Novel Radiator for a Space Suit

An improved radiator has been designed to provide inexpensive and highly reliable thermal control for an extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) [basically, a space suit equipped with a portable life-support system (PLSS)]. The amount of cooling fluid (which could be water) needed to obtain a given degree of thermal control by use of this radiator is smaller than the amounts consumed by prior EMU radiators. For NASA, this radiator will reduce the cost of extravehicular activities at the Space Station by reducing the amounts of equipment and materials that must be lofted to outer space, reducing the volume of equipment carried on the wearer's back, and reducing the consumption of battery power. The improved radiator will benefit not only the space industry but also those terrestrial industries in which water is used to transport heat into radiators or external heat exchangers in order to thermally control equipment and/or living spaces in very cold climates.