NASA is developing space suit technologies that will make future astronauts on the Moon safe from the Sun’s unfiltered rays.
The Moon has no atmosphere, which means the Sun’s rays hit the lunar surface with full force, reaching 250 degrees Fahrenheit during the day.
Nasa‘s Artemis program has a loaded schedule of manned and unmanned missions set to travel the cosmos.
In 2025, Artemis 3 will bring humans to the Moon with the first woman and person of color to reach the lunar surface on board.
The crew will touch down near the Moon’s south pole, which is understood to have large amounts of ice.
The astronauts will need protection from the ruthlessness temperatures of space as they traverse the Moon for the first time since the 1970s.
In a new video published by Nasa, engineers are shown developing new space suits that make a walk on the Moon a walk in the park.
On eight-hour spacewalks, heat generated by astronauts’ bodies is a factor that must be accounted for.
A spandex layer loaded with tubes pumping water around the astronauts’ bodies will be worn underneath the bulky white spacesuits.
Nasa calls this layer a “liquid cooling ventilation garment” and it absorbs heat created by astronauts’ movements.
he latest developments in liquid-cooling technologies are an expansion on similar techniques used by the Apollo astronauts decades ago and present-day space travelers.
Right now, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) conduct spacewalks using water recycled from a unit on board the station.
Engineers are working to condense the necessary resources to fit into a self-contained suit so that astronauts can explore the Moon without an attachment to the lunar module.
To date, two of these compact units have been built – one is here on Earth, while the other is aboard the ISS, waiting to be tested in zero gravity.
Nasa is open to engaging in partnerships with private companies to streamline the design and construction of the spacesuit technologies.
The next generation space suits will open the door to a new era of safe and efficient spacewalks.
Source: the-sun
