Suited for Spacewalking pdf - Virtual Astronaut

Other WorldsFor the most part, the design of a spacesuit isbased on the environment in which it operates.Space Shuttle spacesuits for use in Earth orbit aredesigned to operate in a vacuum and microgravity.A spacesuit for use on the surface of the Moon orMars will require a different design. On the Moon,a Space Shuttle style spacesuit would weigh about19 kilograms. The suit will operate in an environmentin which there is an up and a down direction.Circulatory pumps in the suit will face increasedloads. Temperature extremes on the Moon will beabout the same as in orbit about Earth when indirect sunlight and in shade. However, when theastronaut walks on the Moon,heat will be conductedinto or out of the suit via the feet. On Mars, aSpace Shuttle style spacesuit would weigh about43 kilogra m s , exhausting the astronaut whohas to wear it for long periods of exploration.Consequently, lighter EMU structures will be neededto lessen the load a future Martian explorer willcarry. In addition, the thin Martian atmospheremay provide too much pressure for a cooling sublimatorto work. Some other cooling strategy willhave to be devised. Still another concern is to provideprotection from dust that is carried by Martianwinds and will be kicked up by the explorers. Onthe Moon,lunar sediment is very angular and abrasivebut there is no atmosphere to stir it up. Untilsamples of the Martian sediment are returned toEarth,we won't know how abrasive it will be.Theseand other properties of the Moon and Martianenvironment provide interesting and exciting challengesto spacesuit designers and builders.EVAA future Martian explorer takes rock samples dangling offthe escarpment ofthe Olympus Mons volcano. Pat Rawlings,SAIC.St a rting with Edward White II’s spacewalk in1 9 6 5 , Am e ri can astronauts have logged many hundreds of hours of extra vehicular activity in space.M i s s i on planners corre c t ly foresaw the role EVAwould play in future space mission s . The earlyGemini experience was pri m a ri ly experi m e n t a l .Du ring the Ap o llo and Sk ylab pro g ra m s , EVA wasc ri t i cal to success. With the Space Shuttle and theI n t e rn a t i onal Space St a t i on , it is even more cri t i ca l .By donning the EM U, an astronaut becomes as m a ll , s h o rt - t e rm spacecra ft . Space-suited crewmembers can manipulate payl o a d s , make adjustme n t s , repair broken part s , join pieces together,Suited for Spacewalking An Activity Guide for Technology Education, Mathematics, and Science, EG-1998-03-112-HQ • 4 1