Load-Carrying in Reduced Gravities: Operational Considerations

Extravehicular planetary explorers must wear protective suits and portable life support systems to provide them with a pressurized, breathable atmosphere. The mass of these systems has traditionally been quite large, and mass projections for some future regenerable systems are even higher. Yet very little is known about human load-carrying capabilities in reduced gravity levels. This work is a first attempt to investigate the biomechanics and energetics of human load-carrying in simulated reduced gravities to obtain load magnitude and placement data for spacesuit design and exploration mission planning purposes.