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MITs Next Mars Space Suit
Posted by Xeno on September 4, 2012
Dava J. Newman is a Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems, Director of Technology and Policy Program and MacVicar Faculty Fellow at MIT. Throughout the history(pdf) of NASA space suits, astronauts had to deal with bulky, hard to move in, non-mobile suits that hindered their work flow as opposed to helped them achieve their tasks and jobs.That is, until Dava and her crew designed a snug fitting space suit that would allow astronauts to move freely. As you can see from the image below, the suit is significantly smaller than NASA’s Mark III space suit. This will allow wearers of the suit to fit into tighter spaces and work with their hands more freely than ever before.
Dava’s suit would be a huge leap forward in terms of construction as well. They’ve enlisted the expertise of Dainese, an Italian manufacturer of motorcycle racing “leathers”—leather and carbon-fiber suits designed to protect racers traveling at up to 200 mph.
The suit would be a degree safer than current space suits. While a puncture or scrape in a traditional space suit would cause a dramatic decrease in pressure and would be tramatic, even deadly The “biosuit” could be patched with a high tech ace bandage. The wearer would wrap it around the punctured area to stop the leak almost instantly. Pressure loss would be minimal and the astronaut would be able to continue working and finish his or her task. …
via MITs Next Mars Space Suit | Space Industry News.
