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Suited for Success Boeing Debuts New Spacesuit CLOTHES ENCOUNTERS

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Suited for Success Boeing Debuts New Spacesuit CLOTHES ENCOUNTERS BOEING.COM/FRONTIERS SPECIAL REPORT: Suited for success Boeing debuts new spacesuit CLOTHES ENCOUNTERS ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHRISTOPHER HANKS PHOTOS BY BOB FERGUSON | BOEING DESIGN BY KEVIN MAU | BOEING IIFRONT | FRONTIERSI ERS2017 2017 Cover photo: Chris Ferguson, two-time space shuttle commander, dons a helmet with a wide visor that provides greater peripheral vision. Illustration: An artist’s concept depicts how an iterative approach to a design study takes shape. Starliner team unveils a sleek new spacesuit for commercial crew missions BY DAN RALEY rom Project Mercury to said. “It is comfortable to wear.” F the space shuttle program, Blue, of course, is Boeing’s astronauts riding on American dominant color and one that matches vehicles pulled on spacesuits that were several elements of the Starliner’s silver, white or orange, and enormous. cabin interior. Astronauts will wear the People practically waddled when dark-colored, form-fitting suit during they wore them. launch, ascent and re-entry. They will Yet when space travelers are sport either a Boeing logo or a NASA outfitted for the first crew flight aboard insignia patch—depending on whom the Boeing-built CST-100 Starliner in they represent—on the right shoulder, 2018, they will go dressed as no other an American flag on the left, and orbiting humans have before. Starliner and name patches across the Blue and sleek. front of the suit. Permanent logos are While losing none of the safety sewn into the fabric while mission- features required for spaceflight, the specific emblems attach by Velcro. recently unveiled Boeing Ascent/Entry The leaner look is a byproduct of a Suit, or AES, is more elegant and Starliner spacesuit that is 20 pounds flexible than previous suits, said Chris (9 kilograms)—and 12 pounds (5 kilo- Ferguson, Boeing director of Starliner grams) without accessories—which is Crew and Mission Systems and a significantly lighter than previous pressure former space shuttle commander. suits, said Alex Diaz, Boeing systems “It’s more aesthetically appealing engineer and Associate Technical Fellow. and it’s not as bulky,” Ferguson Teams were tasked to make the IIFRONT | FRONTIERSI ERS2017 2017 FRONTIERS 2017 | 01 Zip-on helmet Boeing symbol Entry zipper Utility pockets “It’s more aesthetically appealing and it’s not as bulky.” —Chris Ferguson, Boeing director of Starliner Crew and Mission Systems 02 | FRONTIERS 2017 Photo: NASA played a key role in evaluating the Starliner spacesuit, which is essential for the trip to and from low-Earth orbit destinations. Flexible shoulders Chris Ferguson, center, flew to space three times. Eric Boe, left, and Sunita “Suni” Williams, right, Communications headset are two of four astronauts training for commercial crew test flights to the International Space Station. Soft suit Starliner more streamlined throughout astronauts against cabin decompression to improve mission efficiency, and during launch, return to Earth as well the spacesuit was not exempt from as a toxic-environment situation such this request, Diaz said. as a fire, Ferguson said. “Our marching orders were to reduce The spacesuit is an evolution of the weight and the bulk,” he said. what was once worn by U-2 aircraft To shed pounds, Starliner pilots and Gemini astronauts in the astronauts will wear a soft helmet 1950s and ’60s. It was designed rather than a hard one and don to be lightweight and to have low protective leggings, which direct bulk for storage, a low thermal blood flow to the heart, rather than burden and a minimal amount of rely on inflatable pressure bladders hardware, Diaz said. sewn into the spacesuit fabric. The soft helmet, a type of helmet “The legacy ‘bubble’ helmets also used by the Gemini program, connected to a rigid neck ring. Now, resembles a hooded garment. A the bulky neck and wrist joints are polycarbonate visor features various conspicuously absent,” Ferguson coatings to protect against glare and said. “It’s a lot simpler.” scratches and to provide an anti-fog The David Clark Co. of Worcester, surface. When the visor lifts up, a Mass., manufactured the Starliner suit, crew member breathes cabin air while using input from a Boeing team that a supply source pumps air into the consisted of Ferguson, Diaz and body of the suit for cooling; flip the others. Clark also has provided visor down and turn a valve, and the spacesuits for NASA and high-altitude breathing air gets redirected through pressure suits to the U.S. Air Force. the suit to the person’s head. The Boeing spacesuit’s primary The visor, the only part of function is to protect the Starliner the helmet that provides a hard (Continued on Page 6) 02 | FRONTIERS 2017 FRONTIERS 2017 | 03 Soft helmet: With less weight and more flexibility than the hard helmets worn in past space missions, the Starliner version also has a wide visor—the only part of the helmet that provides a hard surface—for greater peripheral vision. Large zippers: One runs down the back, Smaller zippers across the front, Two valves extend out of the making it a rear-entry suit, and the other when left open, allow the astronauts abdomen region of the spacesuit. secures the helmet to the main body. to assume a normal standing position. One connects to an umbilical that A rear zipper, as opposed to a side or When seated, crew members keep allows air to enter the suit; the other front zipper, enables quicker self-donning the front zippers closed, adjusting controls suit pressurization. capability for the astronaut. The helmet to torso length. zipper provides a seal for pressurization. 04 | FRONTIERS 2017 Tiered fabric in the shoulders and Pockets are easily accessible and Gloves feature leather coverings on elbows enables greater pressurized hold personal items, a survival kit the index and middle fingers and the mobility for the astronaut. and a space-sickness bag. thumb for touch-screen compatibility on a digital tablet, which addresses flight-deck technology advancements. Rubberized grips that prevent slipping are found on the palm, pinkie and ring finger. Glove straps provide fit adjustment, and metal wristbands connect the gloves to the spacesuit. The earliest astronauts, who manually flipped and toggled switches, wore something more akin to outdoor work gloves. Footwear resembles a combination work boot and athletic shoe and was designed in a collaborative effort by David Clark Co. and Reebok. Primarily used for the walk from the crew quarters to the launch pad, the boots are lightweight and shaped for comfort. An astronaut’s feet are covered by the spacesuit’s inner bladder before he or she puts on the boots. 04 | FRONTIERS 2017 FRONTIERS 2017 | 05 “It’s a suit that will get Starliner astronauts home.” — Chris Ferguson (Continued from Page 3) surface, is larger than those used control features, a push-to-talk switch to as a “gas container;” it allows in previous space missions. and a voice-adjustment switch. water vapor, but not air, to pass “A wider visor provides greater Loops or straps located around the through. A second layer, called a peripheral vision,” Diaz said. neck area of the suit assist in zipping restraint cover, is made of lightweight Astronauts wear a communications up the helmet or are used as an aid Nomex material that is fire-retardant, headset beneath the soft helmet, should rescue workers need to remove abrasion-resistant and high-strength. connected by a cable that runs inside an incapacitated astronaut from the “Imagine a balloon that contains the suit and down the torso before it capsule after landing. gas; that’s the first layer,” Diaz said. exits externally. Outside of the suit, it The suit is built in layers. The “Another layer, the restraint cover, connects by another cable to a headset first consists of Gore-Tex fabric, not gives the spacesuit its shape.” interface unit, or HIU, that has volume available commercially, that is referred The suit receives “gas” from a 06 | FRONTIERS 2017 Photos: (Above) From left, Celena Dopart confers with Crew and Mission Systems Director Chris Ferguson (seated; also at far left, outside a Starliner mock-up), using Starliner communications headsets while Mike McCarley and Melanie Weber check the functionality of the spacesuit inside the capsule mock-up. fan package; a controller maintains when working in a harsh environment necessary were incorporated, Ferguson pressure to a certain level. If that outside the spacecraft and requires said. Above all, crew safety was a guiding level is exceeded, the controller opens protection from thermal and factor, leaving no room for shortcuts. and permits the suit to vent. If the micrometeoroids and orbital debris. “It’s a suit that will get future Starliner controller remains closed, a relief valve The final Boeing spacesuit design astronauts home,” Ferguson said, located on the upper thigh protects required a significant amount of give speaking for all Starliner astronauts. against over-pressurization, Diaz said. and take from those who provided [email protected] The Boeing spacesuit is considered input. A blue and white suit was an intravehicular activity, or IVA, suit considered but it wasn’t as cost- Visit BeyondEarth.com to learn more. to be worn only inside the Starliner. effective as one that was all blue. An extravehicular, or EVA, suit is used Only features that were absolutely 06 | FRONTIERS 2017 FRONTIERS 2017 | 07 .
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