You can help design America's future in space -- literally.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is inviting Internet users to help decide the covering for the space agency's next prototype spacesuit.

Engineers at NASA determined the short list of suit choices in collaboration with spacesuit manufacturer ILC Dover and student designers from Philadelphia University.

Now the choice is up to those visiting the special NASA "Z-2 Spacesuit Design Vote" Website, who can vote for the next-generation suit. The choices are: the "Biomimicry" pattern, inspired by the look of bioluminescent sea creatures; the "Technology" pattern, with glowing panels that seem to pay homage to the classic video-game movie Tron; and the "Trends in Society," which mimics swoopy sportswear patterns.

Each of the suits can fit over the Z-2 prototype spacesuit that ILC Dover is developing as a follow-up to its Buzz Lightyear-like Z-1 suit. All three of the covering designs incorporate electroluminescent wires and patches that will help engineers track a wearer's movements while the suit is being tested.

"We haven't had to design a spacesuit to operate in a surface environment since we went to the moon," Daniel Huot, a NASA spokesman at Johnson Space Center in Texas, said in a story by NBCNews. "As you can imagine, a lot of things have changed, and this is going to incorporate the features that astronauts are going to be wearing when we go to Mars."

The Z-2 spacesuit features a hard composite upper torso with an entry port built into the back, which will make the suit more durable for use on Mars, as well as easier for astronauts to climb inside.

The outer cover of the suit provides an extra layer of protection -- along, of course, with the opportunity to make a fashion statement.

Balloting for the preferred suit design began March 24 on the website.

Huot said more than 7,000 online votes were cast by the end of the first business day. The voting deadline is April 15.

Meanwhile, NASA engineers will take questions about the design contest, the suit and also the requirements to build a suit during a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" session to start at 2:30 p.m. ET, March 26.

The winning design will be used on a Z-2 expected to be ready by November. That suit will be tested at Johnson Space Center's simulated Mars rock yard, special vacuum chambers and also the center's spacewalk training pool.

Of course, when astronauts actually step onto the Martian surface, likely around 2030, they might be wearing suits that sport some of the winning visual effects, or they could be decked out in their standard plain suits. After all, said Huot, "a Mars-ready suit will be designed solely for function, not form."