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#1 2019-10-16 10:47:30

Oldfart1939
Member
Registered: 2016-11-26
Posts: 2,379

NASA unveils new Artemis mission Space Suits

Jim Bridenstine held a news conference for unveiling of the new "Artemis" moon rated space suits. Given the temperature extremes facing astronauts on the moon, they are quite bulky and awkward looking. Very "1960-ish." The PR also said these were also good for Mars missions, but still no MCP designs. Mars is temperature-wise far less hostile than moon; the Moon Suits are designed for huge temperature extremes.

Overall, exactly what I would have expected from constipated thinking. A very dated looking design.

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#2 2019-10-16 18:27:20

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 28,825

Re: NASA unveils new Artemis mission Space Suits

These look more like the deep sea diving units rather than something much lighter weight for crew to have better amounts of moveability from with in them.
These have simularity to the Russian suits in that to get into them is high on the back.
Any ratings seen yet for the internal pressure, atmospheric mix and battery life...

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#3 2019-10-16 18:45:49

Oldfart1939
Member
Registered: 2016-11-26
Posts: 2,379

Re: NASA unveils new Artemis mission Space Suits

They had a demonstration video; they can walk almost normally, bend at waist and pick up samples from ground; unlike Apollo era suits.

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#4 2020-06-21 20:07:10

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 28,825

Re: NASA unveils new Artemis mission Space Suits

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#5 2020-06-22 08:08:33

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 17,031

Re: NASA unveils new Artemis mission Space Suits

For SpaceNut re #4

Thank you for this update.  I noted in particular work to find an outer sole material capable of dealing with the cryogenic conditions to be faced by astronauts attempting to explore polar regions on the Moon.  The connection for me is that material found to be capable of protecting humans in that environment should also prove useful in storing cryogenic fluids such as NewMars forum members have been discussing in the (repurposed) balloon gas on Mars topic.

I'll add space suit vendors to the My Hacienda plot master record, if they are not already there.

Edit#1:
0057 Space suit vendor #1 This vendor will supply deep space life support equipment to asteroid miners and other deep space travelers
0058 Space suit (and Mars environment suit) vendor #2 This vendor will pick up some deep space business by will also serve Mars customers
0059 Mars environment suit vendor #3 This vendor will concentrate on service Mars customers with a wide variety of life support equipment

For SpaceNut ... just FYI ... because the PlotMaster has grown significantly since we started, I am now exporting the entire content to local edit software in order to search for specialties that may already be present but which I have forgotten or which one of us has added without the awareness of the other.

(th)

Last edited by tahanson43206 (2020-06-22 08:17:22)

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#6 2020-06-22 16:47:29

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 28,825

Re: NASA unveils new Artemis mission Space Suits

The number of business types are separate from the number of jobs that they will create and while we have those that do best in a specific task its going to need more than just general people to pull the business off for mars as you will be for the most part starting with nothing.
The space suit fabric is going to be in high demand to repair the suits that get worn out as we can not wait for new suits to be sent...

We also need to mark in the topics which have plot numbers so as to coincide with the my Hacienda registries as well.

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#7 2020-06-24 12:27:08

GW Johnson
Member
From: McGregor, Texas USA
Registered: 2011-12-04
Posts: 5,455
Website

Re: NASA unveils new Artemis mission Space Suits

What I was told was that the astronaut office was told that skin exposure to vacuum was fatal.  That is a lie,  as shown by bailouts from 70+ kft altitudes in partial pressure suits since the rocket plane flights of the 1950's.  Those suits left hands and feet uncompressed,  and were permeable to gas,  being only a single layer of ordinary porous fabric.  An uneven and barely-adequate compression was achieved by inflating "capstans" that pulled tension in the fabric on the torso and the limbs.  It worked for up to 10-20 minutes at a time,  before blood pooling in the uncompressed and poorly compressed regions caused fainting.  But that was enough for bailouts from the edge of space.

I'm less familiar with what Dava Newman did at MIT,  but the old "space activity suit" of the late 60's was 6-7 layers of porous pantyhose material,  tight-fitting for compression.  It was intended for Apollo on the moon,  but could not finish development testing in time to go.  I've seen the film footage of the test subject on a bicycle ergonometer in a vacuum tank at a simulated 87 kft for a 30 minute test.  No blood pooling,  and well above the Armstrong limit.  That suit worked!  Suit plus oxygen helmet plus oxygen backpack weighed 85 pounds.  Add 5-10 pounds of insulated but unpressurized outerwear (that you could buy at Walmart),  and it would have served on the moon.  Or Mars.

GW

Update 6-25-20:  The developer of the 1960's "space activity suit" was Dr. Paul Webb.  I forgot to list his name.  He is deceased now.  Which,  with Dava Newman now at NASA and NOT working on MCP suits,  is how NASA and its favored suit contractors intend to have MCP forgotten-to-death in favor of these clumsy gas balloon suits.  They are all stuck in the same box containing their thinking:  the suit must be a solution to all the problems in the one garment.  We have never engineered our clothing like that here on Earth,  not even for South Pole Station or climbing down into active volcanoes.

Yet it is the better concept,  if done the way Webb did it,  and not so much the way Dava Newman did it:  vacuum-protective underwear with a breathing-oxygen helmet.  Plus any appropriate protective Earthly-like outerwear for thermal and hazard protection.  Mix and match your outerwear for the job at hand.  And your vacuum-protective underwear (and your Earthly-type outerwear) are easily launderable.  Which is critical for dusty environments,  particularly the moon,  where the particles are unweathered-sharp.

Last edited by GW Johnson (2020-06-25 11:41:05)


GW Johnson
McGregor,  Texas

"There is nothing as expensive as a dead crew,  especially one dead from a bad management decision"

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#8 2021-10-04 18:55:47

Mars_B4_Moon
Member
Registered: 2006-03-23
Posts: 9,175

Re: NASA unveils new Artemis mission Space Suits

Here is news on the budget

I will post the news here for now
https://spacenews.com/nelson-remains-co … r-artemis/
Nelson remains confident regarding funding for Artemis



There might be a better thread on newmars for this topic, more concentrated on the Lunar mission and Funding
that covers the Moon, the Space launch system, human space flight to Mars, Budget for Crew Launch Vehicle, Lunar Lander (LSAM) - status etc

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#9 2022-05-12 07:46:43

Mars_B4_Moon
Member
Registered: 2006-03-23
Posts: 9,175

Re: NASA unveils new Artemis mission Space Suits

NASA Welcomes Vice President of Colombia for Artemis Accords Signing

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=60133

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