NASA needs to build gloves and boots that can withstand the cold moon temperatures

NASA’s upcoming lunar mission is colder than Apollo plans, and the agency is working to figure out how to keep its astronauts comfortable while visiting the permanently shadowed areas of Lunar South Pole.

NASA’s team of engineers is preparing to test the elbow joint in a large low-growth chamber to evaluate the structure of the next-generation cosmic suits worn by astronauts on the moon. Built for brief icy tests, acquisition development and excavation laboratories or Citadels, to test robot parts for non-threaded missions to launch into places like the cold moon in the solar system. The castle is now used for humans’ long-standing return to the moon.

“We want to understand the risks of astronauts entering permanently covered areas, gloves and boots are key as they extend contact with cold surfaces and tools,” Zach Fester, an engineer with the senior suit team of NASA Johnson, said in a statement.

In NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a castle that is 4 feet (1.2 meters) high and 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide. Although most cryogenic facilities use liquid nitrogen to cool objects, the castle uses compressed helium to reach temperatures as low as -370 degrees Fahrenheit (-223 Celsuis). The chamber takes several days to reach the desired temperature, and turning it on can restart the entire process. To avoid the castle being equipped with four load locks, a drawer-like chamber can be inserted while maintaining its refrigerated vacuum state.

Citadel also features a robotic arm that captures test material, as well as a visible and infrared light camera to capture the entire test process. To simulate the lunar mission, the team will also add wear tests indoors and add wear materials indoors, and simulate aluminum blocks and aluminum blocks to simulate tools that astronauts may grab.

In the past, NASA would use its actual astronauts to perform thermal tests, forcing them to insert their glove hands into an ice-cold glove box, grab an ice-cold object and hold it until its skin temperature drops to 50 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Celsius). The Space Agency now uses custom-made craftsmanship and feet to conduct tests inside the castle. Manikin’s limbs are equipped with a fluid ring system that mimics warm blood through appendages, dozens of temperature and heat flux sensors collect data from inside gloves and boots.

NASA’s Artemis 3 Mission will land astronauts on the moon’s surface for the first time since the Apollo era. When Apollo astronauts land near the equator near the moon, the Artemis crew will explore the moon’s south pole. The Moon’s Antarctic is very interested in scientists because it may occupy water ice in permanently shadowed areas, but it does bring about severe environments due to extreme temperatures and areas that are not accessible to sunlight. According to NASA, Artemis astronauts will spend about two hours at a time in the crater, which may contain ice deposits, where temperatures can reach -414 degrees Fahrenheit (-248 degrees Celsius -414 degrees Celsius).

Astronauts returning to the moon will wear new fashion-forward. In 2022, NASA is responsible for the Axiom Space to develop its first lunar roaming suit since the Apollo mission. The company then announced Axemu, abbreviation for Axiom’s external mobile unit, built on the legacy of Apollo spacesuits, while blending new technologies to make astronauts more mobile and better protect the moon-to-month environment. Axiom Space collaborates with Prada to draw on the brand’s expertise in design and Materialasl, while also trying to provide an aesthetically pleasing look to astronauts on the moon.

Citadel’s ongoing testing will help NASA prepare standards for its next-generation Axemu spacesuit. Meanwhile, gloves tested indoors were NASA’s sixth edition, which began in use in the 1980s and were part of astronauts wearing astronauts on the International Space Station for spacewalks. According to NASA, gloves have performed poorly in castles so far, proving that they will not meet the heat needs of the Moon’s South Pole. The results of the boot test have not been fully analyzed.

Shane McFarland, head of technical development at NASA Johnson’s senior suit team, said in a statement: “The test is seeking to determine what limits: how long can a glove or boot last in that lunar environment? We want to quantify what our capability gap is for what is on the current hardware, so we can provide this information to Artemis compliant tests that compliant Artemis compliant tests and evaluate unique hardware and can evaluate future hardware.

NASA’s Artemis 3 Mission will be launched in 2027, sending astronauts to a previously untapped lunar region. Hopefully astronauts can stay warm in the dark and cold moon’s South Pole.