Table of Contents

"Following Suit": Developing the Next EMU

Did you ever notice that games and game consoles are constantly being put on the market? Developers always want to create a "new and improved" version so they can keep adding on more features. Developers of the spacesuit feel the same way! They want to keep adding more features or to improve the existing ones.

 

Getting Organized

Remember the little spiral-bound checklist of procedures on the astronaut’s left arm? Scientists are planning on replacing paper version with an electronic pocket organizer. Astronauts will be able to go through complex sequence at the touch of a button or be able to re-program a sequence! It may also display camera views.

Tough Stuff!

There’s one thing scientists know for sure—it takes a long time to prepare the body for the pressure changes that are experienced in spacewalk. This includes at least two hours of pre-breathing pure oxygen and a 12-hour staged decompression before the spacewalk. These procedures are followed to prevent "the bends."

This can occur if astronauts move from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure too quickly or if they experience an extreme difference between high and low pressures. Pressure changes can cause nitrogen to be expelled from the body tissues as gas bubbles. This can cause a lot of pain and health problems.

Space does not exert any pressure. For this reason, pressurized spacesuits are required for spacewalks. Currently, spacesuits operate at a pressure that’s lower than the Earth’s atmosphere. That’s because lack of pressure in space makes the suit act like a rigid balloon. Keeping the pressure as low as possible makes it easier for astronauts to bend and move in the suit as they perform their tasks. However, if pressure were kept too low, astronauts would be at a higher risk of getting "the bends". For astronauts to be prepared to move into their "suit environment," it is necessary for them to pre-breathe pure oxygen and gradually decompress.

To eliminate or reduce the time it takes for pre-breathing and decompression, scientists are working on developing a suit that operates under higher pressures than they are now. They’re experimenting with different materials, metal suits, and suits with a hard shell. When using these tougher materials, the scientists are challenged to find a way to make the gloves less stiff so that the astronauts don’t lose too much dexterity or mobility in their fingers. One possible solution they’re considering: metal bands that are inserted at the knuckle and palm joints. They have considered "robotic hands" to improve an astronaut’s grasping power, but there is a concern that if the robotic technology doesn’t work to perfection, the astronaut’s hand might clamp onto the object and make it very difficult to let go!

Sizing It all up

Scientists realize that as the International Space Station is being built, astronauts will need to spend a significantly longer time in space before they can come back to Earth to get their suits serviced. So, developers need to find ways to resize, fix and maintain suits while in space.

In the original suit design, the taller spacewalkers could add extra pieces called sizing inserts to lengthen the suit’s arm or leg parts. The problem was that they had to lace all the pieces together. That could take a long time! Scientists have come up with other inserts:

• Aluminum rings that allow astronauts to attach sections of different diameters (e.g. for thinner or thicker arms or legs);
• Quick disconnects so that the arm or leg sections can be attached or detached easily;
• Adjustable restraint lines that allow an astronaut to adjust the length of the arm or leg.