Humans have been exploring the endless abyss beyond the Earth’s atmosphere for more than half a century. When exploring the vastness of space, astronauts need to wear high-tech suits to protect them from the harsh conditions of space.
Apollo 11 astronauts in spacesuits set foot on the Moon for the first time. Photo: NASA Hollywood films often draw attention with the iconic spacesuit, the design of which makes the public believe that it is a costume that can be taken off within minutes. But in fact, the spacesuit is a “spaceship” with its own full function, requiring the wearer to take off or take off with the help of colleagues. Cathleen Lewis, curator of international space programs and spacesuits at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum, said: “The purpose of the spacesuit essentially exists as a humanoid spacecraft, allowing astronauts to autonomously explore and do meaningful work outside of spacecraft or space stations.” Ms. Lewis said it can take up to four hours for an astronaut to get dressed, from start to finish. Before going to space, astronauts must check each piece of equipment and make sure they have enough essential supplies, such as oxygen and water. During the spacewalk, they will be supported by a team from Earth. Watch Apollo astronauts in spacesuits fall up and down in zero gravity on the Moon (source: NASA) Sarah Korona, extraterrestrial flight control specialist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston (Texas), said: Flight controllers must adhere to a plan of procedures about 30 pages long, but still have other plans if problems arise. The “anatomy” of a space suit According to NASA, a spacesuit is made up of 6 different components and can have up to 16 layers.
Astronauts on the Artemis missions, NASA’s next program to send the first woman and first black man to the Moon, will wear the latest spacesuit, called the Visitor Mover. alien probe, abbreviated as xEMU. Before the spacesuits reach the Moon, their components will be tested on the International Space Station (ISS). NASA unveiled a prototype of the xEMU suit in 2019 at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. Photo: NASA One of the key components of the new spacesuit is the cooling fiber, said Richard Rhodes, vice president of xEMU pressurized garment development at NASA. The suit is made of tubes that help circulate water around the astronauts, regulating their body temperature and removing excess heat as they complete their work. According to NASA, each spacesuit has a portable life support system, which includes a water tank to cool the clothes, a carbon dioxide removal system, and other components, including a two-way radio for astronauts to communicate. Previous spacesuits used in the Apollo missions were less flexible than those used today. “When the Apollo astronauts walked on the Moon, they couldn’t bend down and pick up a rock,” said NASA astronaut Mike Fincke. They had to have a particularly compact tool with a handle mounted on it.” The space suit of astronaut Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Photo: NASA But the spacesuit has come a long way since then and has a more flexible construction, with active support gloves. According to Ms. Lewis, gloves are one of the most complicated parts of a spacesuit, and they are often the source of most complaints from astronauts about their suits. “Gloves are difficult to design to both protect and allow astronauts to demonstrate manual dexterity to get the job done,” the expert notes. Pressure gloves can also contract, especially after long hours in space. The astronaut’s fingers are also cold, so heating elements need to be built into the glove. Gloves are an important part of the spacesuit that NASA designed for the mission back to the Moon. Photo: NASA When astronauts train for space flight, one of their training exercises includes picking up a coin in a spacesuit while underwater, Ms. Lewis said. These explorers need extreme dexterity when working in space, and gloves are a big challenge. Much of astronaut spacesuit training is conducted in a swimming pool at NASA’s Laboratory in Houston. Water simulates the feeling of weightlessness, similar to the feeling in space. To develop the spacesuit, scientists have experimented with a variety of materials and with varying degrees of success over the years. At one point, researchers experimented with Kevlar fingertips (a fiber five times stronger than steel) on gloves. “The Kevlar material is very useful in blocking bullets but not very good at stopping knives – it is very easy to cut,” Ms. Lewis said. Astronauts currently use synthetic plastic gloves, but scientists are always looking for better options. In addition, the outside of the spacesuit has color stripes specific to each suit. Here’s how astronauts can tell who’s wearing which suit while in space. Crafting the Artemis . space suit The first step in designing a spacesuit is “understanding who you’re designing the suit for, what you want them to be able to do, and where you want them to be able to,” says Rhodes. For the Artemis program, NASA needed their astronauts to be able to safely explore the Moon’s surface. Prototype of new spacesuit, xEMU, by NASA. Photo: NASA Over the past four years, NASA has invested more than $300 million in the development of the xEMU suit. Richard Rhodes’ team tested dozens of ingredients and weighed the pros and cons of each. He said the biggest challenge for the Artemis suits was making sure they were optimized for exploration of the Moon. The suits needed to be “light enough to support a mission to the Moon and sturdy enough to protect astronauts when working in very dangerous environments”. According to Rhodes, there are thousands of parts produced to make the Artemis spacesuit, and they are sourced from all over the United States. Some parts can take up to a year to build, but NASA is working to shorten the time. Space suits will also be upgraded for the latest Moon mission. Current and past NASA spacesuits allow only minimal movement of the waist, hips, or ankles. Artemis astronauts need to have extra mobility. to be able to explore the rough terrain of the Moon, so Mr. Rhodes’ team is working on a suit that allows for more movement while still being sturdy enough to protect the wearer.
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