Evaluating Human Thermal Models for Advanced Portable Life Support System Control Development

As extended extravehicular activity (EVA), having duration on the order of 8 hours, becomes more common, it will be necessary to improve regulation of the thermal comfort of astronauts in order to increase their productivity and endurance. To facilitate the development of an advanced liquid-cooling and ventilation garment (LCVG) automatic controller, an accurate human biothermal model is required for simulation studies of new controller strategies and suit hardware. A critical comparative evaluation of several existing models is undertaken as a preliminary step in that direction.