#artemis

Progress on the Spacesuits for a Moon MissionFifty years after the end of the Apollo missions, NASA is set on returning to the moon with its Artemis program. Along with designing rockets and spacecraft for the journey, there will be a need for new spacesuits for lunar exploration and tasks. NASA has spent 15 years and $420 million on designing new suits, but now have contracted the work out to two aerospace companies that will be able to build on NASA's existing research. Those companies are Axiom Space in Texas and Collins Aerospace in North Carolina, which will each work on the suits independently. NASA has budgeted $3.5 billion over the next 12 years for the suits. These new spacesuits will need to be much tougher and more adaptable than the suits Neil Armstrong and the other Apollo astronauts wore to walk on the moon's surface. We've learned a lot about space since then. Dan Burbank, former astronaut and senior tech fellow at Collins Aerospace, explains one of the required innovations.Both Axiom and Collins are designing their suits to be rear-entry. This means that rather than putting a suit on within an airlock and then exiting a spacecraft, as is done with spacesuits currently on the ISS, these new designs could be attached externally to a special NASA-prototyped airlock called a suit port. “You could literally back into a hatch, bond the outer portion of your [suit] to this structure and then open the hatch,” Burbank says. This helps reduce the amount of potentially harmful lunar regolith, or moon dust, that is tracked back inside. Using a suit port “eliminates the regolith hazard,” Burbank says. “None of the exterior of the suit sees the interior of the spacecraft.”This brings up a picture of a landing craft with suits attached around the outside as it lands. What will the aliens think? There are lots more requirements for the new suits. Read about the suits and how these companies plan to address the mission's needs at Scientific American. -via Damn Interesting(Image credit: NASA)#space #spacesuit #Artemis #NASA

Lunar Spacesuits Won’t be Ready in Time for 2024 LandingNASA's Artemis program intends to sent humans back to the moon in 2024, but there may be a snag in the plans. NASA’s Office of Inspector General issued a report that mentioned the new spacesuits designed for walking around on the moon won't be ready in time. However, the space suits are not the only thing that may push back the mission. The report identified several factors for the delay, such as technical issues, funding shortfalls and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. While NASA has spent $420.1 million on new spacesuit designs since the Constellation program in 2007, and about $625 million more to complete development of the xEMU, funding for xEMU development in fiscal year 2021 was cut by 28% because of reduced funding for the lunar Gateway program, which hosts that work.Those factors wiped out the 12-month schedule reserve for xEMU development. NASA now estimates the first two xEMU suits needed for the Artemis 3 mission won’t be completed until November 2024 and, given time needed for final launch preparations, would not be ready for flight until at least April 2025, even if the lunar lander and other components of the mission are complete. “As of June 2021, NASA had no contingency plans if the suits are not ready,” the report stated.You have to wonder if Buzz Aldrin still has his lunar suit somewhere in the back of the closet. Read more on the report that may delay our return to the moon at Space News. -via Damn Interesting(Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky) #NASA #astronaut #spacesuit #xEMU #Artemis

Help NASA Name the Artemis "Moonikin" Crash Test Dummy That'll Fly Around The MoonNASA is gearing up to fly a suited manikin or crash test dummy that'll fly aboard the Orion spacecraft as it travels around the Moon and back in the upcoming Artemis I mission.The "Moonikin" is equipped with various sensors to help NASA learn how to best protect human astronauts ahead of the planned manned mission:The manikin’s seat will be outfitted with two sensors – one under the headrest and another behind the seat – to record acceleration and vibration throughout the mission. The seats are positioned in a recumbent, or laid-back, position with elevated feet to help maintain blood flow to the head during ascent and entry. The position also reduces the chance of injury by allowing the head and feet to be held into position during launch and landing, and by distributing forces across the entire torso during high acceleration and deceleration periods, like splashdown.The crew is expected to experience 2.5 times the force of gravity during ascent and four times the force of gravity at two different points during the planned reentry profile. Engineers will compare Artemis I flight data with previous ground-based vibration tests with the same manikin, and human subjects, to correlate performance prior to Artemis II.