The innovations of the space suits that will be used on the Moon – 04/24/2023 – Science

In 2025, when NASA’s Artemis 3 mission takes humans back to the moon, billions of eyes will be on two astronauts — and what they’ll be wearing.

Interested parties have already been able to take a look at the suit at a recent display at the NASA Space Center in Houston, Texas (USA).

There, a new spacesuit prototype made its debut for a new era of lunar travel.

What is the current model? A black space suit, with orange and blue accents.

But when the suits are produced in quantity, they will all be the classic white color, as used on the Apollo missions more than 50 years ago.

But unlike the Apollo, these lunar spacesuits will receive a new label: that of Axiom Space.

Founded in 2016, this relatively newcomer has already flown its first mission with astronauts in the private sector and also plans to build the first commercial space station.

“It definitely feels like we’re newcomers to the industry,” says Mark Greeley, Axiom’s Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) program manager. He has spent his career heading up spacesuit and launch projects for NASA.

“But a lot of us, probably 90% of the team, have been working on EVA in some form for our entire careers,” he says.

Like Greeley, many Axiom Space employees have worked at NASA, on a team that includes former astronaut and longtime agency administrator Charlie Bolden as its business development consultant.

And there was also a touch of cinema in Axiom’s prototype spacesuit, with the participation of costume designer Esther Marquis.

Marquis was the lead fabric designer for the Marvel movie “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (2021) and is the costume designer for the award-winning science fiction series “For All Mankind” on Apple TV+.

“With any design project, there is a level of dedication and commitment that needs to be undertaken in order to achieve the desired objective,” stated Marquis. “I was eager to apply the ideas I gained from my experience.”

She explains why the outer layer of the prototype space suit was black.

“My job was to design a ‘Custom Cover Layer’ to hide the patented design during the spacesuit reveal event in March. I am very familiar with the historic spacesuits we wore on the TV show. I wanted to pay tribute to this legacy and honor space exploration.”

“It was a tremendous opportunity to get together and discuss spacesuit design with a company that is actually sending people into space,” continues Marquis, “And I was delighted when I discovered that Axiom’s spacesuit engineers really are artists, who solve complex problems creatively”.

Hand and mechanized sewing often plays an important role in the space industry, whether it’s on spacesuits, the fabric between Space Station components, or the heat shields on the BepiColombo mission to Mercury.

And Greeley agrees. “It takes a lot of specialized seamstresses or technicians in sensitive items to do this kind of work and they are true artists.”

Of course, first and foremost, the new lunar suits are essential life-sustaining equipment that supplies astronauts with air and protects them from radiation and micrometeors. And despite the legacy, there is always room for improvement.

“Apollo used zippers, metal cables and rubber on the suits, with technology from the 1960s, and they worked well when they were used for a mission, but this is no longer the case,” says Bill Ayrey, author of the book “Lunar Outfitters: Making the Apollo Space Suit” (“Lun Supplies: Producing the Apollo Space Suit”, in free translation).

“The biggest advances came shortly after Apollo, when the space shuttle suit was designed, with many components that could be swapped out to suit a more diverse crew,” he says.

Ayrey was a spacesuit test engineer and historian for ILC Dover — the company that produced the Apollo suits and the ones astronauts use today on their spacewalks on the International Space Station (ISS).

ILC Dover is a partner of Collins Aerospace (a company that supplies aerospace products) in the production of new spacesuits for the ISS.

Many materials used in spacesuits, both for use on the Moon and on the ISS, are still the same as in the 1950s and 1960s.

They include spandex in the suit’s adjustment layer, for liquid cooling; Mylar, for insulation; Kevlar, used in bulletproof clothing; Nomex, which is flame resistant and used by racing drivers; and urethane-coated nylon, which may have welded seams and is typically used for the airtight inner “bubble” of the pressure suit.

“Today’s suits utilize advanced composites,” explains Ayrey, “and other materials to provide structural strength and allow for size adjustments, providing greater comfort and longer life of suit components.”

Sizes are important. In 2019, NASA had to postpone its first all-female spacewalk because the International Space Station didn’t have enough spacesuits in the right sizes.

Necessary improvements

NASA had already started work on the new suit before delivering it to the industry, so Axiom didn’t have to start from scratch.

“We started making changes where designs weren’t closed or complete, or where our expert team knew we could make improvements,” according to Greeley.

“There are some components, like the rigid upper torso and helmet bubble, that were quite advanced in design, but we redesigned the entire pressure system on the suit,” he says. “We also reduced the mass [do traje] — a big change, we’ve already taken 20 pounds off the suit — and increased mobility.”

The angle of the Axiom suit’s helmet is no longer reminiscent of Apollo’s traditional upside-down goldfish bowl. It is tilted, offering a greater view below the horizon. “In lunar spacesuits, astronauts are looking down most of the time,” explains Greeley.

The Moon has one-sixth the gravity of Earth, which also influences the suit’s design.

“Lunar space suits need to be light, as they are used in an environment with gravity”, explains Ayrey. “And the lunar and planetary suits also need to provide excellent mobility in the lower torso, as you are walking in a gravity environment and not simply floating in space.”

Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson described the prototype as “a great example of what innovation can do. This will be a much more flexible suit.” And she knows what she’s talking about.

Whitson holds the world record for time spent in space, with a cumulative total of 665 days.

And as Axiom’s head of manned spaceflight, she is expected to extend that record even further beginning May 8 as commander of the company’s second private mission to the International Space Station, Ax-2.

Whitson and several other astronauts made suggestions about the new suit. “I think the most common comment from astronauts was to keep it simple,” according to Greeley.

For gloves, the recommendation is to make sure “they provide the right dexterity and keep your hands warm or cool depending on the environment,” he said. “After working on several shows, I would say that our gloves are probably the best we’ve ever seen.”

Temperatures on the lunar surface reach extreme levels. Unlike Earth, the Moon has a cycle of about 14 days of light and 14 days of shadow. In the dark, temperatures can drop to -253°C, and by day they can rise to 120°C.

The Apollo astronauts needed that solar power, just as the Artemis crew will. And the Apollo suits were white to reflect heat, preventing body temperatures from reaching dangerously high levels.

During the Apollo missions, ultrafine lunar dust — regolith — interfered with instruments, causing overheating of radiators and damage to spacesuits.

“It will be fundamental to guarantee that the lunar dust does not manage to penetrate the internal layers, in the metallic bearings and in other components”, affirms Ayrey.

When complete, Axiom’s new Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) lunar spacesuit will need to be tested in a space-like environment.

A NASA spokesperson described what is needed: “An analogous test could consist of an underwater environment, using weight relief, a thermal vacuum chamber, or other methods approved by NASA.”

But the final test, of course, will be on the Moon. And there, failures have to be out of the question.

Read the original version of this report (in English) on the BBC Future website.