Constellation Space Suit
Encyclopedia
The Constellation Space Suit was a planned full pressure suit
system that would have served as an intra-vehicular activity (IVA) and Extra-vehicular activity
(EVA) garment for the proposed Project Constellation
flights, which were planned to begin after the Space Shuttle
retired. The design of the suit was announced by NASA
on June 11, 2008, and it will be manufactured by Houston, Texas
-based Oceaneering International
, the first company other than the David Clark Company
, Hamilton Sundstrand
, and ILC Dover
(and, before 1964, B.F. Goodrich) to produce life-support hardware, as a prime contractor, for in-flight space use.
crew vehicle, and at the same time, protect the astronauts during launch, reentry and landing, and extreme emergencies (such as a cabin depressurization). Another need for NASA was that the suit system must be capable of withstanding the rigors of microgravity EVAs, and with modifications, from the rigors of lunar surface EVAs during a 7-day lunar sortie
, with the provisions for 6-month stays once the Lunar Outpost
is completed.
As the Apollo/Skylab A7L
, ACES
, and Shuttle/ISS Extravehicular Mobility Unit
(EMU) pressure and space suits were deemed unsuitable for NASA's needs for Project Constellation, a new suit system was designed and is designated as "Configuration One" (IVA/Microgravity EVA) and "Configuration Two" (Lunar EVA).
used by NASA astronauts on Space Shuttle flights. Unlike the current suit, which were based on the G3C suit worn by the Gemini 3
crew and later adapted for use by the U.S. Air Force for high-altitude operations, the "Configuration One" suit will feature a closed-loop environmental system (similar to that of a rebreather
– the ACES suit uses a SCUBA
-like open-loop system, limiting its operations above 100,000 feet/30,500 meters), new bearings in the shoulder, elbows, wrists, hip, and knees, and a full-pressure helmet with a swivel faceplate (closed by a mechanical seal) and incorporating a sunshade. Like the older G3C suit, the "Configuration One" suit will be made up of five layers, the innermost being a rubberized pressure-retaining bladder made of neoprene
cloth, and covered with a Nomex
cover layer in international orange
color.
In the event a microgravity EVA is conducted, instead of the Primary Life Support System
backpack worn by Apollo
, Space Shuttle
, and ISS
crews, astronauts will rely on a life-support umbilical used on all Gemini and Skylab
flights. As the Orion spacecraft lacks an airlock like that found on the Shuttle and the ISS, all members of the spacecraft crew will be required to be suited up, as the entire cabin would be depressurized (similar to that employed on Gemini and Apollo), thus microgravity EVAs conducted from an Orion spacecraft would only be of an emergency nature.
The "Configuration One" system is capable of supporting an astronaut crew for approximately 120 hours in the event of an emergency cabin depressurization.
Manufacturer: Oceaneering International (David Clark Company as subcontractor)
Missions: TBA, but ready to fly by 2015.
Function: Intra-vehicular activity (IVA) and emergency Orbital
Extra-vehicular activity (EVA)
Operating Pressure: Approx. 8 psi (55 kPa)
Primary Life Support: Vehicle Provided
missions and later for 3 to 6-month lunar outpost missions, will consist of a completely new spacesuit, similar in appearance to both the Mark III
and I-Suit
s designed and tested by ILC Dover
in the early 2000s, but will incorporate the arms, legs, gloves, boot assemblies, and helmet from the "Configuration One" suit.
Like the Mark III and the Generation II I-Suit, the "Configuration Two" suit will use a rear-entry hatch design, eliminating the need for the dual-plane closure used on the Shuttle/ISS EMU suits and unlike the current NASA suit, a hybrid of both the Apollo A7L/A7LB suits and the Litton
-developed RX-series hard suits, will be of a "soft-suit" design, allowing astronauts to bend over and grasp objects when fully suited and pressurized. New joint designs on the "Configuration Two" suits, along with the soft-suit elements from the "Configuration One" suits, will allow the suits to operate at a higher pressure (around 8.0 psi/552 hPa, the pressurization used on the Orlan space suit), eliminating the danger of undergoing decompression sickness
normally associated with the lower pressure of the Shuttle/ISS suits (which operates at 4.3 psi/296 hPa).
Unlike the orange-colored "Configuration One" suits, the "Configuration Two" suits will have a white cover layer, which will require the use of cover layer "sleeves" on the arms and legs of the "Configuration One" suit. Like the cover layer on the A7L and A7LB suits, the cover layer "sleeves" for the "Configuration Two" suit's "Configuration One" limbs will be attached using Velcro
.
Manufacturer: Oceaneering International (David Clark Company as subcontractor)
Missions: TBA
Function: Terrestrial
Extra-vehicular activity (EVA)
Operating Pressure: Approx. 8 psi (55 kPa)
Primary Life Support: 150 hours
or "MAG," which will allow for containment of urine and fecal matter (although the latter may be staved off with a low residue diet
), over which a Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment
(LCVG) is worn. The LCVG, resembling a union suit, has tubing sewn into the material to allow for the circulation of cooling water and removal of carbon dioxide while the suit is worn. A communications cap, known throughout NASA as a "Snoopy
cap," is worn by the astronaut to facilitate communication through either the intercom system, or with Mission Control in Houston. Unlike the familiar white-striped brown caps currently in use, the "Snoopy caps" proposed for Constellation will be the white-colored caps worn by all Space Shuttle crews prior to STS-107
and with the two colors of the suit systems (orange and white), will make the American crews to somewhat resemble Soviet
cosmonauts of the 1960s.
of Houston, TX. The David Clark Company
of Worcester, Massachusetts
, the current manufacturer of the ACES pressure suit (as well as the manufacturer of the Gemini space suit
), and United Space Alliance, will be two of the seven subcontractors used by Oceaneering to develop and manufacture the suit.
Pressure suit
A pressure suit is a protective suit worn by high-altitude pilots who may fly at altitudes where the air pressure is too low for an unprotected person to survive, even breathing pure oxygen at positive pressure. Such suits may be either full-pressure or partial-pressure...
system that would have served as an intra-vehicular activity (IVA) and Extra-vehicular activity
Extra-vehicular activity
Extra-vehicular activity is work done by an astronaut away from the Earth, and outside of a spacecraft. The term most commonly applies to an EVA made outside a craft orbiting Earth , but also applies to an EVA made on the surface of the Moon...
(EVA) garment for the proposed Project Constellation
Project Constellation
Constellation Program is a human spaceflight program within NASA, the space agency of the United States. The stated goals of the program were to gain significant experience in operating away from Earth's environment, develop technologies needed for opening the space frontier, and conduct...
flights, which were planned to begin after the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
retired. The design of the suit was announced by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
on June 11, 2008, and it will be manufactured by Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
-based Oceaneering International
Oceaneering International
Oceaneering International Inc. is an applied technology company based in Houston, Texas, U.S.A. that provides engineered services and hardware to customers who operate in marine, space, and other environments...
, the first company other than the David Clark Company
David Clark Company
David Clark Company, Inc. is an American manufacturer, best known for noise attenuating headsets with boom microphones for use in military aviation, commercial aviation, industry and professional communication in high-noise environments...
, Hamilton Sundstrand
Hamilton Sundstrand
Hamilton Sundstrand, is a global corporation that manufactures and supports aerospace and industrial products for worldwide markets. It was formed from the merger of Hamilton Standard and Sundstrand Corporation in 1999. A subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation, HS is headquartered in Windsor...
, and ILC Dover
ILC Dover
ILC Dover, LP is an engineering development and manufacturing company based in Frederica, Delaware. ILC specializes in the use of high-performance flexible materials, serving the aerospace, personal protection, and pharmaceutical industries.Best known for making space suits for NASA, ILC...
(and, before 1964, B.F. Goodrich) to produce life-support hardware, as a prime contractor, for in-flight space use.
Design
The Constellation Space Suit system was designed by NASA for Project Constellation due to the needs of reducing space onboard the relatively small (by current standards) OrionOrion (spacecraft)
Orion is a spacecraft designed by Lockheed Martin for NASA, the space agency of the United States. Orion development began in 2005 as part of the Constellation program, where Orion would fulfill the function of a Crew Exploration Vehicle....
crew vehicle, and at the same time, protect the astronauts during launch, reentry and landing, and extreme emergencies (such as a cabin depressurization). Another need for NASA was that the suit system must be capable of withstanding the rigors of microgravity EVAs, and with modifications, from the rigors of lunar surface EVAs during a 7-day lunar sortie
Lunar sortie
A lunar sortie is a human spaceflight mission to the Moon. In contrast with lunar outpost missions, lunar sorties will be of relatively brief duration.- NASA sorties :...
, with the provisions for 6-month stays once the Lunar Outpost
Lunar outpost (NASA)
A lunar outpost was an element of the George W. Bush era Vision for Space Exploration, which has been replaced with President Barack Obama's space policy. The outpost would have been an inhabited facility on the surface of the Moon. At the time it was proposed, NASA was to construct the outpost...
is completed.
As the Apollo/Skylab A7L
Apollo/Skylab A7L
The A7L Apollo & Skylab spacesuit is the primary pressure suit worn by NASA astronauts for Project Apollo, the three manned Skylab flights, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project between 1968 and the termination of the Apollo program in 1975. The "A7L" designation is used by NASA as the seventh Apollo...
, ACES
Advanced Crew Escape Suit
The Advanced Crew Escape Suit or "pumpkin suit", was a full pressure suit that began to be worn by Space Shuttle crews after STS-65, for the ascent and entry portions of flight. The suit is a direct descendant of the U.S...
, and Shuttle/ISS Extravehicular Mobility Unit
Extravehicular Mobility Unit
The Space Shuttle/International Space Station Extravehicular Mobility Unit is an independent anthropomorphic system that provides environmental protection, mobility, life support, and communications for a Space Shuttle or International Space Station crew member to perform extra-vehicular activity...
(EMU) pressure and space suits were deemed unsuitable for NASA's needs for Project Constellation, a new suit system was designed and is designated as "Configuration One" (IVA/Microgravity EVA) and "Configuration Two" (Lunar EVA).
Configuration One
The "Configuration One" suit, worn for launch, landing, for extreme emergencies, and for microgravity EVAs, will resemble the current ACES pressure suitAdvanced Crew Escape Suit
The Advanced Crew Escape Suit or "pumpkin suit", was a full pressure suit that began to be worn by Space Shuttle crews after STS-65, for the ascent and entry portions of flight. The suit is a direct descendant of the U.S...
used by NASA astronauts on Space Shuttle flights. Unlike the current suit, which were based on the G3C suit worn by the Gemini 3
Gemini 3
Gemini 3 was the first manned mission in NASA's Gemini program, the second American manned space program. On March 23, 1965, the spacecraft, nicknamed The Molly Brown, performed the seventh manned US spaceflight, and the 17th manned spaceflight overall...
crew and later adapted for use by the U.S. Air Force for high-altitude operations, the "Configuration One" suit will feature a closed-loop environmental system (similar to that of a rebreather
Rebreather
A rebreather is a type of breathing set that provides a breathing gas containing oxygen and recycled exhaled gas. This recycling reduces the volume of breathing gas used, making a rebreather lighter and more compact than an open-circuit breathing set for the same duration in environments where...
– the ACES suit uses a SCUBA
Scuba set
A scuba set is an independent breathing set that provides a scuba diver with the breathing gas necessary to breathe underwater during scuba diving. It is much used for sport diving and some sorts of work diving....
-like open-loop system, limiting its operations above 100,000 feet/30,500 meters), new bearings in the shoulder, elbows, wrists, hip, and knees, and a full-pressure helmet with a swivel faceplate (closed by a mechanical seal) and incorporating a sunshade. Like the older G3C suit, the "Configuration One" suit will be made up of five layers, the innermost being a rubberized pressure-retaining bladder made of neoprene
Neoprene
Neoprene or polychloroprene is a family of synthetic rubbers that are produced by polymerization of chloroprene. Neoprene in general has good chemical stability, and maintains flexibility over a wide temperature range...
cloth, and covered with a Nomex
Nomex
Nomex is a registered trademark for flame resistant meta-aramid material developed in the early 1960s by DuPont and first marketed in 1967.- Properties:...
cover layer in international orange
International orange
International orange is a color used in the aerospace industry to set things apart from their surroundings, similar to safety orange, but deeper and with a more reddish tone.-International orange :...
color.
In the event a microgravity EVA is conducted, instead of the Primary Life Support System
Primary Life Support System
A Primary Life Support System , is a device connected to an astronaut's or cosmonaut's spacesuit, which allows extra-vehicular activity with maximum freedom, independent of a spacecraft's life support system. The PLSS is generally worn like a backpack...
backpack worn by Apollo
Project Apollo
The Apollo program was the spaceflight effort carried out by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration , that landed the first humans on Earth's Moon. Conceived during the Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Apollo began in earnest after President John F...
, Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
, and ISS
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
crews, astronauts will rely on a life-support umbilical used on all Gemini and Skylab
Skylab
Skylab was a space station launched and operated by NASA, the space agency of the United States. Skylab orbited the Earth from 1973 to 1979, and included a workshop, a solar observatory, and other systems. It was launched unmanned by a modified Saturn V rocket, with a mass of...
flights. As the Orion spacecraft lacks an airlock like that found on the Shuttle and the ISS, all members of the spacecraft crew will be required to be suited up, as the entire cabin would be depressurized (similar to that employed on Gemini and Apollo), thus microgravity EVAs conducted from an Orion spacecraft would only be of an emergency nature.
The "Configuration One" system is capable of supporting an astronaut crew for approximately 120 hours in the event of an emergency cabin depressurization.
Manufacturer: Oceaneering International (David Clark Company as subcontractor)
Missions: TBA, but ready to fly by 2015.
Function: Intra-vehicular activity (IVA) and emergency Orbital
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
Extra-vehicular activity (EVA)
Operating Pressure: Approx. 8 psi (55 kPa)
Primary Life Support: Vehicle Provided
Configuration Two
The "Configuration Two" suit, to be used primarily for lunar EVAs conducted during the initial 7 to 10-day lunar sortieLunar sortie
A lunar sortie is a human spaceflight mission to the Moon. In contrast with lunar outpost missions, lunar sorties will be of relatively brief duration.- NASA sorties :...
missions and later for 3 to 6-month lunar outpost missions, will consist of a completely new spacesuit, similar in appearance to both the Mark III
Mark III (space suit)
The Mark III or MK III is a NASA space suit technology demonstrator built by ILC Dover. While heavier than other suits , the Mark III is more mobile, and is designed for a relatively high operating pressure.The Mark III is a rear-entry suit, unlike the EMU currently in use, which is a waist-entry...
and I-Suit
I-Suit
The I-Suit is a spacesuit model constructed by ILC Dover. The suit began as an EVA mobility demonstrator, developed to meet a contract awarded by NASA to ILC in 1997 for an all-soft suit....
s designed and tested by ILC Dover
ILC Dover
ILC Dover, LP is an engineering development and manufacturing company based in Frederica, Delaware. ILC specializes in the use of high-performance flexible materials, serving the aerospace, personal protection, and pharmaceutical industries.Best known for making space suits for NASA, ILC...
in the early 2000s, but will incorporate the arms, legs, gloves, boot assemblies, and helmet from the "Configuration One" suit.
Like the Mark III and the Generation II I-Suit, the "Configuration Two" suit will use a rear-entry hatch design, eliminating the need for the dual-plane closure used on the Shuttle/ISS EMU suits and unlike the current NASA suit, a hybrid of both the Apollo A7L/A7LB suits and the Litton
Litton Industries
Named after inventor Charles Litton, Sr., Litton Industries was a large defense contractor in the United States, bought by the Northrop Grumman Corporation in 2001.-History:...
-developed RX-series hard suits, will be of a "soft-suit" design, allowing astronauts to bend over and grasp objects when fully suited and pressurized. New joint designs on the "Configuration Two" suits, along with the soft-suit elements from the "Configuration One" suits, will allow the suits to operate at a higher pressure (around 8.0 psi/552 hPa, the pressurization used on the Orlan space suit), eliminating the danger of undergoing decompression sickness
Decompression sickness
Decompression sickness describes a condition arising from dissolved gases coming out of solution into bubbles inside the body on depressurization...
normally associated with the lower pressure of the Shuttle/ISS suits (which operates at 4.3 psi/296 hPa).
Unlike the orange-colored "Configuration One" suits, the "Configuration Two" suits will have a white cover layer, which will require the use of cover layer "sleeves" on the arms and legs of the "Configuration One" suit. Like the cover layer on the A7L and A7LB suits, the cover layer "sleeves" for the "Configuration Two" suit's "Configuration One" limbs will be attached using Velcro
Velcro
Velcro is the brand name of the first commercially marketed fabric hook-and-loop fastener, invented in 1948 by the Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral...
.
Manufacturer: Oceaneering International (David Clark Company as subcontractor)
Missions: TBA
Function: Terrestrial
Terrestrial
Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth.Terrestrial may also refer to:* Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to in trees etc.** A fishing fly that simulates the...
Extra-vehicular activity (EVA)
Operating Pressure: Approx. 8 psi (55 kPa)
Primary Life Support: 150 hours
Other items
Like the Shuttle/ISS EMU and the ACES pressure suit, astronauts will wear, underneath of the suit, a "Depends"-like undergarment known as a Maximum Absorbency GarmentMaximum Absorbency Garment
A Maximum Absorbency Garment is a piece of clothing NASA astronauts wear during liftoff, landing, and extra-vehicular activity to absorb urine and feces. It is worn by both male and female astronauts. Astronauts can urinate into the MAG, and usually wait to defecate when they return to the...
or "MAG," which will allow for containment of urine and fecal matter (although the latter may be staved off with a low residue diet
Low residue diet
A low residue diet is a diet designed to reduce the frequency and volume of stools while prolonging intestinal transit time. It is similar to a low fiber diet, but typically includes restrictions on foods that increase bowel activity, such as milk, milk products, and prune juice. A low residue diet...
), over which a Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment
Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment
A Liquid Cooling Garment is a form-fitting garment that is used to remove body heat from the wearer in environments where evaporative cooling from sweating and open air convection cooling does not work, or the wearer has a biological problem that hinders self-regulation of body temperature.A...
(LCVG) is worn. The LCVG, resembling a union suit, has tubing sewn into the material to allow for the circulation of cooling water and removal of carbon dioxide while the suit is worn. A communications cap, known throughout NASA as a "Snoopy
Snoopy
Snoopy is an fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. He is Charlie Brown's pet beagle. Snoopy began his life in the strip as a fairly conventional dog, but eventually evolved into perhaps the strip's most dynamic character—and among the most recognizable...
cap," is worn by the astronaut to facilitate communication through either the intercom system, or with Mission Control in Houston. Unlike the familiar white-striped brown caps currently in use, the "Snoopy caps" proposed for Constellation will be the white-colored caps worn by all Space Shuttle crews prior to STS-107
STS-107
-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter Liftoff: **Orbiter Landing: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 39.0°*Period: 90.1 min- Insignia :...
and with the two colors of the suit systems (orange and white), will make the American crews to somewhat resemble Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
cosmonauts of the 1960s.
Contractor
The Constellation Space Suit will be manufactured by Oceaneering InternationalOceaneering International
Oceaneering International Inc. is an applied technology company based in Houston, Texas, U.S.A. that provides engineered services and hardware to customers who operate in marine, space, and other environments...
of Houston, TX. The David Clark Company
David Clark Company
David Clark Company, Inc. is an American manufacturer, best known for noise attenuating headsets with boom microphones for use in military aviation, commercial aviation, industry and professional communication in high-noise environments...
of Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, the current manufacturer of the ACES pressure suit (as well as the manufacturer of the Gemini space suit
Gemini Space suit
The Gemini space suit is a space suit worn by astronauts for launch, in-flight activities and landing. It was designed by NASA based on the X-15 high-altitude pressure suit...
), and United Space Alliance, will be two of the seven subcontractors used by Oceaneering to develop and manufacture the suit.