Exploring Fashion in Antarctica and Mars

In Antarctica and Mars, there are extreme cold temperatures!

In Antarctica, the South Pole coldest temperature recorded was -82.8°C (-117°F) in June 1982 while the warmest temperature to be documented was -12.3°C (+9.9°F) in December 2011.  The annual average is -49.5°C (-57.1°F).

In Mars, the temperatures vary from a high of 0°C (+32°F) in the afternoon to a low of -75°C (-103°F) at night.

Inhabitants living in either area have to be very cognizant of their clothing choices!  How cold does it get where you live? What do you wear to stay warm?

In Antarctica, scientists and staff can borrow extreme weather clothing from the National Science Foundation.

Clothing Distribution Center in Christchurch, New Zealand. Photo credit: Carolyn Dowling (May not be used without permission.)
Clothing Distribution Center in Christchurch, New Zealand. Photo credit: Carolyn Dowling (May not be used without permission.)

Check out this scientist putting on her ECW clothing!

Another important item to wear is sunglasses. In Antarctica, it’s daylight 24 hours/day during the summer. Human eyes can actually become sunburned because the sun’s rays reflect off the ice! It is very important to wear polarized sunglasses.

Even though Mars is farther from the sun than the Earth, there is no ozone layer to protect organisms from the harmful UV rays of the sun. It would be very important to wear sunglasses there too!

A selfie wearing polarized sunglasses and a helmet on a helicopter ride. Photo credit: Carolyn Dowling (May not be used without permission.)

The possibility of Mars colonization has inspired Swedish brand Björn Borg to design a sports gear called #TrainingForMars for their 2016 collection at Stockholm Fashion Week.

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Björn Borg has designed #TrainingForMars, a sports clothing line.

Would you wear these designs here on Earth?