Nasa unveils new ‘Buzz Lightyear’ spacesuit

Nasa has unveiled its first new space suit in 20 years – and it appears to have been inspired by a certain animated Space Ranger by the name of Buzz Lightyear.

With its flouro green trim and domed helmet, it appears to have been lifted wholesale from 'Toy Story'.

Nasa uploaded the pictures of the Z-1 Prototype Spacesuit and Portable Life Support System (PLSS) 2.0 to its Flickr site, causing widespread, erm, buzz across the internet.

The new suits have an entry at the rear, meaning that they can be put on and taken off much more quickly that the current suits, which take an hour to get into.

They also act as their own air-lock, and have better bearings at the joints meaning that astronauts can move more easily.

“The Z-1 was developed as a test bed to go and test various technologies and mobility joints so we can further define our architecture going forward,” said spacesuit engineer Kate Mitchell.

The most exciting feature, however, is the red button situated on the chest panel which deploys the suit's wings and a new communications system featuring up to 10 phrases, including 'to infinity and beyond'.

Just to confirm, that last bit is a joke...