Musk needs a new suit
SpaceX leader decides to build a spacewalk spacesuit
We are in a decade of Transportation Transformation. That's what Full Throttle explores. The newsletter will be delivered twice a week for free once you subscribe here. Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin.
Elon Musk has a bit of Steve Jobs in him. Design is important to the man behind SpaceX and Tesla. That’s why he wanted to make sure his spacesuits for astronauts riding his Dragon capsule looked good. Now Musk wants to allow a customer to go on a spacewalk. That means SpaceX needs an entirely new suit that is much more robust than the suits used for launch and re-entry.
(Credit:SpaceX)
The current SpaceX suits are IVAs (intravehicular activity) and are rarely seen inflated. We did get a glimpse during the first manned mission, DM2. Once inflated the astronauts look a bit like the Michelin man and movement is more difficult (think about trying to bend an inflated balloon).
Pressurization of SpaceX IVA suit for a leak check prior to liftoff of the DM2 mission. (Credit: NASA/SpaceX)
Astronaut Soichi Noguchi gave us the best demonstration of the current SpaceX suit. He showed the port on the right thigh where the air supply, cooling, and communication hook-ups are plugged into the suit. The helmet, gloves, and boots are all connected to the suit. A pair of zippers from one ankle to the other allows astronauts to pull the suit down over their body and zip up.
Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi gives a tour and dons the SpaceX IVA suit. (Credit: NASA)
These suits are just for launch and re-entry in the case that the spacecraft has an emergency depressurization. To leave the Dragon and take a spacewalk, SpaceX undoubtedly has a list of enhancements that will be needed, according to retired NASA spacesuit engineer Joe Kosmo. As I outlined in an earlier newsletter, Joe worked for NASA on suits from Mercury to the Space Shuttle.
Kosmo says if the goal is just to get an astronaut outside of the Dragon for a “look at me mission,” something like the old Gemini suit would work. Joe says the first suits worn by the “Right Stuff” Mercury astronauts were mostly for demonstration purposes for the coming Apollo missions.
First American spacewalk in June 1965. Astronaut Ed White was photographed by the Gemini 4 commander James McDivitt. (Credit: NASA)
What will SpaceX need to change for a suit to be used for an EVA? A lot, according to Kosmo.
(Credit: ILC Dover)
-Thermal protection- venturing outside the spacecraft means dealing with extreme temperatures. The suit must protect the astronaut from the cold of space. Kosmo says both the gloves and the boots need to have thermal protection too.
-Radiation protection- the spacecraft offers some protection. While the SpaceX spacewalk may not be similar to the ISS excursions that run up to 8 hours, radiation protection in the suit is important.
-Micrometeorite protection- there are small pieces of rock (not to mention space junk) streaking through space that can act like bullets. Among the many layers of the suit (the EMUs on ISS have 14 layers) is a ripstop material to keep micrometeorites from puncturing the suit.
-Umbilical on chest- while the thigh connection for the current SpaceX suits works well for astronauts sitting in their chairs, Kosmo believes that an umbilical will need to be moved to the chest or back (SpaceX/Polaris artwork shows the umbilical on the thigh). Kosmo believes the chest is preferable because the astronaut will have easier access to controls. Cooling and oxygen will likely be provided through the umbilical (like in Gemini), rather than a separate life-support system. Kosmo says the design needs to be able to “wash out” CO2 from the helmet.
-Joint structures- the suit will require some structural additions at the elbows and shoulders to allow movement. Without some enhancements in this area, it would be difficult for the astronaut to move in the pressurized suit.
(Credit: Polaris Program/SpaceX)
This suit will be used by the Polaris Dawn mission. This is the privately funded mission by billionaire Jared Isaacman. Two of his crew mates are SpaceX employees. They revealed that the new suit will be worn by all crew members for launch and during the spacewalk. The Dragon spacecraft doesn’t have an airlock, so all of those on board will be exposed to the space environment.
(Credit: Twitter)
SpaceX has said very little about its new suit. There was one tweet by Isaacman's pilot that outlined how SpaceX is using the Polaris Program to develop a suit it hopes to use for thousands of space travelers in the years to come.
(Cover photo credit: Getty Images/Christian Marquardt - Pool)