<
https://theconversation.com/spacesuits-need-a-major-upgrade-for-the-next-phase-of-exploration-224387>
"Humans have long dreamed of setting foot on the Moon and other planetary
bodies such as Mars. Since the 1960s, space travellers have donned suits
designed to protect them from the vacuum of space and stepped out into the
unknown.
However, the Polaris Dawn mission, which is to include the first spacewalk
organised by a private company, has been delayed. This is due to complications
with the design and development of a suitable spacesuit.
Moon suits are also one of the key elements of Nasa’s Artemis lunar programme
that have yet to be delivered. A report released in November 2023 said that the
contractor making the suits is having to revisit aspects of the design provided
by Nasa, which could introduce delays.
Yet the first spacewalk, by the Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, took place in
1965. Later, 12 Nasa astronauts would walk on the lunar surface, between 1969
and 1972, using technology that would be eclipsed by today’s smartphones. So
it’s not unreasonable to ask why it can still be difficult to design and build
spacesuits to do the same thing.
Much has changed since the Apollo missions planted flags on the Moon. The
geopolitics driving space travel have shifted, and spacesuits are no longer
expected to be just a form of protection. Instead, they are a critical way to
improve the productivity of astronauts. This involves a rethink of not just the
suits themselves, but the technology that supports them."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
