Why is NASA using spacesuits designed 45 years ago?

It will be a busy year for spacesuits

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If you want to know about NASA’s history of spacesuit development, talk to the spacesuit guy. Joe Kosmo was at NASA for five decades of successes and setbacks. So I called Kosmo (perfect name for NASA work) to chat about current work on spacesuits.

(Credit: NASA)

Joe was there from the beginning. He worked on the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle spacesuits. When he retired in 2011, he gave his parting advice to NASA colleagues and told a few stories including the time he was a test subject in the Apollo suit for President Kennedy.

A colleague put a quarter on the floor. In the suit, Kosmo bent down, picked it up, and handed it to the President. Kennedy gave it back and Joe handed it to his colleague. It was a special day for Kosmo. He wishes he’d kept that quarter as a souvenir.

Joe Kosmo's farewell conversation in 2011. (Credit: NASA)

NASA currently has only the EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) for astronauts who leave the space station. It was developed more than four decades ago with an expected life of 15 years. In 2017, NASA’s Office Inspector General (OIG) said 11 of the original 18 suits were still in service.

During his farewell Kosmo highlighted what he thinks contributed to this situation. He compiled a sheet looking at the funding of spacesuits over a 21-year period (1990-2011). That sheet is filled with red-lettered “canceled” notes next to several programs.

Joe Kosmos list of spacesuit programs canceled over a 21 year period. (Credit: NASA)

The starting and stopping of programs set the spacesuit development efforts back. “Had we stayed the course with any one of these we would have been greatly ahead,” he said. In its latest report, the OIG added to Joe's list saying since 2007 NASA embarked on “three separate” EVA development programs.

The latest example happened in 2016-17. Longtime spacesuit contractor ILC-Dover delivered two Z-2 suits. They were prototypes. But NASA had made the decision to move its spacesuit program in-house and started developing what it called the Exploration EMU (xEMU).

It was this effort that failed to produce a workable spacesuit (2021 OIG) and led NASA to shift its efforts dramatically. Last year the agency called for bids from outside contractors to build, own, and service the suits for NASA astronauts. In essence, NASA will rent suits. This new program is called xEVAS (Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services). There will be a quiz on all these acronyms.

ILC Dover Z-2 spacesuit prototype that was delivered to NASA. (Credit: NASA)

NASA and the companies that have bid for this “service contract” are in a “blackout” period until the contract is announced. ILC Dover joined forces with Collins Aerospace and is a bidder.

ILC Dover is the company that built the suits that protected astronauts on the surface of the moon and has continued developing suits while NASA moved to in-house development.

The first spacesuit on the moon was built by ILC Dover. This is a story about that effort during the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. (Credit: ABC News)

ILC Dover’s suit is dubbed Astro. It’s a rear entry spacesuit. The company says that design will make it easier to get in and out of Astro (Russia and China use rear entry suits).

ILC Dover's has proposed its Astro spacesuit for NASA Services Contract. (Credit: ILC-Dover)

One concept for the surface of the Moon or Mars is to use suitports. That means the suit, potentially covered with dust, will stay outside. The suit would be air locked on the outside of a habitat or rover, the astronaut would enter from the rear, seal everything up, and go about the mission.

Suitports on a NASA rover. (Credit: NASA)

Axiom Space has said it plans to build its own spacesuit. The company, that wants to build a private space station, just sent its first all private crew to the International Space Station.

(Credit: Axiom)

NASA has said its services contract for new suits, to one or more companies, will be announced at the end of April. The requirements are to, “provide EVA capabilities to ISS and the Lunar Surface with 2 designated crew members for a minimum of 8 continuous hours of autonomous EVA operation.” NASA wants to test a new suit in space as early as next year.

During his farewell Joe Kosmo pointed out there won’t be a depot in deep space to come back to and have things fixed. His advice for spacesuit designers? Keep it simple and robust.

Elon Musk’s company needs a new spacesuit for an upcoming flight. What Joe Kosmo thinks they need to do in the next newsletter.

(Cover photo of Scott Kelly- Credit: NASA)