Bridging fashion and functionality, SpaceX has revealed what its astronauts will be wearing on the first-ever private spacewalk in 2024. In a new video, the company details the futuristic features of the suit that will be space-tested on the Polaris Dawn mission.
We get a lot of what we think we know about the world from popular culture, but sometimes that culture can lead us astray. One example of this is the spacesuit. If movies and television shows were taken as a guide, it would be easy to believe that spacesuits are just bulky coveralls with goldfish bowls as helmets, which are as easy to put on and use as shallow-diving scuba gear.
In fact, spacesuits are highly sophisticated pieces of engineering that are highly varied and are often as difficult to get into and operate as deep-sea, mixed-gas diving apparatus. This is because a spacesuit is a human-shaped spaceship that includes many of the same functions – including propulsion.
Some may ask why SpaceX is rolling out a new suit when it already has one for use on the Dragon capsule. Is it just a desire to freshen up the look? Not quite.
The gear currently used is an Intra-Vehicular Activity (IVA) suit. That's a fancy way of saying 'emergency suit.' Their function is to protect the passengers in case of a loss of cabin pressure. If that happens, the helmet visor seals shut, the suit switches to emergency life support, and the wearer is kept alive until the capsule can return to Earth.
The problem is, that's all the suit can do. Once pressurized, it becomes a person-shaped balloon and the wearer can only move with great difficulty. The fabric is also not very durable, the helmet visor can't handle the direct glare of the Sun, and the whole suit isn't really designed to protect the wearer outside the capsule.
Since SpaceX plans the first private spacewalk later this year as part of the Polaris Dawn mission, a private mission by SpaceX on behalf of Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman, a new suit is required. Called an Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) suit, it's essentially a greatly updated version of those used by the US for its Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle and International Space Station missions.
It's designed to have much more mobility when pressurized, be less vulnerable to tears and abrasions, keep the wearer at a comfortable temperature and protected against micrometeorites, and basically allow work to get done rather than just providing emergency protection.
According to SpaceX, the new EVA suit is based on the current IVA model, which it is scheduled to replace in time. It retains the same lines and the trim fit, which is a plus in a cramped capsule or when negotiating hatches, and doesn't require refitting astronaut couches. However, the suit is scalable, so it can be cut to accommodate a large range of body types.
The EVA suit uses new materials, fabrication processes and rotating joints for much greater mobility when pressurized and better comfort when deflated. Seals, zips and valves are designed for high redundancy in the event of a failure.
In addition, the 3D-printed helmet has a new copper and indium tin oxide-coated visor that can handle solar glare. It also houses a head-up display and camera to provide real-time information on the suit’s pressure, temperature and relative humidity. There are new thermal management textiles and flame-resistant materials borrowed from the Falcon rocket’s interstage and Dragon’s trunk.
The EVA suit will first fly on the Polaris Dawn mission a few months from now. The Dragon capsule has been modified to allow the forward hatch to open in space and the capsule can now safely depressurize and repressurize.
At an altitude of 435 miles (700 km), the two-hour spacewalk will include two of the four Polaris Dawn crew and focus on testing the safety and practicality of the suits, as well as a special construct equipped with handholds and interfaces aimed to assist leaving and reentering the capsule.
Source: SpaceX
