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Z-1 Prototype   (Source: Popular Mechanics)
The new space suit is called the "Z-1 Prototype Spacesuit and Portable Life Support System (PLSS) 2.0"

NASA has decided to perform a complete makeover on its traditional U.S. space suit in preparation of new space ventures that lie ahead.

NASA's current space suits were designed in 1992. They were made for crews aboard the space shuttle fleet and those spending time at the International Space Station (ISS). But with the space shuttle fleet's recent retirement and the country's latest goals to go to Mars, an asteroid, and beyond, NASA has recognized that it may be time to create more robust and technologically-equipped suits for astronauts.

The new space suit is called the "Z-1 Prototype Spacesuit and Portable Life Support System (PLSS) 2.0." It is a rear-entry space suit that can do pretty much anything the actual spaceship does, from supplying oxygen, removing carbon dioxide, and protecting the astronaut from extreme heat/cold.

The suit is made up of many hard elements on top of its fabric, but the suit becomes flexible when inflated. There is a hatch and life support pack on the back of the suit, where the hatch allows the astronaut to attach to the spacecraft, rover, etc. The suit also has urethane-coated nylon and polyester layers to "maintain pressure" and allows for greater flexibility in the limbs and torso.

Astronauts get into the suit through a suitport, which is the combined hatch and life support pack. An airlock is not required to get in and out of the suit, meaning that the astronaut can get in and out of the suit faster without worrying about wasting air. This is because the suit operates at the same pressure as the spacecraft. The hatch simply won't open if there's a pressure difference.

Other new features include technologically advanced scrubbers to remove carbon dioxide, which are capable of regenerating on their own by dumping the carbon dioxide instead of having to bake the lithium-hydroxide/metal oxide scrubbers between missions.

Also, the suit packs a water membrane evaporation cooler that cools the suit through the same method as sweating instead of current techniques, which consists of a sublimator that only works in a hard vacuum.

The Z-1 will actually serve as a model for the Z-2, which is expected to be ready by 2015.

Source: NASA


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NASA Designs New Space Suit...
By brasstax on 7/29/2012 8:31:30 PM , Rating: 5
...doesn't have manned space program.




RE: NASA Designs New Space Suit...
By delphinus100 on 7/30/2012 8:21:28 PM , Rating: 2
...So, those aboard ISS are chopped liver.

If to you the Space Shuttle was 'the space program,' you aren't old enough (or informed enough) to remember what came before, nor paying attention to what's coming next.

And none of those earlier spacecraft operationally overlapped with each other, either...especially the Apollo-Shuttle period, but during that time, no one said 'we have no space program.' No would any part of Constellation have been flying before 2017 at best, had it not been cancelled, as it deserved.

Also, it totally disregards all the unmanned stuff happening.

(Whatever 'space program' really means, BTW, as there is not and never was such item in the Federal budget by that name. NASA does a lot of stuff, mostly space. the DoD does lots of stuff, some of which is space, Various intelligence agencies, and NOAA do many things, some of which involve 'space.' And commercial satellites are just not news anymore...as one should expect. Crowds don't gather in Paris anymore because a plane made a non-stop Atlantic flight, either.)


RE: NASA Designs New Space Suit...
By brasstax on 7/30/2012 11:08:13 PM , Rating: 2
You're right, I'm not old enough to remember what came before the Shuttle. Turns out, neither are NASA scientists, or they wouldn't have needed to take apart museum pieces to reverse engineer them.

I think you misunderstand my criticism, I'm actually a big fan of NASA's scientific (space) missions. Cancelling JIMO was a huge mistake in my opinion, and the rovers are certainly NASA's biggest PR hit in decades. Unfortunately, "Science" increasingly means "Earth Science" for NASA, while true progress in traditional disciplines is all but non-existent.

NASA has spacesuits now. It doesn't have manned spaceships. The path to getting spaceships is not clear. The current path will likely change in late January 2012, then 2016. The financial doors are closing, it is becoming apparent that NASA may never launch a human to space again. But NASA is working hard on spacesuits, that's for sure.

It’s not wrong, just depressing.

As for the ISS astronauts, they are chopped liver indeed. The ISS is basically a make-work program, with "experiments" requiring otherwise unnecessary interaction just to give the astronauts something to do. Throwing $100 billion at a spade makes it pretty hard to call it such.


Rear entry...
By wordsworm on 7/29/2012 6:29:01 PM , Rating: 4
Does it allow for a reach-around?




RE: Rear entry...
By amanojaku on 7/30/2012 9:41:18 AM , Rating: 2
Sure, assuming you can figure out which one of those hard, inflated, flexible elements is your target.

;)


Why so bulky?
By rudolphna on 7/30/2012 11:58:45 AM , Rating: 2
why do they continue to build such bulky suits? Seems to me we need something more like this. Skintight, simulates atmosphere with built in heating/cooling coils. More mobility.

Example
http://www.animeshinobi.com/pic/anime_2007/rocket-...




RE: Why so bulky?
By Sivar on 7/30/2012 4:55:42 PM , Rating: 2
The suit engineers considered this against concerns of insulation, shielding, and above all -- that most astronauts are male.


RE: Why so bulky?
By Odysseus145 on 7/30/2012 7:41:11 PM , Rating: 2
MIT is already developing it.

http://mvl.mit.edu/EVA/biosuit/index.html


Honestly...
By Apone on 7/30/2012 12:09:45 PM , Rating: 2
I was hoping to see something the resembles an Iron Man suit. Obviously not nearly as advanced or armed as the current Mark VII suit from the Avengers movie, but something more aggressive and utilizes more technology (hydraulics for enhanced mobility, redundant onboard computer-assisted systems, next-generation super strong alloys, etc). At this point in the 21st century and with our technology, I think it's totally feasible.




RE: Honestly...
By delphinus100 on 7/30/2012 8:26:19 PM , Rating: 2
Aside from providing power for much of that (Tony Stark never does explain how he does it), and the weight, some of it is unnecessary for a non-combat device.

There have been prototype suits with 'hard' segments, but for most of them, the metal isn't exposed on the outside. It's not obvious.


First contact
By BillyBatson on 7/31/2012 4:49:09 AM , Rating: 2
Reminds me of the suits worn outside the enterprise in star trek: first contact




Couldn't resist...
By ThisSpaceForRent on 7/29/12, Rating: 0
i have seen better concepts.
By scrapsma54 on 7/29/12, Rating: -1
RE: i have seen better concepts.
By Hakuryu on 7/29/2012 5:41:16 PM , Rating: 5
It might have something to do with NASA being the only designer that has actually used it's space suits in space.

Self healing is in it's infancy, and I bet there isn't a company in the world that would guarantee it working under the harsh conditions of space, and I wouldn't want to be the guinea pig.

Real world application vs untested ideas. Nothing to do with goverment being greedy... please.


RE: i have seen better concepts.
By GulWestfale on 7/29/2012 6:04:33 PM , Rating: 3
rear-entry suits for sexy asstronauts... mmm.


By delphinus100 on 7/30/2012 8:27:29 PM , Rating: 2
The Russians have been doing that for a while.


RE: i have seen better concepts.
By fic2 on 7/29/2012 10:51:30 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
It might have something to do with NASA being the only designer that has actually used it's space suits in space.


Seems like there are some countries that would dispute that.


RE: i have seen better concepts.
By Jeffk464 on 7/29/2012 6:33:05 PM , Rating: 2
This is why astronauts carry a roll of duct tape.


RE: i have seen better concepts.
By SPOOFE on 7/30/2012 2:26:05 AM , Rating: 2
Their suits should come with self-applying duct tape. What is this, the 1990s?


RE: i have seen better concepts.
By Alexvrb on 7/29/2012 8:29:07 PM , Rating: 2
Well, it's the wrong color, but other than that I think it'd be OK for fighting ghosts in. It's even sealed against ectoplasm.


By Gurthang on 7/30/2012 9:43:50 AM , Rating: 2
My understanding, having read some lengthy reports about the "mechanical pressurization" suits. They have two main issues. The first is getting in one which is an important metric in suit design. The second is that is is very hard to maintin the proper pressure as the person moves especially around the joints.

IMHO this will not become a reality until electroactive polymers become good enough to create the "pressure mesh". Though I guess you could do it with some clever blatter system maybe dual use the water cooling/heating system they normally wear with some sort of valve/regulator system that maintains the right amount of tension on the elastic mesh of the bio-suit as the fluid is pumped around the suit. (elastic tubes surrounded by a mesh net connected to the elastic mesh of the suit and a calibrated regulator that releases fluid there is too much pressure thus allowing the mesh net to relax some. The thermal regulation tubing would then be a sort of pressure accumlator/storage distributing the necessary pressure all over the suit. The problem then becomes one of designing the regulators and dealing with leaks. Though is guess a outer loose garment would be needed anyway and could help with that.


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