What Makes Space Suits So Effective ?

A spacesuit is a special piece of clothing worn by astronauts during their space mission.

Spacesuits are worn in space shuttles.

These astronaut suits or space suits are designed in a unique way to protect the astronauts from the harmful conditions one finds in space.

These spacesuits are also known as Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs).

But what are these space suits made of? The NASA suits consist of many tailor-made components that are manufactured in NASA itself.

The first spacesuits came into being in the 1950s when NASA started space travel. 

Since then, spacesuits have come a long way. NASA has 17 spacesuits to date. These spacesuits each cost over $10.4 million to make. 

But what makes a spacesuit so resistant to damage? How are spacesuits made?

Background

The main purpose of a spacesuit is to recreate the Earth’s atmosphere.

The spacesuit has to provide essentials like oxygen, temperature control, carbon dioxide removal, thermal protection from sunlight, solar radiation, and small meteoroids- these are common in space.

Without a spacesuit, an astronaut will not be able to go to space at all. 

Now, let us jump into the suit materials: 

Raw Materials 

A space suit needs many raw materials.

The suit material includes several synthetic polymers.

The innermost layer is mainly made of Nylon tricot material.

The next layer uses spandex, which is an elastic polymer.

This is followed by a layer of urethane, which helps in pressurization.

Dacron- a kind of polyester is the material that is used for restraining pressure.

There are other suit materials such as Neoprene, aluminized Mylar, Nomex, and Kevlar that are used in spacesuits. 

Synthetic fibers are not the only suit materials that are used.

Fiberglass is used for the torso segment.

This is what makes it hard. Lithium hydroxide makes the filter which helps in removing carbon dioxide.

There is also plastic tubing that helps in transporting cooling water.

A silver zinc blend that powers the suit.

The suit helmet is another essential component of the spacesuit.

Polycarbonate is used to make the shell of the helmet. 

There are other suit materials that make the electronic circuit and suit controls of the spacesuit. 

Design

The spacesuit of EMU has many tailor-made materials that make it perfect for astronauts.

These units are manufactured by 80 companies.

The process is huge and so precise that each detail matters.

The astronaut suit has 18 separate items. 

The life support system

This all-important component of a space suit has an oxygen supply, removal filters, ventilating fan, communication equipment, and electrical power.

It looks like a backpack, and you will find it on the back of the astronauts on their space missions.

Seven hours of oxygen can be stored here. There is also a secondary oxygen tank in the spacesuit.

This will give astronauts 30 minutes of emergency oxygen. 

The Helmet

The helmet is as important as it gets in a spacesuit. It is like a large piece of plastic.

The helmet has a straw to a bag just in case astronauts get thirsty, a visor that protects the astronauts from the bright sun rays, and a camera to record the wonders of space. 

The Ventilation Garment 

The astronauts need to maintain a body temperature.

Thus, they wear ventilation garments under their outer garment.

This is also a part of the spacesuit. It has cooling tubes, through which liquid flows.

The circulating water’s temperature is 4.4 to 9.9 degrees celsius. This helps in maintaining the body temperature of the astronauts. 

The Lower Torso

The lower torso of the spacesuit consists of pants, boots, and other such units.

It also has a pressure bladder or the bladder layer.

The restraining layer of Dacron, and the thermal protection garment.

It is made of other synthetic fibers all of which complete the look of the lower torso of a spacesuit.

This part of a spacesuit can be customized- made smaller or longer.

Astronauts need to wear thermal socks and insulated boots to have heat retention.

There is also a urine storage device in this part of the spacesuit. 

The Upper Torso

We know that the upper torso of an astronaut suit is hard and made of fiberglass and metal.

These parts were suit pieces like helmet, life support system display, control module, and even the lower torso is attached.

It has storage tanks, oxygen bottles, contaminant control cartridges, sensors, and a communications system.  

An astronaut takes about 15 minutes to put on the entire spacesuit.

This has a process itself as well.

The astronaut has to first put the lower garment, followed by the lower torso components.

Next, the astronaut puts on the upper torso and finally the life support backpack.

To finish it all off, the astronaut has to put on gloves and helmets to complete the spacesuit. 

Process

Acquiring the raw materials and making the suit materials is just one part of assembling a spacesuit.

The manufacturing of each of these components is quite complicated and challenging.

If even one thing goes wrong in a spacesuit then it can endanger the life of the astronaut. 

The manufacturing of the spacesuit has two main phases: contraction of the individual units, and the assembly. 

Helmet and visor assembly

The helmet and visor of the spacesuit are usually constructed by molding techniques that are traditional.

Pellets of polycarbonate are put in an injection molding machine.

These are then melted and put in a helmet shaped cavity.

The other components like the headlamps and the attachment devices are fitted accordingly. 

Life-support systems

This essential part of the spacesuit has many assembly steps.

The pieces of this part are first fitted to the backpack.

The oxygen tanks are filled and put inside.

Then the carbon dioxide filter is assembled.

Then the ventilating fan of the spacesuit, followed by electrical power, radio, and water cooling.  

Cooling garment 

The cooling garment of the spacesuit is made of a mixture of nylon, spandex fibers, and cooling tubes.

The nylon tricot is first into an underwear shape.

The spandex fibers are then woven into fabric sheets of the same shape. After this, the spandex is inserted with cooling tubes.

Thus, the cooling garment of the spacesuit is made. 

Lower torso

The assembly of the lower torso is almost the same as the other processes.

The different synthetic layers are sewed together into the correct shape.

Then the connection rings of the spacesuit are attached.

The gloves have insulation padding on each finger.

This gives thermal protection. 

Final assembly

All these parts of the spacesuit then go to NASA, or ISRO, or the respective space agencies of the countries.

If it's a NASA spacesuit, then NASA does the final assembly.  

Quality Control 

A space suit also needs to go through quality control.

Its suit piece goes through a quality check at each step in the production process.

This helps in making sure that each suit piece is well built and working properly.

NASA also does detailed and extensive tests on the final assembled spacesuit. 

Future

Space suits are constantly evolving.

NASA is doing constant research to increase components like pressure-retaining layers, oxygen holding capacity, and battery power.

Soon enough, newer space suits will help astronauts travel space in a more efficient way.