DOCSLIB.ORG

US Spaceflight Suit System Overview

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
US Spaceflight Suit System Overview Contents List of figures ........................................ xi List of tables ......................................... xvii List of contributors ..................................... xix Preface ............................................. xxiii Foreword............................................ xxv Acknowledgments ...................................... xxvii Editorial notes ........................................ xxix Acronyms and abbreviations................................ xxxi 1 Introduction ....................................... 1 2 Reaching upward and outward ........................... 3 3 The basics of spacesuits ............................... 11 3.1 Types of spacesuits ........................................... 11 Crew escape/rescue/launch/entry IVA suits ............... 11 Extravehicular activity spacesuits ..................... 13 Intra/extravehicular activity dual-purpose spacesuits ......... 14 3.2 Challenges to spacesuit development ............................. 15 Space vacuum vs. the human need for surrounding pressure . 15 The dynamics of a pressure enclosure and effects on joint mobility 15 Pressure selection and decompression .................. 16 Human-friendly spacesuit environments ................ 17 Thermal and radiation protection and control ............. 20 Protection from direct sunlight in space ................. 22 v vi Contents Spacedebris................................... 23 The cost of space hardware ......................... 24 4 Launch/entry spacesuits: Past, present, and possibly future ......... 25 4.1 The NACA/NASA X-15 Program (1954–1968) ............ 26 4.2 Mercury program (1959–1963) ....................... 32 4.3 Dual-purpose suits for Gemini, Apollo, and the U.S. Air Force . 34 4.4 Shuttle crew escape systems research and development (1971– 1979) ....................................... 35 4.5 Shuttle ejection escape suits (1981–1982) . .............. 38 4.6 Shuttle launch/entry suit (1987–1995)................... 40 4.7 Shuttle advanced crew escape suit (1990–present) ........... 44 Helmet assembly ................................ 46 Communications carrier assembly (CCA) . .............. 47 Coverall assembly ............................... 47 Glove assemblies ................................ 49 Anti-g suit (AGS) assembly ........................ 49 Automatic safety features .......................... 49 4.8 Shuttle crew escape system overview ................... 50 4.9 Answering the call for future intravehicular space safety ...... 52 5 Gemini: The first approaches to exploring and working in space ...... 61 5.1 Early safety warnings ............................. 62 5.2 Gemini pressure suit evaluation and development .......... 63 5.3 The development of extravehicular systems for Gemini IV..... 67 5.4 Gemini IV: The first U.S. spacewalk ................... 72 5.5 Gemini V through VII goals and suit systems (1965À1966) .... 73 The Gemini V mission ............................ 73 Gemini VII/VIA mission: Objectives and results ........... 73 5.6 Systems and experiences from Gemini missions VIII to XII (1966) 76 Gemini VIII mission goals and system introductions ........ 76 Gemini IXA systems revisions and objectives ............. 81 Gemini X mission changes and objectives. .............. 86 Gemini XI mission hardware revisions and objectives ........ 89 Gemini XII mission changes and objectives .............. 90 5.7 Lessons learned from Gemini........................ 93 6 Apollo: Mankind starts the exploration of the Moon ............. 97 6.1 Before the Apollo suit program (1960–1962) .............. 98 6.2 The original Apollo spacesuit assembly program (1962–1964) . 102 6.3 The possibility of flying the ‘‘Lunar Leaper’’ (1963–1965) ..... 115 6.4 The Lunar Roving Vehicle (1963–1972) . .............. 117 6.5 Suit system recovery through replan and invention (1963–1965) . 119 Developing the lunar ‘‘backpack’’ (1963–1965) ............ 119 Contents vii Parallel efforts to develop the ‘‘Moon suit’’ (1964–1965) ..... 126 The 1965 EVA Pressure Suit Competition ............... 147 6.6 Apollo Block I suits, almost (1965–1967) ................ 148 6.7 Completing the Apollo journey (1965–1972) .............. 150 Pushing to orbit (1965–1967) ........................ 150 Apollo 7–10: Extravehicular mobility unit and use (1968) ..... 152 Apollo 11–13: EMU experience (1969–1970) .............. 159 Apollo 14: EMU configuration (1970) .................. 167 Apollo 15–17: EMU—improving existing systems and use (1968– 1972) ...................................... 168 6.8 Apollo suit system review .......................... 177 7 Advanced development for canceled Apollo missions .............. 179 7.1 Early advanced suits (1962–1965) ..................... 180 7.2 Competition for Block III Apollo spacesuits (1966–1971)...... 185 Litton Corporation .............................. 185 NASA’s Ames Research Center...................... 191 International Latex .............................. 191 Hamilton Standard .............................. 193 David Clark Company . .......................... 195 AiResearch Division of Garrett Corporation.............. 198 Webb Associates ................................ 201 NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center.................... 203 7.3 Late Apollo summary . .......................... 205 8 U.S. Air Force spacesuits .............................. 207 8.1 The U.S. Air Force X-20 program (1958–1963) ............ 207 8.2 Early USAF spacesuit developments (1959–1964) ........... 209 8.3 Manned Orbiting Laboratory IEVA suit program .......... 212 MOL IEVA developments (1963–1966) ................. 213 The MOL IEVA suit production contract (1967–1969) ....... 223 8.4 The ‘‘other’’ MOL suit systems ...................... 230 The MOL ‘‘exclusively EVA’’ suit development (1967–1969) . 231 MOL-related primate suits (1964–1969) ................. 234 8.5 Continuing USAF support of EVA spacesuit development (1970– present) .................................... 238 9 Skylab and the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project suit systems (1969–1975) ... 239 9.1 Planning for a space station ........................ 239 9.2 Pressure suits: ‘‘Piggybacking’’ on Apollo................ 241 9.3 EVA life support system development: The umbilical makes a comeback..................................... 243 ALSA hardware and operations description .............. 245 Pressure control unit description...................... 245 Secondary oxygen package description.................. 251 viii Contents Life support umbilical description ..................... 254 Instrumentation system, and caution and warning system ..... 257 9.4 Skylab EVA and IVA experience ..................... 257 9.5 Skylab review .................................. 266 9.6 Apollo Soyuz Test Project.......................... 267 10 The Space Shuttle program: Orbital EVA comes of age ........... 271 10.1 Development of the Shuttle extravehicular mobility unit (1971– 1979) ....................................... 272 Development of requirements and technologies ............ 272 The Shuttle EMU contract competition (1976–1977)......... 276 Changes in requirements and further EMU development (1977– 1983) ...................................... 282 Manned maneuvering unit development . .............. 289 EVA lights and helmet TV camera .................... 290 10.2 Shuttle EMU: Baseline configuration (1979–2002) .......... 292 Life support system contract end items . .............. 296 Spacesuit assembly contract end items . .............. 298 Support and ancillary items ......................... 300 Incremental improvements to the Shuttle EMU before 1990.... 301 Baseline flight service ............................ 303 Baseline EMU summary .......................... 316 10.3 The enhanced EMU for the International Space Station (1990– present) ...................................... 316 System level enhancements ......................... 318 Pressure suit enhancements ......................... 322 Life support enhancements ......................... 327 Sizes considered and incorporated .................... 330 Japan’s purchase of a U.S. EMU .................... 332 Enhanced EMU flight experience ..................... 333 10.4 Shuttle EMU summary............................ 340 11 The quest for future extravehicular activity and planetary exploration . 341 11.1 Zero-gravity developments that continue to influence ........ 342 Zero pre-breathe suit (ZPS) efforts (1982–1985) ............ 344 The Ames AX-5 hard suit (1983–1989) . .............. 352 Space Station Freedom (SSF) AEMU (1985–1990) .......... 354 Continued advanced pressure glove efforts (1991–1999) ....... 366 Oceaneering Space Systems (OSS), a new competitor (1988).... 368 11.2 International cooperation and cross-influences ............. 369 11.3 Back-to-the-Moon and on-to-Mars ideas other than Project Constellation .................................. 374 Entrepreneurial EVA spacesuit efforts (1989–present) ........ 376 NASA-funded efforts leading to Project Constellation (1994–2007) 381 Proactive contractor efforts (1996–present) . .............. 395 Contents ix 11.4 Constellation Spacesuit System (2007–2010) .............. 405 Development studies leading up to the CSSS competition ..... 405 The CSSS competition, contract, and cancelation........... 407 12 Epilogue ......................................... 413 Appendix A: U.S. spaceflight suit system overview ................. 415 Appendix B: U.S. EVA information........................... 447 Bibliography ......................................... 461 Index .............................................. 467.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Breaking the Pressure Barrier: a History of the Spacesuit Injection Patch
    Breaking the Pressure Barrier: A History of the Spacesuit Injection Patch Shane M. McFarland1 Wyle/NASA-Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX Aaron S. Weaver2 NASA-Glenn Research Center, Columbus, OH The spacesuit assembly has a fascinating and complicated history dating back to the early 1930s. Much has been written on this history from an assembly perspective and, to a lesser extent, a component perspective. However, little has been written or preserved specifically on smaller, lesser-known aspects of pressure suit design. One example of this is the injection patch—a small 2–in.-diameter disk on the leg of the Apollo suit that facilitated a medical injection when pressurized, and the only known implementation of such a feature on a flight suit. Whereas many people are aware this feature existed, very little is known of its origin, design, and use, and the fact that the Apollo flight suit was not the only instance in which such a feature was implemented. This paper serves to tell the story of this seeming “afterthought” of a feature, as well as the design considerations heeded during the initial development of subsequent suits. Nomenclature EMU = Extravehicular Mobility Unit ETFE = ethylene tetrafluoroethylene EVA = extravehicular activity FEP = fluorinated ethylene propylene ILC = International Latex Corporation IM = intramuscular (injection) IO = intraosseal (injection) IV = intravascular (injection) LCG = liquid cooling garment NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration PGS = pressure garment subsystem TMG = thermal micromediorite garment UTC = urine transfer connector I. Introduction he earliest efforts in pressure suit design were driven by the need to survive high altitudes during attempts to T break speed or height flight records.
    [Show full text]
  • ILC Space Suits & Related Products
    ILC Space Suits & Related Products 0000-712731 Rev. A REVISIONS LETTER DESCRIPTION DATE - Initial Release 10/26/07 A Update with review comments and inclusion of the Antarctic Habitat and 11/28/07 Shuttle Adjustable Protective Mitten Assembly (APMA). This report was written through the volunteer efforts of ILC employees, retirees and friends. Additionally, this report would not have been possible without the efforts of Ken Thomas at Hamilton Sundstrand who truly realizes the significance of preserving the history of US space suit development. The information has been compiled to the best of the participant’s abilities given the volunteer nature of this effort. Any errors are unintentional and will be corrected once identified and verified. If there are any questions regarding any detail of this report, please call (302) 335-3911 Ext. 248. The production of this report does not imply ILC Dover agrees with or is responsible for the contents therein. This report has been compiled from information in the public domain and poses no export licensing issues. William Ayrey Primary Author & Publisher 2 ILC Space Suits & Related Products 0000-712731 Rev. A Table Of Content Chapter 1 The Path Leading To Space -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 The XMC-2-ILC X-15 Competition Prototype (1957) --------------------------------------------------------- 6 The SPD-117 Mercury Competition Prototype (1959) --------------------------------------------------------- 8 Chapter 2 The Journey To The Moon (1960-72) --------------------------------------------------------------- 9 ILC Developments & Prototype Suits Leading To The Apollo Contract (1960-62)----------------------- 10 SPD-143 Training Suits -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Glove Development For Apollo And The World (1962-Present) -------------------------------------------- 17 AX1H - The First New Design Of The Apollo Program ------------------------------------------------------ 19 AX2H Suits (Sept.
    [Show full text]
  • Dressing for Altitude U.S
    Anybody who has watched many movies or Dennis R. Jenkins television shows has seen them—the ubiquitous About the Author silver suits worn by pilots as they explore the unknown. They are called pressure suits, and Dressing one can trace their lineage to Wiley Post or, Dressing perhaps, a bit earlier. There are two kinds of pressure suits: partial U.S. Aviation Pressure Suits–Wiley Post to Space Shuttle Pressure Suits–Wiley Post Aviation U.S. for Altitude pressure and full pressure. David Clark, once pointed out that these were not very good U.S. Aviation Pressure Suits–Wiley Post to Space Shuttle names, but they are the ones that stuck. In a partial-pressure suit, the counter-pressure is not as complete as in a full-pressure suit, but it Dennis R. Jenkins is placed so that shifts in body fl uids are kept One of the unsigned authors of an Air Force history of within reasonable limits. On the other hand, a the Wright Air Development Center wrote an epilogue full-pressure suit, which is an anthropomorphic that conveyed the awe associated with aviation pressure pressure vessel, creates an artifi cial environment suits during the mid-1950s. “The high point in the for the pilot. development of the altitude suit was reached on June for 17, 1954 when Maj. Arthur Murray rode the rocket- One type of pressure suit is not necessarily propelled X-1A to an altitude in excess of 90,000 feet. “better” than the other, and both partial-pressure When Murray reached the peak of his record setting and full-pressure suits are still in limited use fl ight, he was atop more than 97 percent of the atmo- around the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Minerva Rockets
    EVA Minerva Rockets 1 1 Vanessa Latini ,​ Barbara Neumann ,​ Igor Monsuetto¹, Naiane Negri¹, Fabrícia Feijó¹, Jonas Degrave¹, Nina Senna², ​ ​ Willian Costa³ 1 U​ niversidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro 2 U​ niversity of Exeter ³Instituto Internacional de Neurociências Edmond e Lily Safra 1 m​ [email protected] Abstract Extravehicular activities consist of any activities developed by humans outside the space vehicule, be it in open space or on the surface of a planet or moon. This type of activity started early in the flights space. Here, we describe every part and component necessary for a useful spacesuit. Our focus was in Microgravity and Mars EVA. We show all that has been developed and what would we implement in our own spacesuit. Also, we show for the first time our design for the spacesuit. Keywords: EVA, Microgravity, Mars, Space devices, Space Engineer. ​ September 30th, 2018 MINERVA ROCKETS Cobruf EVA Beta – Final Technical Report Summary 1. Introduction 6 2. Methodology 8 2.1. Literature Analysis 8 2.2. Spacesuit Design 8 2.3. Spacesuit Development 8 3. Results and Discussion 9 3.1. Soft Suit 9 3.2. Hard Upper Torso (HUT) 12 3.3 Shoulder Design 17 3.4 Gloves Design 18 3.5 Waist Joint 20 3.6 Brief Shell 20 3.7 Boots Design 21 3.8 Couplers 22 3.9 Helmet 23 3.10 Mobility 27 3.11 Primary Life Support System 29 3.12 Control Module 33 3.13 Biomedics Equipments 33 3.14 Final Mass 42 4. Conclusions 44 5. Spacesuit Design 44 6. Future Work 46 7.
    [Show full text]
  • Soft Helmet Design for a Launch/Entry Space Suit
    48th International Conference on Environmental Systems ICES-2018-201 8-12 July 2018, Albuquerque, New Mexico Soft Helmet Design for a Launch/Entry Space Suit Shane E. Jacobs1 and Donald B. Tufts2 David Clark Company Incorporated, Worcester, MA, 01604 This paper describes the design and development of a soft helmet for a launch/entry space suit. The choice of helmet for a given suit/vehicle is driven by multiple factors, including stowage mass and volume, field of view, suit-seat integration and head/helmet/headrest coupling, head-borne weight, head protection and crew survivability, unpressurized and pressurized comfort, ease of use, and functionality under nominal and emergency operating modes, among others. Multiple head enclosure concepts are discussed and traded in this context, including conformal and non-conformal helmets, and various soft helmet architectures. A soft helmet with integral hard visor, and openable pressure sealing closure, is identified as an optimal launch/entry baseline design for future commercial and government spaceflight applications. The paper concludes with a detailed description of the chosen soft helmet design, which drastically reduces stowage volume and suit mass, while preserving field of view, integrated communications, CO2 washout and crew protection. Nomenclature ACES = Advanced Crew Escape Suit CCA = Communications Carrier Assembly CHAPS = Contingency Hypobaric Astronaut Protective Suit DCCI = David Clark Company Incorporated ECLSS = Environmental Control and Life Support System ppCO2 = partial pressure of carbon dioxide psia = pounds per square inch absolute psid = pounds per square inch differential I. Introduction S the Space Shuttle approached retirement in 2011, David Clark Company Incorporated (DCCI) shifted efforts Afrom production of the S1035 Advanced Crew Escape Suits (ACES) worn on the Space Shuttle by all crewmembers during launch and entry[1], to the conceptualization and development of new launch/entry suits for post-shuttle operations.
    [Show full text]
  • Dream Chaser Integrated Spacecraft and Pressure Suit Design
    45th International Conference on Environmental Systems ICES-2015-117 12-16 July 2015, Bellevue, Washington Dream Chaser® Integrated Spacecraft and Pressure Suit Design Kenneth J. Stroud1 Sierra Nevada Corporation, Louisville, CO, 80027 Shane E. Jacobs2 David Clark Company Incorporated, Worcester, MA, 01604 The new era of commercial human spaceflight offers the opportunity to develop new technologies while applying lessons learned from the past. The Dream Chaser spacecraft and the full pressure suit proposed for use by its crew members tie the past to the present in both spacecraft and pressure suit design, in order to maximize crew safety. Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC) Dream Chaser spacecraft is a state-of-the-art reusable lifting-body vehicle that traces its heritage to NASA’s HL-20 lifting body spacecraft design. Due to its design, SNC’s Dream Chaser operates similar to the space shuttle, including the ability for crewmembers to bailout of the spacecraft if an atmospheric contingency is experienced. To protect against rapid cabin depressurization during ascent and entry, as well as the low atmospheric pressure during bailout, each Dream Chaser crewmember will wear a full pressure suit, along with other integrated crew survival equipment. The suit, designed by David Clark Company Incorporated, is a light-weight pressure suit specifically designed for Dream Chaser operations, with heritage in the Contingency Hypobaric Astronaut Protective Suit (CHAPS) and the S1034 pressure suit design that is currently flown by U-2 pilots. As part of maximizing crew safety, several lessons learned from the Space Shuttle Columbia accident and subsequent Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) report are incorporated into both the Dream Chaser spacecraft and pressure suit designs.
    [Show full text]