The spacesuit is one of the greatest technical engineering feats ever achieved. But did you know it causes significant injuries to astronauts? Bruises, sprains, pinched nerves, lost fingernails and even torn rotator cuffs. If we're going to send astronauts to Mars safely and successfully, we must redesign the iconic spacesuit first. Aerospace engineer Allison Anderson will show us how.

Dr. Allison Anderson is an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences and an Adjunct Professor in Integrative Physiology. Her work focuses on aerospace biomedical engineering and human physiology in extreme environments, with the goal of enabling a human mission to Mars. She received a Ph.D. from MIT and a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Space Biomedical Research Institute. She grew up on a farm in rural Missouri, is the fourth child of five, and is now a private pilot.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx