Spacesuits = Mini Spacecraft

When people think about spacesuits, people just think of something that an astronaut wears in space. In reality, spacesuits are more than just something an astronaut wears. Spacesuits act like mini spacecraft. This is because spacesuits need to survive the harsh conditions of space. There are three types of spacesuits: IVA (intravehicular activity), EVA (extravehicular activity), and IEVA (Intra/extravehicular activity). IVA suits are worn inside pressurized space and are lighter. EVA suits are used outside of the spacecraft. They can be used for either spacewalk for planetary exploration. They must be able to protect the wearer from all the conditions they will face in space. Finally, there are IEVA suits. IEVA suits are suits that can be worn inside and outside the spacecraft. 

Apollo Spacesuit Worn 
by Buzz Aldrin During
Apollo 11

There are many requirements that spacesuits should meet to work. Some of the main conditions include having a stable internal pressure, being a mobile suit, being able to supply breathable oxygen and removing carbon dioxide, temperature regulation in the suit, a communication system, and collecting solid and liquid waste. These requirements are essential. For example, internal pressure in the suits is significant in high-altitude flight. At altitudes above the Armstrong limit, which is at 19,000m (62,000ft), water in the body starts to boil. Therefore pressurized suits are needed. There are also many secondary requirements, including shielding from UV radiation, shielding against particle radiation, maneuverability, and protection against micrometeoroids (small particles of rock that can travel up to 27,000km per hour).

Spacesuits Being Worn to Work on the ISS

Spacesuits are very important to be able to counteract the extreme conditions of space. The human body can only briefly survive the harsh vacuum of space. This is due to thermal radiation and the evaporation of liquids in the human body. The temperature in space is very extreme. Temperatures can be as high as 250℉ (121℃) and be as low as -387℉ (-233℃). The vacuum of space also creates zero pressure. This causes gases in the body to expand. The spacesuits have to be able to counteract this.

The design concepts that engineers create when developing space suits are very unique. Engineers use an equation to find the work needed to move each joint in the spacesuit. This is very important as the suits need to be mobile.

This is the equation that engineers use when designing the spacesuits to find out how much work is needed to move a joint. Vi and Vf are the initial and final volume of the joint. P is the pressure in the suit and W is the work.

A more in-depth classification of suits divides the suits based on the construction material in the classification of IVA, EVA, and IEVA suits. There are soft suits, hard-shell suits, hybrid suits, and skintight suits. Soft suits are typically made of fabrics. They are used in IVA suits and were used in early EVA suits. Hard-shell suits are made of metal or composite material. The suits have a high pressure as they are used in EVA suits. Hybrid suits are suits that consist of hard shells and fabric parts. They often have a soft upper torso, and everything below the hip is a hard-shell suit. Skintight suits are suits designed as counterpressure suits. It fixes the constant volume problem and is used in IEVA suits.

AX-5 Hard-shell Suit

The development of spacesuits has also led to spinoff technologies. These include the development of better gloves, life support technology, helmet technology, and high-altitude suits. Many companies have also started to develop space suits for space agencies like NASA to use. Some companies have been creating spacesuits to sell to private space companies. There are many different spacesuit models. Countries with publicly developed suits include the United States, Russia, and China, with the US creating the most. SpaceX has also developed IVA suits for their astronauts. I will go more in-depth into individual suits in a later article. In the end, spacesuits are very important as they protect astronauts from the extremes of space. As time goes one, technology and innovation are getting better in spacesuits.

Sources:

“Space Suit.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Dec. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_suit.