| Johnson Space Center laboratory is busy this time of the year. A group
of NASA engineers are designing the new space suits to be used by the US
astronauts on their missions to the moon and Mars. Looking back in
history of space missions, it's interesting to note how the spacesuit
design have evolved. It started with the robot like looking suits made
with tinfoil and Mercury aluminum mix, and evolved into the bulky
white suits of today which weigh 275 pounds.
It's still early to know how exactly the new space suit design will
look, like, but NASA engineers say they want them to be both low
maintenance and high-tech.
"There's a trade-off between mobility, low maintenance and hi-tech
features of the suits," says Jeff Williams, one of the veteran US
astronauts. The weight of 275 pounds in the modern American suits
space wear is due to a lot of technology built into it which adds up
to the bulky weight. Such suits are designed to be used for a long
periods of time, and sometimes even from mission to mission, which
requires a lot of maintenance. Russian space suits, on the other hand,
require low maintenance simply because they are used only several
times are disposed of later. Russians also tend to do
"one size fits all" type of space wear, while Americans craft each
suit to a particular astronaut.
In the old days of Apollo missions the design of astronaut space
suits was carried out on a
table using slide rules, paper and plastic. Nowadays the design is mostly
computer based using 3-D complex technology, which makes it faster,
and cheaper. Advances in technology may allow to decrease the weight of
all high tech gadgets built into the astronaut's "backpack". Low power
is another key feature, which is a must, since any spark can lead to
the devastating consequences inside of the oxygen rich space suit. Mobility is
also very important. Jeff Williams say that those robot like jumps
on the moon which everyone remembers were in fact due to the lack of
mobility in the suit design.
The director of the design lab said the price tag is not yet known on the
new suits, but most likely they won't come cheap. Those are the
space suits which will be a crucial part of the missions to the Moon and
Mars in 2014 and they will be a part of history.
The history of the spacesuit: It is understood that a special space uniform is required to withstand the vacuum conditions and SPE “Zvezda” took the task of designing the special uniform. During the first flights, astronauts were sent in rescue spacesuits SK-1, weighing just 30kg and equipped with automatic oxygen support in case of an emergency and so-called “positive buoyancy” – in case, if landing on water takes place instead of landing on the ground. But for a spacewalk and active operations, principally different suits were required with more powerful life-support systems, heat regulation and protection from solar radiation and cosmic cold.
The spacesuit “Berkut”, in which the astronauts underwent training and did spacewalks in open space, was considerably different from the one, in which the astronauts flew on “Voskhod”. An additional backup airtight jacket was embedded for increasing reliability. An upper coverall was made from multi-layered metallic cloth – vacuum shield insulation. Per se, it was a thermos, consisting of several plastic film layers, covered with aluminum. The linings from the vacuum shield insulation were fitted in the gloves and boots. The outer uniform protected the astronaut both from probable mechanical damages of the airtight portion of spacesuit as well as tailored from very strong artificial cloths, which can withstand high and low temperatures. Gradually the spacesuit became heavy – the life-support system also added weight. The life-support system was located in the backpack and consisted of another two 2-ltr oxygen cylinders apart from the ventilation system. The connecting pipe was fitted on the chassis of the backpack for filling the cylinders and a manometer for monitoring the pressure. In case of an adverse situation, a reserve oxygen system, which can be connected to a spacesuit using a hose, was made available in the airlock chamber.
The total weight of the “off suit” was somewhere around 100 kg and during ground training, astronauts had to walk in a unique “walking style”, supporting the hard portion of the spacesuit. But in a weightless state, the weight of the spacesuit did not play any significant role. The air pressure made much more noise filling the airtight capsule and making the spacesuit hard and inflexible. Astronauts had to overcome the resistance of their own uniform with force. Alexey Leonov recalled: “a 25 kg force was required to squeeze my hands into the gloves”. Therefore, a special importance was given to their physical shape during the preparation for a flight. Astronauts had to run everyday or do ski jumping, strenuously practice gymnastics and weight lifting.
The color of the spacesuit also changed: the spacesuit had become white instead of orange in order to better reflect the solar rays. The light filter appeared on the helmet, which protects from bright solar light. In short, the modern spacesuit is a real wonder of technology and according to the opinions of the designers – “the machine is more complicated than a motor car”. |
NASA has designed new space suits to be used by astronauts on the moon mission.
New suits are both low-maintenance and high-tech - astronauts can go on without taking bathroom breaks when they get high.
