New Mars Forums

Tom Kalbfus

Banned

Registered: 2006-08-16

Posts: 4,401

Re: "Vomit Comet" to test Mars Space Suits

Has anyone ever tried this? What about rigging a special chamber, evacuating out most of the air and placing a sandbox inside filled with rock and dirt. Then you have an astronaut put on a Mars space suit and go inside. Have the airplane take off and fly on a parabolic trajectory which produces a condition of 0.38-G on the inside of the Mars chamber, and while its doing this, have the astronaut attempt to walk around in the Mars suit and attempt to pick up and collect rocks in the sand box.

How much do you suppose an experiment like this would cost?

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: "Vomit Comet" to test Mars Space Suits

Possibly if you back track on this very simular use you can get the numbers.

First zero-gravity surgery set to be performed
Other sources indicate a success...

Doctors defy gravity in space-age surgery

When Philippe Sanchot sought treatment for a cyst on his arm, he could not have foreseen how far he would have to travel for his operation. Three surgeons and two anaesthetists were harnessed to the cabin walls to perform the operation during 20-second bursts of very low gravity created at the summit of a high-altitude rollercoaster ride.
It took eight minutes to remove the benign tumour, but to ensure that low-gravity conditions applied throughout, the surgeons worked only during the flight’s 32 weightless phases. In normal circumstances, the operation would take about six minutes, under local anaesthetic

GCNRevenger

Member

From: Earth

Registered: 2003-10-14

Posts: 6,056

Re: "Vomit Comet" to test Mars Space Suits

Has anyone ever tried this? What about rigging a special chamber, evacuating out most of the air and placing a sandbox inside filled with rock and dirt. Then you have an astronaut put on a Mars space suit and go inside. Have the airplane take off and fly on a parabolic trajectory which produces a condition of 0.38-G on the inside of the Mars chamber, and while its doing this, have the astronaut attempt to walk around in the Mars suit and attempt to pick up and collect rocks in the sand box.

How much do you suppose an experiment like this would cost?

Probably half the weight of the suit will be the life support backpack, just eliminate it and the suit will have comperable weight to the full suit on Mars.

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[i]"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw[/i]

[i]The glass is at 50% of capacity[/i]

Tom Kalbfus

Banned

Registered: 2006-08-16

Posts: 4,401

Re: "Vomit Comet" to test Mars Space Suits

A full out test would need to reproduce the Martian environment. Reduce the air pressure to Martain levels, reduce the temperature and light levels to that of Mars also, and with an airplane also reproduce the gravity. Have a fully functioning Mars suit pressurized and take it though its paces onboard the airplane. Have the astronaut bend over, pick up rocks with his suited gloved hand, remark on the balance and feel of the suit, its comfort etc. Try walking around in it. That way you can report on problems with the suit before it is sent to Mars. If you removed the life support pack, they suit wouldn't be balanced right as it would be if it was used on Mars. Might also want test out the suits seals, its life support functions as well. The airplane test would the the final intergrated test on a series of tests on the suit. We can only reproduce the Martian environment for a short period of time on an airplane, but that might be long enough to take a few strides and pick up rocks in the suit.

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: "Vomit Comet" to test Mars Space Suits

vomit comet ready to test gravity's effect on static shock
Gifted students' NASA project to send teachers aloft

Aimee Plante, 10, was tired of being shocked by static electricity and wondered if one could still get shocked with no gravity present.

The result is an experiment to answer her question:

How quickly does the static attraction field break down in microgravity or hypergravity, compared with Earth's gravity?

[url]http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/feb … ]Students’ NASA project flies
Immokalee and Pine Ridge middle school students designed hovercraft that flew with their teachers on so-called ‘vomit comet’[/url]