Calling all fashionista-engineers: NASA is looking for a tailor to create a flexible and strong spacesuit for astronauts working on the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). The suits have to protect the astronauts from cabin tears and the weightless flight. In addition the suits have to be able to handle moonwalks over an extended period of time. All aspiring spacesuit designers should apply soon; NASA will be awarding the contract in June 2008. The Orion CEV will put the new outfits to use on the first crewed flight to the International Space Station (ISS) no later than 2015 and on the moon by 2020.  —Saba Berhie

When NASA administrator Michael Griffin unveiled the agency's plans for the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), he described it as "Apollo on steroids." The resemblance is easy to seeeach is a blunt-nosed, cone-shaped capsule that's strapped to a rocket and sent to the moon, where it deploys a lunar lander and then returns to Earth for a parachute landing. There are important differences, however: