earth.

"In an emergency, you're essentially living in a personal spacecraft that's only an inch bigger than your body," Gohmert explained. That inch makes all the difference between life and death in the vacuum of space.

The suits protect astronauts during the most dangerous moments: launch day, high-risk operations near the Moon, and the high-speed return through Earth's atmosphere. Each suit is custom-built to fit the exact anatomy of its wearer, with crew members undergoing detailed sizing sessions and multiple fit checks.

Gohmert's team doesn't work in isolation. They collaborate closely with astronauts, asking how each design concept performs in real spaceflight conditions. The crew's feedback directly shapes how the suits evolve, balancing safety requirements with practical realities.

The engineering challenges are immense. The team must calculate how much internal pressure each suit can safely maintain and for how long. They process, design, qualify, and test every component, then integrate the suits with the Orion spacecraft itself.

Why This Inspires

For Gohmert, who holds degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas, the work carries profound personal meaning. He started his career with United Space Alliance, worked through the final Space Shuttle missions, and transitioned to the Artemis program as a NASA civil servant.

"The weight of it is incredible," he said. "Every thought we have, every piece of paper we write, crew is the number one priority."

Born after the last Moon landing in 1972, Gohmert never imagined he'd help write the next chapter of lunar exploration. Now he's doing exactly that, ensuring that when Artemis II astronauts circle the Moon, they'll have the protection they need to come home safely.

"To actually be a part of the next round is kind of overwhelming," he said. "It's awe-inspiring in every possible way."