Difference between revisions of "Talk:Analogue surface suit"

Revision as of 15:14, 13 October 2012

Life_Support

Two WEEKS in a suit?! Why????? Pardon my outburst. . .I meant no disrespect. I have been working on this issue for awhile and am currently pursuing this approach: It's called the 50/50 design. The spacesuit begins with a pressure/thermal protection garment with an oxygen breathing system, small heat rejection module and CO2 scrub unit. Very basic. This unit is worn during launch from Earth, all maneuvers in space and the lunar landing. Maximum capability for each O2 fill is only two to four hours, depending on level of activity.

On the Moon - before doing anything else - the astronaut must access a pre-landed logistics module and add several elements to the basic suit. These include larger life-support module able to sustain ten hours of activity per charge, a hard, one-piece upper 'carapace' that has computer, with head-up display, communications and even external lights. This unit is bulky, relatively heavy and completely out of the question for use during lunar flight; it stays on the Moon and is used over several missions.

A second unit attached to the right hip section is a thermal management system about the size of a loaf of bread but conforms to the shape of the hip. It cycles a 60/40 water/glycol mix through a series of bladders capturing the astronaut's excess body heat.

A third unit on the left hip is the waste management system. You can probably guess how that works. In the front, between the two sections just described, is a tool box.

When this unit is attached, the astronaut switches to an oxygen/ntrogen mix that is lower than terrestrial pressure with a higher O2 percentage.

During flights, if there is a problem with the cabin pressurization, the astronaut simply umbilicals dirctly to the spacecraft O2 supply, bypassing the cabin distribution system.

Two WEEKS in a suit?!

Well, We we trying to save weight every way possible, and having a shelter or capsule just add weight, and bring little more than comfort to the operation. So, we are going to drop the comfort to save cost. Your design, although very well thought out, wouldn't work real well for us, for one thing, we won't need a cooling garment, we're currently focusing on MCP, (although we are considering something along the lines of the NDX-2) and, since we are running without a capsule, we will be flying in the MCP/HUT hybrid system. Also, something I discovered during my many thousands of hours SCUBA diving, the worst part of diving is putting the wet suit back on. I'd rather just get used to the wet nasty suit, and keep wearing it, rather than get in and out of it. We will bring a light, inflatable "tent" for emergency cleanups or getting a nasty wrinkle out, but it is not intended to be used continuously.

I will post more about my current thinking on suit design ofter the paper is presented at IAC.

Never forget though, this is an open project, and I could be wrong. We will never take a "That's just the way it is, deal with it!" stance when there are facts to point in the other direction, we are entirely fact and demonstration driven. I'm building an analogue suit just to test all of the concepts for the suit, and intend to actually spend three weeks in the suit, eating, sleeping, and all else that would be expected. (Yes, Waste management is my biggest concern.) You are welcome, no invited, to do the same. If your design is superior, it will be the one that flies...

Who are you? I'd like to see more.