Browse Topic: Spacesuits
Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed a programmable steering wheel called the Tri-Rotor, which allows an astronaut the ability to easily operate a vehicle on the surface of a planet or Moon despite the limited dexterity of their spacesuit. This technology was originally conceived for the operation of a lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) to improve upon previous Apolloera hand controllers. In re-evaluating the kinematics of the spacesuit, such as the rotatable wrist joint and the constant volume shoulder joint, engineers developed an enhanced and programmable hand controller that became the Tri-Rotor
Most people already know and appreciate the capabilities of smart phones, now imagine the possibilities offered by smart spacesuits, uniforms and exercise clothes. The future of wearable technology just got a big boost thanks to a team of University of Houston researchers who designed, developed, and delivered a successful prototype of a fully stretchable fabric-based lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery
Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) spacesuits are both enabling and limiting. Because pressurization results in stiffening of the pressure garment, an astronaut’s motions and mobility are significantly restricted during EVAs. Dexterity, in particular, is severely reduced. Astronauts are commonly on record identifying spacesuit gloves as a top-priority item in their EVA apparel needing significant improvement. Apollo 17 astronaut-geologist Harrison “Jack” Schmitt has singled out hand fatigue and dexterity as the top two problems to address in EVA spacesuit design for future Moon and Mars exploration. The NASA-STD-3000 standards document indeed states: “Space suit gloves degrade tactile proficiency compared to bare hand operations... Attention should be given to the design of manual interfaces to preclude or minimize hand fatigue or physical discomfort
NASA is developing the next generation of spacesuits for future missions including the optimization of spacesuit gloves that, when coupled to a pressurized suit, tend to limit the range of motion of an astronaut’s hand to as little as 20 percent. Many of NASA’s future missions will be in challenging environments where hand dexterity of the astronaut will be critical for the success of the missions
The third flight of SLS and Orion will carry the first woman and first person of color to the Moon. Artemis III will be the culmination of the rigorous testing and more than two million miles accumulated in space on NASA’s deep space transportation systems during Artemis I and II
FCI Aerospace San Marcos, CA 760-744-6950
NASA is developing the next generation of suit technologies that will enable deep-space exploration by incorporating advancements such as regenerable carbon dioxide removal systems and water evaporation systems that more efficiently provide crewmembers with core necessities such as breathing air and temperature regulation. Mobility and fit of a pressurized suit are extremely important in keeping astronauts productive, so NASA is focusing on spacesuit designs to help crews work more efficiently and safely during spacewalks
NASA-developed polyimide aerogels are 500 times stronger than conventional silica aerogels. The innovative aerogels represent a revolutionary advance over fragile silica aerogels because they are highly flexible and foldable in thin film form. As a thin film, they can be used to insulate industrial pipelines, automotive shields, and temporary housing structures, and can be used within protective clothing such as firefighting jackets, space suits, and parkas. As a thicker part, they can be easily molded to a shape, or sanded and machined to provide insulation as well as mechanical support. No other aerogel possesses the compressive and tensile strength of the NASA innovation while still retaining its ability to be flexibly folded to contour to whatever shape is needed
Optical detection of gaseous carbon dioxide, water vapor (humidity), and oxygen is desired in Portable Life Support Systems (PLSS) incorporating state-of-the-art CO2 scrubbing architectures. Earlier broadband detectors are nearing their end of life, and recent advances in laser diode technology make replacement of earlier technology compelling. The function of the infrared gas transducer used during extravehicular activity (EVA) in the current spacesuit is to measure and report the concentration of CO2 in the ventilation loop. The next-generation PLSS requires next-generation CO2 sensing technology with performance beyond that presently in use on the Shuttle/International Space Station extravehicular mobility unit (EMU). Accommodation within spacesuits demands that optical sensors meet stringent size, weight, and power requirements. A sensor is required that is compact, low power, low mass, has rapid sampling capability, can operate over a wide pressure range, and can recover from
Extravehicular activities (EVAs) are dangerous to astronauts for a number of reasons, including high levels of physical exertion, potential for impacts by space debris particulates that could puncture the spacesuit and cause depressurization, Moon dust exposure that is abrasive and possibly biologically harmful, harsh thermal environments (extreme variation from –150 to >120 ºC when directly exposed to the Sun), and extreme low pressure (≈0 atm). These harsh environmental conditions inevitably lead to emotional pressure and stress, which directly impact physiological condition and potentially affect performance and safety. Because many EVA operations are time-consuming, astronauts may be extremely uncomfortable for several continuous hours
Current spacesuit gloves used by astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) have sustained cuts during extravehicular activities (EVAs) due to sharp edges and burrs, possibly on damaged ISS handrails. A warning system in the glove would aid in identifying the location of sharp objects and the extent of damage to the glove. This work investigated various e-textile and flexible circuit technologies to determine the best ones for creating a glove cut/damage warning system for integration into a spacesuit glove
The NASA objective of expanding the human experience into the far reaches of space requires the development of regenerable life support systems. This work addresses the development of a regenerable air-revitalization system for trace-contaminant (TC) removal for the spacesuit used in extravehicular activities (EVAs). Currently, a bed of granular activated carbon is used for TC control. The carbon is impregnated with phosphoric acid to enhance ammonia sorption, but this also makes regeneration difficult, if not impossible. Temperatures as high as 200 °C have been shown to be required for only partial desorption of ammonia on time scales of 18,140 hours. Neither these elevated temperatures nor the long time needed for sorbent regeneration are acceptable. Thus, the activated carbon has been treated as an expendable resource, and the sorbent bed has been oversized in order to last throughout the entire mission
The disclosed device provides key elements to enabling compact exercise machines that overcome many of the disadvantages of the current spacesuit, as well as medical prosthetics and exoskeletons. The mechanism is based on switchable, curved, leaf, and torsion spring mechanisms that support the user joints and at the contact with the ground to enable high-speed, low-loss locomotion. The springs are primed with an actuator to counteract losses and recycle the user’s elastic energy in the locomotion. The mechanism is designed to be switchable and to allow for removing the springs from the structure for fine control. Adjustable hard-stops are embedded into each joint to prevent overextension and optimize the performance at each gait. The spring mechanisms are made from carbon fiber composites to reduce the weight of the system. The components of this mechanism can be structurally connected to each other via a mechanical clutch to form a symmetric lower-extremity system with a passive
This paper summarizes the Power, Avionics and Software (PAS) 1.0 subsystem integration testing and test results that occurred in August and September of 2013. This paper covers the capabilities of each PAS assembly to meet integration test objectives for non-safety critical, non-flight, non-human-rated hardware and software development. This test report is the outcome of the first integration of the PAS subsystem and is meant to provide data for subsequent designs, development and testing of the future PAS subsystems. The two main objectives were to assess the ability of the PAS assemblies' to exchange messages and to perform audio tests of both inbound and outbound channels. This paper describes each test performed, defines the test, the data, and provides conclusions and recommendations
Astronauts suffer from poor dexterity of their hands due to the clumsy spacesuit gloves during Extravehicular Activity (EVA) operations, and NASA has had a widely recognized but unmet need for novel human-machine interface technologies to facilitate data entry, communications, and robots or intelligent systems control. A speech interface driven by an astronaut’s own voice is ideal for EVA operations, since speech is the most natural, flexible, efficient, and economical form of human communication and information exchange
A document discusses the design and prototype of an advanced spacesuit concept that integrates the capability to function seamlessly with multiple ventilation system approaches. Traditionally, spacesuits are designed to operate both dependently and independently of a host vehicle environment control and life support system (ECLSS). Spacesuits that operate independent of vehicle-provided ECLSS services must do so with equipment self-contained within or on the spacesuit. Suits that are dependent on vehicle-provided consumables must remain physically connected to and integrated with the vehicle to operate properly
Carbon dioxide produced through respiration can accumulate rapidly within closed spaces. If not managed, a crew’s respiratory rate increases, head aches and hyperventilation occur, vision and hearing are affected, and cognitive abilities decrease. Consequently, development continues on a number of CO2 removal technologies for human spacecraft and spacesuits. Terrestrially, technology development requires precise performance characterization to qualify promising air revitalization equipment. Onorbit, instrumentation is required to identify and eliminate unsafe conditions. This necessitates accurate in situ CO2 detection
With the need for long periods of extravehicular activities (EVAs) on the Moon or Mars or a near-asteroid, the need for long-performance batteries has increased significantly. The energy requirements for the EVA suit, as well as surface systems such as rovers, have increased significantly due to the number of applications they need to power at the same time. However, even with the best state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries, it is not possible to power the suit or the rovers for the extended period of performance. Carrying a charging system along with the batteries makes it cumbersome and requires a self-contained power source for the charging system that is usually not possible. An innovative method to charge and use the Li-ion batteries for long periods seems to be necessary and hence, with the advent of the Li-ion supercapacitors, a method has been developed to extend the performance period of the Li-ion power system for future exploration applications
A document describes a sheet membrane spacesuit water membrane evaporator (SWME), which allows for the use of one common water tank that can supply cooling water to the astronaut and to the evaporator. Test data showed that heat rejection performance dropped only 6 percent after being subjected to highly contaminated water. It also exhibited robustness with respect to freezing and Martian atmospheric simulation testing. Water was allowed to freeze in the water channels during testing that simulated a water loop failure and vapor back-pressure valve failure. Upon closing the back-pressure valve and energizing the pump, the ice eventually thawed and water began to flow with no apparent damage to the sheet membrane
The passive sizing system consists of a series of low-profile pulleys attached to the front and back of the shoulder bearings on a spacesuit soft upper torso (SUT), textile cord or stainless steel cable, and a modified commercial ratchet mechanism. The cord/cable is routed through the pulleys and attached to the ratchet mechanism mounted on the front of the spacesuit within reach of the suited subject. Upon actuating the ratchet mechanism, the shoulder bearing breadth is changed, providing variable upper torso sizing
A concept was evaluated of using nitrous oxide as (1) a monopropellant in thrusters for space suits and spacecraft and (2) a source of breathable gas inside space suits and spacecraft, both by exploiting the controlled decomposition of N2O into N2 and O2. Relative to one prior monopropellant hydrazine, N2O is much less toxic, yet offers comparable performance. N2O can be stored safely as a liquid at room temperature and unlike another prior monopropellant hydrogen peroxide does not decompose spontaneously. A prototype N2O-based thruster has been demonstrated. It has also been proposed to harness N2O-based thrusters for generating electric power and to use the N2 + O2 decomposition product as a breathable gas. Because of the high performance, safety, and ease of handling of N2O, it can be expected to be economically attractive to equip future spacecraft and space suits with N2O-based thrusters and breathable-gas systems
A MATLAB computer program has been written to enable improved (relative to an older program) modeling of a human body for purposes of designing space suits and other hardware with which an astronaut must interact. The older program implements a kinematic model based on traditional anthropometric measurements that do provide important volume and surface information. The present program generates a three-dimensional (3D) whole-body model from 3D body-scan data. The program utilizes thin-plate spline theory to reposition the model without need for additional scans
This design of the liquid-cooling garment for NASA spacesuits allows the suit to remove metabolic heat from the human body more effectively, thereby increasing comfort and performance while reducing system mass. The garment is also more flexible, with fewer restrictions on body motion, and more effectively transfers thermal energy from the crewmember’s body to the external cooling unit. This improves the garment’s performance in terms of the maximum environment temperature in which it can keep a crewmember comfortable
Space suits are the most important tool for astronauts working in harsh space and planetary environments; suits keep crewmembers alive and allow them to perform exploration, construction, and scientific tasks on a routine basis over a period of several months. The efficiency with which the tasks are performed is largely dictated by the mobility features of the space suit. For previous space suit development programs, the mobility requirements were written as pure functional mobility requirements that did not separate joint ranges of motion from joint torques. The Constellation Space Suit Element has the goal to make more quantitative mobility requirements that focused on the individual components of ‘mobility’ to enable future suit designers to build and test systems more effectively. This paper details the test planning and selection process for the Constellation space suit pressure garment range of motion requirements
Operational issues encountered by Apollo astronauts relating to lunar dust were catalogued, including material abrasion that resulted in scratches and wear on spacesuit components, ultimately impacting visibility, joint mobility and pressure retention. Standard methods are being developed to measure abrasive wear on candidate construction materials to be used for spacesuits, spacecraft, and robotics. Calibration tests were conducted using a standard diamond stylus scratch tip on the common spacecraft structure aluminum, Al 6061-T6. Custom tips were fabricated from terrestrial counterparts of lunar minerals for scratching Al 6061-T6 and comparing to standard diamond scratches. Considerations are offered for how to apply standards when selecting materials and developing dust mitigation strategies for lunar architecture elements
Long-term exposure to the space radiation environment poses deleterious effects to both humans and space systems. The major sources of the radiation effects come from high energy galactic cosmic radiation and solar proton events. In this paper we investigate the radiation-mitigation properties of several shielding materials for possible use in spacecraft design, surface habitats, surface rovers, spacesuits, and temporary shelters. A discussion of the space radiation environment is presented in detail. Parametric radiation shielding analyses are presented using the NASA HZETRN 2005 code and are compared with ground-based experimental test results using the Loma Linda University Proton Therapy facility
As the United States makes plans to return astronauts to the moon and eventually send them on to Mars, designing the most effective, efficient, and robust spacesuit life support system that will operate successfully in dusty environments is vital. Some knowledge has been acquired regarding the contaminants and level of infiltration that can be expected from lunar and Mars dust, however, risk mitigation strategies and filtration designs that will prevent contamination within a spacesuit life support system are yet undefined. A trade study was therefore initiated to identify and address these concerns, and to develop new requirements for the Constellation spacesuit element Portable Life Support System. This trade study investigated historical methods of controlling particulate contamination in spacesuits and space vehicles, and evaluated the possibility of using commercial technologies for this application. The trade study also examined potential filtration designs. This paper summarizes
This paper describes a unique concept for donning and doffing a spacesuit from a pressurized rover or habitat, which merges three independent concepts: suitports, neck-entry EVA suits, and the Morphing Upper Torso. The union of these concepts creates a novel and exciting suit and suitport system architecture, with many potential benefits over traditional suitport systems. To develop this concept, a neck-entry Morphing Upper Torso experimental model has been designed and fabricated, and systems level design studies have been performed, including visualization with the aid of CAD models of the neck-entry suitport on a small pressurized rover and a lunar habitat. As well, a donning test-station has been developed and used for experiments in 1-G, simulated microgravity and simulated partial gravity. In the partial-gravity experiments, test subjects wore a ballasting garment underwater to simulate the 1/6 gravity lunar environment, and then attempted to ingress and egress through the
A lightweight, regenerable heat absorber (RHA), developed for rejecting metabolic heat from a space suit, may also be useful on Earth for short-term cooling of heavy protective garments. Unlike prior space-suit-cooling systems, a system that includes this RHA does not vent water. The closed system contains water reservoirs, tubes through which water is circulated to absorb heat, an evaporator, and an absorber/radiator. The radiator includes a solution of LiCl contained in a porous material in titanium tubes
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