Alex with ESA's prototype UV-protection suit

Along with another child in France, eight-year-old Alex Webb in the UK tried out the first prototype of a new UV-protection suit to help people suffering from the generic disorder xeroderma pigmentosum (XP). It has been produced based upon ESA technologies developed for Europe’s space programmes. About 300 people – mostly children - across Europe have been diagnosed with the genetic disorder xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), causing extreme sensitivity to the Sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. Patients cannot go outside in daylight, except with special protection - all UV must be blocked off, or else their skin and eyes may be severely damaged, eventually leading to cancer.