Space Suit Foot and Ankle Mobility in Walking on Uneven Terrain

A cooperative program undertaken by Zvezda and Hamilton Standard to address the required walking mobility for future planetary missions has focussed on space suit foot and ankle mobility. It has included the evaluation of the performance of a boot sole metatarsal (toe) joint and two different ankle joint configurations.

A field test with a highly mobile space suit prototype by NASA provides data that complement the results of the above study. Experience in traversing a variety of terrain similar to that expected on Mars provides confirmation of the value of pressure suit ankle and boot sole mobility in the field.

Taken together, these studies provide useful data for the design of future planetary exploration spacesuits. Laboratory and field test results are presented and some of their implications for planetary space suit designs are discussed.