The suit is also designed for the nature of a cutting-edge cockpit. There's a built-in communications headset, and the gloves are touchscreen-friendly.

It'll be a while before you see how the suit works in practice when the Starliner's first International Space Station mission doesn't launch until late 2018. Also, we'd add that Boeing's suit may not be the coolest on the block before long, especially not if SpaceX's superhero-inspired gear lives up to early hype. All the same, we'll take it -- the basic template for spacesuits hasn't changed a whole lot over the decades, and it's about time that they reflect the demands of modern spaceflight.