Take a look at Oakley's new astronauts-only eyewear that's totally out of this world

Oakley, the company that's kept extreme athletes looking cool (and seeing clearly) for five decades, has just snagged the ultimate flex: designing the visors for NASA's Artemis III lunar mission. It means that the next person to strut on the Moon will be rocking some seriously tricked-out Oakley optics. Move over, Neil Armstrong's humble helmet, there's a new sheriff in town, and he's got 24-karat gold-plated swagger.

Koichi Wakata, an astronaut and the Chief Technology Officer for Axiom Space, put it best: "In space the sun is really harsh, it feels as if it's piercing through your eyes." Well, Koichi, perhaps you've been using the wrong kind of sunglasses. But fear not, for Oakley's Senior VP of Advanced Product Development, Ryan Saylor, assures us, "the next person to walk on the Moon will be wearing Oakley's next-gen High-Definition Optics, and that's a responsibility we don't take lightly."

So, what makes these lunar specs so special? Besides the bling, they're packed with "Prizm Cosmos technology," which sounds like a fancy way of saying "magic, but with science." The gold coating isn't just for looking like a futuristic pharaoh; it's a stellar reflector of infrared radiation, crucial for preventing astronaut eyes from turning into crispy critters under unfiltered solar bombardment. Additionally, a flip-down visor is available for use in extreme conditions.

YouTube

Watch On

Oakley's decades of experience in creating gear tough enough for motocross and mountain biking proved surprisingly relevant. Turns out, lunar dust is pretty much just really, really gritty dirt. And if you can survive a face-plant on a rocky trail, you can probably handle a tumble on the Moon.

This partnership is part of a broader trend where space exploration is getting a civilian makeover. Axiom Space, in a move that's part fashion show, part rocket science, has also teamed up with Prada for the spacesuit's outer materials. So, get ready for astronauts who are not only trailblazers but also fashion icons.

While you won't be able to grab your own gold-plated moon visor for your next beach trip, this space-grade tech will likely trickle down into terrestrial eyewear, with the learnings acquired used to improve products we can get without becoming astronauts.

• Fancy something a little more down to Eart? Take a trip to Ibiza with this Sergio Tacchini and Wavey Garms collaboration