Space suits

It’s a space suit - but not as we know it. Scientists in the US are working on a completely new look for future space-farers, one that is more alien than astronaut.
The skin-tight outfits are made of a stretchy material and designed to allow maximum freedom of movement.
They represent a giant leap from the kind of bulky pressured suit Neil Armstrong wore when he set foot on the moon.
Space suits have changed little in 40 years, becoming progressively heavier until today they weigh around 300 pounds. Suited up astronauts resemble inflated Michelin men thanks to the enclosed gas that simulates the Earth’s atmosphere and prevents their bodies exploding in the vacuum of space.
The spandex and nylon BioSuit designed by engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology does away with the whole principle of pressurisation.
Instead, they astronauts are protected by tight layers of material wrapped around the body, like the bandages on an Egyptian mummy.
This exerts a force which counteracts the vacuum, while still allowing a large degree of flexibility.
Conventional suits are so restrictive that merely trying to bend them takes up 70-80% of an astronaut’s energy.
Working in such a heavy suit is manageable in micro-gravity conditions, for instance during a space walk in Earth orbit. But the Apollo astronauts were seriously hampered by their space suits, forcing them to adopt innovative ways of getting around, like the "bunny hop". Pressurised suits would weigh down explorers on Mars even more, because of the planet’s stronger gravity.
BioSuit project leader Professor Dava Newman said: "You can't do much much bending of the arms or legs in that type of suit.
"It's a whole different ball game when we go to the moon or Mars, and we have to go back to walking and running, or loping."
Early prototypes of the BioSuit have already been tested, and the scientists expect a working version to be ready for the first manned mission to Mars in about 10 years time.
The finished suit is likely to be a hybrid that incorporates a gas-pressured torso section and helmet, with an oxygen tank carried on the back.
Various wrapping techniques are being tested at MIT based on how the skin stretches, and 3D models of people in motion.
A key element of the design are patterns of lines on the suit that provide a stiff "skeleton" of structural support.
To be worn in space, the BioSuit must deliver close to one third of the Earth's atmospheric pressure, or about 30 kilopascals (Kpa). Latest models of suit have achieved levels of 25 to 30 Kpa.
One major advantage of the BioSuit is that a small puncture caused by a meteorite in space or a sharp Martian rock need not be disastrous. It can easily be bandaged and repaired on the spot. In contrast, an astronaut whose pressurised suit is punctured must race back to base immediately or risk deadly decompression.
The BioSuit concept is not new. It dates back to ideas developed in the 1960s and 1970s by Dr Paul Webb. His "space activity suit" never got off the ground because he lacked advanced enough technology.
"Dr Webb had a great idea before its time," said Prof Newman. "We’re building on that work to make it feasible."
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