Space Suit Reach and Strength Envelope Considerations

This paper reviews human reach and strength determination research; past, present, and future, placing emphasis on applicability to space suit performance measurement activities. This survey places emphasis on equipment used, overall scope of the effort and data presentation techniques which may be applicable for use in space suit reach and strength capabilities research.

Currently, there are several ongoing efforts within NASA, the Air Force and private industry concerned with accurate definition of human reach and strength capabilities. A status report on each of these programs is included in this paper. The applicable “lessons learned” and new measurement/protocol developments are identified.

The final section of this paper outlines the future needs in the experimental determination of pressure suit reach and strength capabilities. Experimental design considerations and recommendations for future research efforts are discussed.