Astronaut Kate Rubins’s spacesuit is a walking— or floating—artwork. Pediatric cancer patients completed the paintings that make up the colorful suit. The patients participated in the Space Suit Art Project, a program that is meant to raise awareness of childhood cancer. It also highlights the parallel experiences of astronauts and cancer patients. Both have feelings of isolation, endure physical changes to their bodies, and must summon hope and courage.
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Stylish in Space
How do these painted spacesuits highlight the similar qualities of cancer patients and astronauts?
Jacob Ballard painted a section of Rubins’s spacesuit while in treatment for a type of bone cancer. “Working on the space project has really meant a lot to me and my family,” the 17-year-old says.
Retired astronaut Nicole Stott helps run the program. “It’s a beautiful [example] of art, science, and space coming together,” she says.
So far, patients at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston have completed two spacesuits, which they call HOPE and COURAGE. Rubins wore COURAGE (above) aboard the International Space Station in 2016. HOPE (right) includes more than 600 small, hand-painted canvases stitched together by patients, families, and hospital staff. One more suit, UNITY, is in the works. It will include painted swatches from hospitals and space centers around the world.
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