Astronauts flying to and from the International Space Station aboard Boeing's commercial space taxi will be outfitted in a sleek new royal blue spacesuit, complete with a zip-on helmet and gloves that can be used on touchscreens. The pressurized spacesuits, unveiled on Wednesday, weigh about 20 pounds, compared to the 30-pound suits worn by space shuttle crews. "Astronauts formally had these relatively bulky, heavy suits with thick neck rings and we've learned throughout the years that we didn't need that," Chris Ferguson, director of crew and mission systems for Boeing, said in a Boeing video to introduce the new suits. Ferguson has first-hand experience with the old suits. Before joining Boeing, Ferguson was a NASA astronaut who flew on the space shuttle three times. He was the commander for the final shuttle flight in July 2011. "We've simplified the suit," Ferguson said. <a href="http://www.seeker.com/nasas-spacesuits-through-the-years-photos-1767482124.html">RELATED: NASA's Spacesuits Through the Years (Photos)</a> Gone is the thick neck ring that connected a protective helmet to the shuttle's bright orange, pressurized flight suits. The new "Boeing Blue" suits are still airtight, but softer and with an integrated helmet that is attached by a zipper. The new suits also are much cooler - "You can lay there without any external cooling," Ferguson said - and much less cumbersome. Boeing expects to begin ferrying crews to the space station by late 2018 aboard its CST-100 Starliner capsules, launched aboard United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets. <a href="http://www.seeker.com/space-poop-challenge-nasa-astronauts-exploration-spacesuit-crowdsourci-2118607081.html">RELATED: Pooping in a Spacesuit Is as Complicated as It Sounds</a> Since the shuttles were retired, NASA has been dependent on Russia for rides to the station, which flies about 250 miles above Earth. NASA also is buying crew ferry flights from SpaceX, which is developing a passenger version of its Dragon capsule. SpaceX has not yet unveiled its spacesuit design.

Astronauts flying to and from the International Space Station aboard Boeing's commercial space taxi will be outfitted in a sleek new royal blue spacesuit, complete with a zip-on helmet and gloves that can be used on touchscreens.

The pressurized spacesuits, unveiled on Wednesday, weigh about 20 pounds, compared to the 30-pound suits worn by space shuttle crews.

"Astronauts formally had these relatively bulky, heavy suits with thick neck rings and we've learned throughout the years that we didn't need that," Chris Ferguson, director of crew and mission systems for Boeing, said in a Boeing video to introduce the new suits.

Ferguson has first-hand experience with the old suits. Before joining Boeing, Ferguson was a NASA astronaut who flew on the space shuttle three times. He was the commander for the final shuttle flight in July 2011.

"We've simplified the suit," Ferguson said.

<a href="http://www.seeker.com/nasas-spacesuits-through-the-years-photos-1767482124.html">RELATED: NASA's Spacesuits Through the Years (Photos)</a>

Gone is the thick neck ring that connected a protective helmet to the shuttle's bright orange, pressurized flight suits.

The new "Boeing Blue" suits are still airtight, but softer and with an integrated helmet that is attached by a zipper.

The new suits also are much cooler - "You can lay there without any external cooling," Ferguson said - and much less cumbersome.

Boeing expects to begin ferrying crews to the space station by late 2018 aboard its CST-100 Starliner capsules, launched aboard United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets.

<a href="http://www.seeker.com/space-poop-challenge-nasa-astronauts-exploration-spacesuit-crowdsourci-2118607081.html">RELATED: Pooping in a Spacesuit Is as Complicated as It Sounds</a>

Since the shuttles were retired, NASA has been dependent on Russia for rides to the station, which flies about 250 miles above Earth.

NASA also is buying crew ferry flights from SpaceX, which is developing a passenger version of its Dragon capsule. SpaceX has not yet unveiled its spacesuit design.

Astronauts flying to and from the International Space Station aboard Boeing's commercial space taxi will be outfitted in a sleek new royal blue spacesuit, complete with a zip-on helmet and gloves that can be used on touchscreens.The pressurized spacesuits, unveiled on Wednesday, weigh about 20 pounds, compared to the 30-pound suits worn by space shuttle crews."Astronauts formally had these relatively bulky, heavy suits with thick neck rings and we've learned throughout the years that we didn't need that," Chris Ferguson, director of crew and mission systems for Boeing, said in a Boeing video to introduce the new suits.Ferguson has first-hand experience with the old suits. Before joining Boeing, Ferguson was a NASA astronaut who flew on the space shuttle three times. He was the commander for the final shuttle flight in July 2011."We've simplified the suit," Ferguson said.<a href="http://www.seeker.com/nasas-spacesuits-through-the-years-photos-1767482124.html">RELATED: NASA's Spacesuits Through the Years (Photos)</a>Gone is the thick neck ring that connected a protective helmet to the shuttle's bright orange, pressurized flight suits.The new "Boeing Blue" suits are still airtight, but softer and with an integrated helmet that is attached by a zipper.The new suits also are much cooler - "You can lay there without any external cooling," Ferguson said - and much less cumbersome.Boeing expects to begin ferrying crews to the space station by late 2018 aboard its CST-100 Starliner capsules, launched aboard United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets.<a href="http://www.seeker.com/space-poop-challenge-nasa-astronauts-exploration-spacesuit-crowdsourci-2118607081.html">RELATED: Pooping in a Spacesuit Is as Complicated as It Sounds</a>Since the shuttles were retired, NASA has been dependent on Russia for rides to the station, which flies about 250 miles above Earth.NASA also is buying crew ferry flights from SpaceX, which is developing a passenger version of its Dragon capsule. SpaceX has not yet unveiled its spacesuit design.

WATCH VIDEO: Can You Hear Sound in Space?

WATCH VIDEO: Can You Hear Sound in Space?

Posters for the classic sci-fi film Alien famously read, "In space no one can hear you scream," but so many other sci-fi films, explosions in space sound really loud. So which is more accurate? It depends exactly where in space you are.
 
Of course, sound is a mechanical wave of energy emanating from a vibration and transferred via solid, liquid or gas molecules that's ultimately detected by your eardrum deep inside your ear. There are three tiny bones - the malleus, incus, and stapes -- that transfer these vibrating waves into a nerve signal that your brain perceives as sound.
 
Since space is essentially a vacuum, there is medium to transfer these sound waves to your eardrum. Technically, space isn't a true vacuum: NASA says there's about one atom per cubic centimeter (or one atom per 0.06 cubic inches), but that's not nearly dense enough to pass along a sound wave.
 
So even if you're blowing up something even as massive as, say, a small moon (like the Death Star), it would be completely silent (that's one point for Ridley Scott and 0 points for George Lucas). And spaceships, unless they're flying within a planet's atmosphere, would also be silent. You would, however, hear sounds if you were within the confines of the pressurized cabin of a spaceship, so astronauts on the ISS, for example, can hear each other just fine.
 
However, there IS another way to pull sound directly from space, not in an atmosphere, or in a spacesuit... take a guess what you think it could be in the comments section. If this video gets 7,000 likes, the DNews team will release a follow-up video with the answer/ So get Googling, amateur astronauts (or at least hit "like" if you give up!

Read More: 
<a href="http://education.jlab.org/qa/vacuum_02.html" target="_blank">What is a vacuum? Is it matter?</a> (via Jefferson Lab) 
"A vacuum, to us, is a space with no matter in it. As a practical matter though, it's really a space with very little matter in it."

<a href="http://helios.gsfc.nasa.gov/qa_sp_ms.html" target="_blank">Matter in Space</a> (via NASA) 
"There is matter spread all through the Universe, it is just spread very, very, very, very thin."

<a href="http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/nstv/2012/04/why-you-might-sound-like-a-smurf-on-venus.html" target="_blank">Why you might sound like a Smurf on Venus</a> (via New Scientist) 
 
"Ever wondered what natural sounds you would hear on another planet?"

<a href="http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/audio-music/bone-conducting-headphones1.htm" target="_blank">How Bone-conducting Headphones Work</a> (via How Stuff Works) 
"To understand how bone conduction works, you first have to understand how we hear sounds."

<a href="http://science.howstuffworks.com/humans-hear-in-space2.htm" target="_blank">Can humans hear in space?</a> (via How Stuff Works) 
"Before we begin to talk about space, we should probably define it."

<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/how-voyager-1-recorded-noises-when-theres-no-sound-interstellar-f2D11701506" target="_blank">How Voyager 1 recorded noises when there's no sound in interstellar space</a> (via NBC News) 
"Beyond the border of interstellar space, the distant Voyager 1 spacecraft called back to Earth earlier this year with noises from its new environment."

<a href="http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=8" target="_blank">Can you hear sound in space?</a> (via Cornell University) 
"I'm afraid that your friends are right. In empty space, there is no air, and what we call 'sound' is actually vibrations in the air."

<a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-07/29/chris-hadfield-soundcloud" target="_blank">Chris Hadfield shares the everyday sounds of space on SoundCloud</a> (via Wired)

<a href="http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/sci-fi10.htm" target="_blank">How Sci-fi Doesn't Work: Sound in Space</a> (via How Stuff Works)

Watch More: 
<a href="http://testtube.com/dnews/huge-comet-will-barely-miss-mars" target="_blank">Comet Will Barely Miss Mars</a> 

<a href="http://testtube.com/dnews/are-we-living-in-a-holographic-universe" target="_blank">Is Our Universe a Hologram?</a>

____________________

DNews is dedicated to satisfying your curiosity and to bringing you mind-bending stories & perspectives you won't find anywhere else! New videos twice daily.

Can You Hear Sound in Space?

Space & Innovation

Boeing Unveils Lighter, Snazzy Spacesuit for Space Taxi Astronauts

Astronauts flying to and from the International Space Station aboard Boeing's commercial space taxi will be outfitted in a sleek new royal blue spacesuit, complete with a zip-on helmet and gloves that can be used on touchscreens.

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Scientists Found Particle 'X,' Now What?!

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Microchips are in most of today's technology, from an electric toothbrush to an SUV.

Boeing Unveils Lighter, Snazzy Spacesuit for Space Taxi Astronauts

Aerospace company Boeing hopes to begin ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station in 2018, but NASA's bulky spacesuits are not part of the plan.