NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Space suit

A space suit is a complex system of garments, equipment and environmental systems designed to keep a person alive and comfortable in the harsh environment of outer space. This applies to extra-vehicular activity (EVA) outside spacecraft orbiting Earth and has applied to walking, and riding the Lunar Rover, on the Moon. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (432x652, 76 KB) Buzz Aldrin in his spacesuit during the Apollo 11 moonwalk File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (432x652, 76 KB) Buzz Aldrin in his spacesuit during the Apollo 11 moonwalk File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Apollo 11 mission was the first mission to land on the Moon. ... (See also List of types of clothing) Introduction Humans often wear articles of clothing (also known as dress, garments or attire) on the body (for the alternative, see nudity). ... Astronaut Bruce McCandless on an untethered EVA Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) is work done by an astronaut away from the Earth and outside of his or her spacecraft. ... The Space Shuttle Discovery as seen from the International Space Station. ... Lunar Rover-Manned land vehicle (NASA) The Lunar Roving Vehicle or Lunar rover or LRV is a land vehicle for use on the Moon. ... Apparent magnitude: up to -12. ...

Some of these requirements also apply to pressure suits worn for other specialized tasks, such as high-altitude reconnaissance flight. Above Armstrong's Line (~63,000 ft/~19,000 m), pressurized suits are needed in the sparse atmosphere. Hazmat suits that resemble space suits are also used when dealing with certain types of biological hazards. Gordon Cooper in a helmet and pressure suit, A pressure suit is a pressurized suit worn by high-altitude pilots who may fly so high that even breathing pure oxygen at surrounding pressure would not provide enough oxygen for them to function: see hypoxia. ... The Armstrong Limit is the altitude that produces an atmospheric pressure so low, that water boils at the normal temperature of the human body: 37Â°C (98. ... A HAZMAT suit is an overall garment worn by people to protect themselves from hazardous materials or substances. ... The international biological hazard symbol Immediate disposal of used needles into a sharps container is standard procedure. ...

Spacesuit requirements

Several things are needed for the space suit to function properly in space. It must provide:

The use of water pressure - the Captain Cook Memorial Jet in Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, Australia. ... Decompression sickness (DCS), the diverâ€™s disease, the bends, or caisson disease is the name given to a variety of symptoms suffered by a person exposed to a reduction in the pressure surrounding their body. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals, chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless (gas) very pale blue (liquid) Standard atomic weight 15. ... A Primary (or Portable) Life Support System, or PLSS, is the backpack of a spacesuit. ... Fig. ... Thermal radiation is electromagnetic radiation emitted from the surface of an object which is due to the objects temperature. ... Heat conduction or Thermal conduction is the spontaneous transfer of thermal energy through matter, from a region of higher temperature to a region of lower temperature, and hence acts to even out temperature differences. ... An astronaut wearing a Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment A Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment, or LCVG, is a form-fitting garment worn by astronauts in order to maintain a comfortable core body temperature during extra-vehicular activity. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with light. ... Particle radiation is the radiation of energy by means of small fast-moving particles that have energy and mass. ... A Micrometeoroid (also micrometeorite, micrometeor) is a tiny meteoroid; a small particle of rock from space, usually weighing less than a gram, that poses a threat to space exploration. ... Cross-section of layers in space suit construction An (Integrated) Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment (TMG or ITMG) is the outer layer of a space suit. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A liquid will usually assume the shape of its container A liquid is one of the main states of matter. ... Ariane 5 lifts off with the Rosetta probe on 2nd of March, 2004. ...

Theories of spacesuit design

A space suit should allow its user natural unencumbered movement. Nearly all designs try to maintain a constant volume no matter what movements the wearer makes. This is because mechanical work is needed to change the volume of a constant pressure system. If flexing a joint changes the volume of the spacesuit, then the astronaut must do extra work every time he bends that joint, and he has to maintain a force to keep the joint bent. Even if this force is very small, it can be seriously fatiguing to constantly fight against your suit. It also makes delicate movements very difficult. The work required to bend a joint is dictated by the formula In physics, mechanical work is the amount of energy transferred by a force. ...

where V_i and V_f are respectively the initial and final volume of the joint, P is the pressure in the suit, and W is the resultant work. Because pressure is dictated by life support requirements, the only means of reducing work is to minimize the change in volume.

All space suit designs try to minimize or eliminate this problem. The most common solution is to form the suit out of multiple layers. The bladder layer is a rubbery, airtight layer much like a balloon. The restraint layer goes outside the bladder, and provides a specific shape for the suit. Since the bladder layer is larger than the restraint layer, the restraint takes all of the stresses caused by the pressure inside the suit. Since the bladder is not under pressure, it will not "pop" like a balloon, even if punctured. The restraint layer is shaped in such a way that bending a joint causes pockets of fabric, called "gores", to open up on the outside of the joint. This makes up for the volume lost on the inside of the joint, and keeps the suit at a nearly constant volume. However, once the gores are opened all the way, the joint cannot be bent anymore without a considerable amount of work.

In some Russian space suits, strips of cloth were wrapped tightly round the spaceman's arms and legs outside the spacesuit to stop the spacesuit from ballooning when in space.

The outermost layer of a space suit, the Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment, provides thermal insulation, protection from micrometeoroids, and shielding from harmful solar radiation. Cross-section of layers in space suit construction An (Integrated) Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment (TMG or ITMG) is the outer layer of a space suit. ... A Micrometeoroid (also micrometeorite, micrometeor) is a tiny meteoroid; a small particle of rock from space, usually weighing less than a gram, that poses a threat to space exploration. ... Solar irradiance spectrum at top of atmosphere. ...

Hard-shell suits

Hard-shell suits are usually made of metal or composite materials. While they resemble suits of armor, they are also designed to maintain a constant volume. However they tend to be difficult to move, as they rely on bearings instead of bellows over the joints, and often end up in odd positions that must be manipulated to regain mobility.

Mixed suits

Mixed suits have hard-shell parts and fabric parts. NASA's Extravehicular Mobility Unit uses a fiberglass Hard Upper Torso (HUT) and fabric limbs. ILC Dover's I-Suit replaces the hard upper torso with a fabric soft upper torso to save weight, restricting the use of hard components to the joint bearings, helmet, waist seal, and rear entry hatch. Virtually all workable spacesuit designs incorporate hard components, particularly at interfaces such as is the waist seal, bearings, and in the case of rear-entry suits, the back hatch, where all-soft alternatives are not viable. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States federal government, responsible for the nations public space program. ... NASA portrait of American Astronaut Thomas Akers, wearing a Shuttle EMU. The Space Shuttle/International Space Station Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) is an independent anthropomorphic system that provides environmental protection, mobility, life support, and communications for a Shuttle or ISS crew member to perform extra-vehicular activity (EVA) in earth... A Hard Upper Torso Assembly, or HUT, is a central component of many space suits, notably NASAs Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU). ... ILC Dover (formerly ILC Industries) is a Dover, Delaware-based corporation located in nearby Frederica, Delaware. ... The I-suit during field trials at the 2004 Desert RATS The I-Suit is a spacesuit model constructed by ILC Dover. ...

Skintight suits

Skintight suits, also known as mechanical counterpressure suits or space activity suits, are a proposed design which would use a heavy elastic body stocking to compress the body. The head is in a pressurized helmet, but the rest of the body is pressurized only by the elastic effect of the suit. This eliminates the constant volume problem, and reduces the possibility of a space suit depressurization. However, these suits are very difficult to put on and face problems with providing a constant pressure everywhere. Most proposals use the body's natural sweat to keep cool. Space activity suit A space activity suit is a kind of spacesuit, which provides mechanical pressure by means of elastic garments as opposed to pressurizing the suit with the breathing gas, as is standard practice in regular suits. ... SWEAT is an OLN/TSN show hosted by Julie Zwillich that aired in 2003-2004. ...

Contributing technologies

Related preceding technologies include the gas mask used in WWII, the oxygen mask used by pilots of high flying bombers in WWII, the high altitude or vacuum suit required by pilots of the Lockheed U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird, the diving suit, rebreather, scuba diving gear, and many others. Belgian 1930s era L.702 model civilian mask. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Breathing 100% oxygen from a tight fitting pressure demand oxygen mask An oxygen mask provides a method to transfer breathing oxygen gas from a storage tank to the lungs. ... Look up Vacuum in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed Dragon Lady, is a single-seat, single-engine, high-altitude aircraft flown by the United States Air Force. ... The Lockheed SR-71 was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3 strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed YF-12A and A-12 aircraft by the Lockheed Skunk Works. ... Two divers, one wearing a 1 atmosphere diving suit and the other standard diving dress, preparing to explore the wreck of the RMS Lusitania, 1935 A diving suit is a garment or device designed to protect a diver from the underwater environment. ... A rebreather is a type of breathing set that provides a breathing gas containing oxygen and recycles exhaled gas. ... Scuba diving is swimming underwater while using self-contained breathing equipment. ...

The development of the spheroidal dome helmet was key in balancing the need for field of view, pressure compensation, and low weight. One inconvenience with some spacesuits is the head being fixed facing forwards and being unable to turn to look sideways. Astronauts call this effect "alligator head". Astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit outside the U.S. Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984. ...

Spacesuit models of historical significance

High altitude suits

Evgeniy Chertanovskiy - Soviet (Russian) inventor. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Professional diving. ... Wiley Hardeman Post (November 22, 1898 â€“ August 15, 1935) was the first pilot to fly solo around the world. ...

Russian suit models

American suit models

Chinese suit models

Emerging technologies

Several companies and universities are developing technologies and prototypes which represent improvements over current spacesuits.

Mark III

The Mark III is a NASA prototype, constructed by ILC Dover, which incorporates a hard lower torso section and a mix of soft and hard components. The Mark III is markedly more mobile than previous suits, despite its high operating pressure (8.3 psi), which makes it a "zero-prebreathe" suit, meaning that astronauts would be able to transition directly from a one atmosphere, mixed gas space station environment, such as that on the International Space Station, to the suit, without health risks such as the bends which can occur with rapid depressurization from an atmosphere containing Nitrogen. The Mark III suit during field testing The Mark III or MK III (H-1) is a NASA space suit technology demonstrator built by ILC Dover. ... ILC Dover (formerly ILC Industries) is a Dover, Delaware-based corporation located in nearby Frederica, Delaware. ... â€œISSâ€ redirects here. ... Decompression sickness (DCS), the diverâ€™s disease, the bends, or caisson disease is the name given to a variety of symptoms suffered by a person exposed to a reduction in the pressure surrounding their body. ... General Name, Symbol, Number nitrogen, N, 7 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 15, 2, p Appearance colorless gas Standard atomic weight 14. ...

I-Suit

The I-Suit is a spacesuit prototype also constructed by ILC Dover, which incorporates several design improvements over the EMU, including a weight-saving soft upper torso. Both the Mark III and the I-Suit have taken part in NASA's annual Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-RATS) field trials, during which suit occupants interact with one another, and with rovers and other equipment. The I-suit during field trials at the 2004 Desert RATS The I-Suit is a spacesuit model constructed by ILC Dover. ... Test subject Dean Eppler, working at the rear of a science trailer during Desert RATS 2004 Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS or D-RATS) is an annual series of field trials sponsored by NASA for new technologies for manned exploration of the surface of the Moon, Mars, or...

Bio-Suit

The Bio-Suit is a space activity suit under development at MIT, which as of 2006 consists of several lower leg prototypes. There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Space activity suit A space activity suit is a kind of spacesuit, which provides mechanical pressure by means of elastic garments as opposed to pressurizing the suit with the breathing gas, as is standard practice in regular suits. ... MapÃºa Institute of Technology (MIT, MapÃºaTech or simply MapÃºa) is a private, non-sectarian, Filipino tertiary institute located in Intramuros, Manila. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

North Dakota suit

Beginning in May 2006, five North Dakota schools collaborated on a new spacesuit prototype, funded by a $100,000 grant from NASA, to demonstrate technologies which could be incorporated into a planetary suit. The suit was tested in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park Badlands of western North Dakota. The suit weighs 47 pounds without a life support backpack, and costs only a fraction of the standard $22,000,000 cost for a flight-rated NASA spacesuit. The suit was developed in just over a year by students from the University of North Dakota, North Dakota State, Dickinson State, the state College of Science and Turtle Mountain Community College.^[3] May 2006 : â† - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- â†’ May 1, 2006 (Monday) Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association outraged Vatican by planning to ordain another bishop, Liu Xinhong in Anhui Province. ... Official language(s) English Capital Bismarck Largest city Fargo Area Ranked 19th - Total 70,762 sq mi (183,272 kmÂ²) - Width 210 miles (340 km) - Length 340 miles (545 km) - % water 2. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States federal government, responsible for the nations public space program. ... Established in 1978, Theodore Roosevelt National Park is a United States National Park comprising three geographically separated areas of badlands in western North Dakota. ... The University of North Dakota (UND) is a comprehensive, public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. UND is the largest and oldest university in the state of North Dakota. ... North Dakota State University (NDSU) is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota, USA. It is the second largest school in the eleven campus North Dakota University System. ... Dickinson State University is a regional four-year insitution within the North Dakota University System. ... The North Dakota State College of Science is a 2-year public college in Wahpeton, North Dakota and part of the North Dakota University System. ... Turtle Mountain Community College is a tribal college in Belcourt, North Dakota. ...

The mobility of the North Dakota suit can be attributed to its low operating pressure; while the North Dakota suit was field tested at a pressure of 1 psi differential, NASA's EMU suit operates at a pressure of 4.7 psi. Generally, to supply enough oxygen for respiration, a spacesuit using pure oxygen must have a minimum pressure of 3 psi, equal to the partial pressure of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere at sea level. The Respiratory System Among four-legged animals, the respiratory system generally includes tubes, such as the bronchi, used to carry air to the lungs, where gas exchange takes place. ... In a mixture of ideal gases, each gas has a partial pressure which is the pressure which the gas would have if it alone occupied the volume. ... Layers of Atmosphere - not to scale (NOAA)[3] Earths atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth and retained by the Earths gravity. ...

MX-2

The MX-2 is a space suit analogue constructed at the University of Maryland's Space Systems Laboratory. The MX-2 is used for manned neutral buoyancy testing at the Space Systems Lab's Neutral Buoyancy Research Facility. By approximating the capabilities of a real space suit, without meeting the requirements of a flight-rated suit, the MX-2 provides an inexpensive platform for EVA research, compared to using EMU suits at facilities like NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory. The MX-2 has an operating pressure of 3 psi. It is a rear-entry suit, featuring a fiberglass hard upper torso. Air, LCG cooling water, and power are open loop systems, provided through an umbilical. The suit includes a mac mini to capture sensor data.^[4] The University of Maryland, College Park (also known as UM, UMD, or UMCP) is a public university located in the city of College Park, in Prince Georges County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., in the United States. ... The tank at the SSLs Neutral Buoyancy Research Facility The Space Systems Laboratory (SSL) is part of the Aerospace Engineering Department and James A. Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. ... Neutral Buoyancy is a condition in which a physical bodys mass equals the mass it displaces in a surrounding medium. ... NASA portrait of American Astronaut Thomas Akers, wearing a Shuttle EMU. The Space Shuttle/International Space Station Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) is an independent anthropomorphic system that provides environmental protection, mobility, life support, and communications for a Shuttle or ISS crew member to perform extra-vehicular activity (EVA) in earth... An astronaut training in the NBL The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory or NBL is a training facility for astronauts maintained by NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. ... A Hard Upper Torso Assembly, or HUT, is a central component of many space suits, notably NASAs Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU). ... An astronaut wearing a Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment A Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment, or LCVG, is a form-fitting garment worn by astronauts in order to maintain a comfortable core body temperature during extra-vehicular activity. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... The Mac mini is the smallest desktop computer marketed by Apple Inc. ...

NASA Constellation Space Suit System

On August 2, 2006, NASA indicated plans to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the design, development, certification, production, and sustaining engineering of a space suit system to meet the needs of Project Constellation.^[5] NASA forsees a single suit capable of supporting: survivability during launch, entry and abort; zero-gravity EVA; lunar surface EVA; and Mars surface EVA. For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Project Constellation is NASAs current plan for space exploration. ...

Spacesuits in fiction

For as long as there has been fiction set in space, authors have tried to describe the space suits worn by their characters. These fictional suits vary in appearance and technology, and range from the highly authentic to the utterly improbable. Science fiction authors have designed imaginary spacesuits for their characters almost since the beginning of fiction set in space. ...

A very early fictional account of space suits can be seen in the book Edison's Conquest of Mars (1898). Later comic book series such as Buck Rogers (1930s) and Dan Dare (1950s) also featured their own takes on space suit design. Science fiction authors such as Robert A. Heinlein contributed to the development of fictional space suit concepts. Edisons Conquest of Mars, by Garrett P. Serviss, is one of the many science fiction novels published in the nineteenth century. ... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Buck Rogers is a fictional pulp character who first appeared in 1928 as Anthony Rogers, the hero of two novellas by Philip Francis Nowlan published in the magazine Amazing Stories. ... Face The 1930s (years from 1930â€“1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... The return of the original Dan Dare in 1989 Dan Dare is a classic British science fiction comic hero, created by illustrator Frank Hampson for the Eagle comic story Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future in 1950 which was also carried in serial format several times a week on Radio... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 â€“ May 8, 1988) was one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of hard science fiction. ...

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