The Orion Spacesuit
When astronauts fly into deep space, they will need to have a sturdy spacesuit with them for protection and to perform spacewalks from the Orion spacecraft. NASA is testing a modified version of the space shuttle's Advanced Crew Escape Suit to support crews as they fly to the moon, Mars or other destinations. The first crewed flight is expected around 2023, if the schedule holds.
On June 22, engineers and technicians at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston ran a vacuum- pressure integrated suit test, the latest in a series of technical
hurdles the suit must pass before being rated for flight. In this test, crews entered a vacuum chamber, where air was removed while the suit was hooked up to life-support systems. Watch the test in this series of pictures.
When astronauts fly into deep space, they will need to have a sturdy spacesuit with them for protection and to perform spacewalks from the Orion spacecraft. NASA is testing a modified version of the space shuttle's Advanced Crew Escape Suit to support crews as they fly to the moon, Mars or other destinations. The first crewed flight is expected around 2023, if the schedule holds.
On June 22, engineers and technicians at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston ran a vacuum- pressure integrated suit test, the latest in a series of technical
hurdles the suit must pass before being rated for flight. In this test, crews entered a vacuum chamber, where air was removed while the suit was hooked up to life-support systems. Watch the test in this series of pictures.
The Great Pumpkin
It's the revenge of the pumpkin suit! A participant in spacesuit testing walks into a chamber that will simulate a vacuum similar to what is encountered in space. This new suit is a hybrid of the pumpkin-colored Advanced Crew Escape Suit used for space shuttle launches and the white spacesuit used for spacewalks on the International Space Station.
"Because of mass and volume constraints, NASA wanted to be able to use ACES (the suit intended for ascent and entry during Space Shuttle missions) both for ascent/entry periods of Orion missions and also for EVA (space walks)," said Robert Frost, an instructor and flight controller at NASA, in a 2016 discussion on Quora.com about the new spacesuit.
It's the revenge of the pumpkin suit! A participant in spacesuit testing walks into a chamber that will simulate a vacuum similar to what is encountered in space. This new suit is a hybrid of the pumpkin-colored Advanced Crew Escape Suit used for space shuttle launches and the white spacesuit used for spacewalks on the International Space Station.
"Because of mass and volume constraints, NASA wanted to be able to use ACES (the suit intended for ascent and entry during Space Shuttle missions) both for ascent/entry periods of Orion missions and also for EVA (space walks)," said Robert Frost, an instructor and flight controller at NASA, in a 2016 discussion on Quora.com about the new spacesuit.
Hooking up
A view through the porthole of the testing chamber shows just how small a space the participants worked in for the test. Here, a technician rigs up one of the participants in the Orion spacesuit pressure test, ensuring that the astronauts are properly hooked up before air is evacuated from the thermal chamber.
This is just one in a series of tests the Orion spacesuit is undergoing. A previous test saw the deep-space suit being tested in microgravity conditions on an aircraft that flies parabolas. The spacesuit has also been tested before in vacuum conditions, such as the one shown here in 2015.
A view through the porthole of the testing chamber shows just how small a space the participants worked in for the test. Here, a technician rigs up one of the participants in the Orion spacesuit pressure test, ensuring that the astronauts are properly hooked up before air is evacuated from the thermal chamber.
This is just one in a series of tests the Orion spacesuit is undergoing. A previous test saw the deep-space suit being tested in microgravity conditions on an aircraft that flies parabolas. The spacesuit has also been tested before in vacuum conditions, such as the one shown here in 2015.
Ready for testing
A participant in spacesuit testing puts on his game face during a routine at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. While astronauts are the most famous face of the space program, other people often perform ground tests on equipment in consultation with astronauts.
The Orion spacecraft underwent a single test in space in December 2014, and an uncrewed mission around the moon is planned for 2019 when the new Space Launch System deep-space rocket is ready to go. Astronauts are expected to fly on Orion around 2023 if the current schedule holds, although there have been many delays already.
Originally published on Space.com
A participant in spacesuit testing puts on his game face during a routine at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. While astronauts are the most famous face of the space program, other people often perform ground tests on equipment in consultation with astronauts.
The Orion spacecraft underwent a single test in space in December 2014, and an uncrewed mission around the moon is planned for 2019 when the new Space Launch System deep-space rocket is ready to go. Astronauts are expected to fly on Orion around 2023 if the current schedule holds, although there have been many delays already.
Originally published on Space.com
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