Author Topic: Z-2 and Prototype Exploration Suit (PXS) spacesuit new pictures  (Read 32710 times)

Offline JasonAW3

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The Charlie's angel pose is a computer graphic.  The actual Z2 is the one in the first picture and yes it is an actual light.  It serves no purpose other than a way to engage the public in the design of the cover layer.  It is only for ground testing and is not certified for flight.

Although it doesn't really serve any particular purpose, the integration of Electroluminescent cloth in different colors and configured in different patterns, would go a LONG ways for quick identification and being able to see personnel at a range either at night or in environments where visual range may be impaired.

Normally, identification of other space walkers is relatively simple, as MOST spacewalks are limited to one to three persons. (Current guidelines are to have a minimum of two astronauts on EVA, as a safety measure).  But in the future, multiple person EVAs will not only be likely, but almost mandatory.  Thus quick and simple visual identification would pretty much be a requirement to simplify both communication as well as identification in potential emergencies.
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Offline Todd Martin

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I have worked on this since 2008.  You might wonder why NASA built two prototypes that are similar?  Short answer is that they were built by two different groups, one in-house and the other by Oceaneering under contract to NASA.  Although the groups did work collaboratively and shared parts and resources.  Oceaneering supplied parts to Z2, and NASA provided expertise to Oceaneering.  NASA owns boths suits in the end.  Two prototypes are better than one.

Hope this isn't too silly a question.  Ever since reading "Have Space Suit, Will Travel", I wonder if NASA plans to incorporate Heinlein's main suggestion in suit design?  Namely, include a "rear view mirror".  With today's technology, I suppose this would entail including a small camera affixed to the rear of the suit and a monitor of some sort affixed to the inside of the helmet.  Additional cameras could be placed in positions for wider field of view.

Thanks!
« Last Edit: 03/15/2016 02:03 pm by Todd Martin »

Offline whitelancer64


I have worked on this since 2008.  You might wonder why NASA built two prototypes that are similar?  Short answer is that they were built by two different groups, one in-house and the other by Oceaneering under contract to NASA.  Although the groups did work collaboratively and shared parts and resources.  Oceaneering supplied parts to Z2, and NASA provided expertise to Oceaneering.  NASA owns boths suits in the end.  Two prototypes are better than one.

Hope this isn't too silly a question.  Ever since reading "Have Space Suit, Will Travel", I wonder if NASA plans to incorporate Heinlein's main suggestion in suit design?  Namely, include a "rear view mirror".  With today's technology, I suppose this would entail including a small camera affixed to the rear of the suit and a monitor of some sort affixed to the inside of the helmet.  Additional cameras could be placed in positions for wider field of view.

Thanks!

Spacesuits already have a mirror that could be used to look behind them if need be, it is attached to the wrist. It is primarily used to check the guages on their chest-mounted suit controls.

https://twitter.com/astro_davids/status/571097924647546881


*edit*

For context, here's the relevant quote from Have Space Suit, Will Travel, the protagonists are being chased across the Moon by some aliens.

"Another thing space suits should have is rear-view mirrors. While you are at it, add a window at the chin so that you can see where you step. But of the two, I would take a rear-view mirror. You can't glance behind you; you have to turn your entire body. Every few seconds I wanted to see if they were following us-and I couldn't spare the effort. All that nightmare trek I kept imagining them on my heels, expecting a wormy hand on my shoulder. I listened for footsteps which couldn't be heard in vacuum anyhow.
      When you buy a space suit, make them equip it with a rear-view mirror. You won't have Wormface on your trail but it's upsetting to have even your best friend sneak up behind you."
« Last Edit: 03/15/2016 04:38 pm by whitelancer64 »
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Offline the_other_Doug

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I have worked on this since 2008.  You might wonder why NASA built two prototypes that are similar?  Short answer is that they were built by two different groups, one in-house and the other by Oceaneering under contract to NASA.  Although the groups did work collaboratively and shared parts and resources.  Oceaneering supplied parts to Z2, and NASA provided expertise to Oceaneering.  NASA owns boths suits in the end.  Two prototypes are better than one.

Hope this isn't too silly a question.  Ever since reading "Have Space Suit, Will Travel", I wonder if NASA plans to incorporate Heinlein's main suggestion in suit design?  Namely, include a "rear view mirror".  With today's technology, I suppose this would entail including a small camera affixed to the rear of the suit and a monitor of some sort affixed to the inside of the helmet.  Additional cameras could be placed in positions for wider field of view.

Thanks!

Spacesuits already have a mirror that could be used to look behind them if need be, it is attached to the wrist. It is primarily used to check the guages on their chest-mounted suit controls.

https://twitter.com/astro_davids/status/571097924647546881


*edit*

For context, here's the relevant quote from Have Space Suit, Will Travel, the protagonists are being chased across the Moon by some aliens.

"Another thing space suits should have is rear-view mirrors. While you are at it, add a window at the chin so that you can see where you step. But of the two, I would take a rear-view mirror. You can't glance behind you; you have to turn your entire body. Every few seconds I wanted to see if they were following us-and I couldn't spare the effort. All that nightmare trek I kept imagining them on my heels, expecting a wormy hand on my shoulder. I listened for footsteps which couldn't be heard in vacuum anyhow.
      When you buy a space suit, make them equip it with a rear-view mirror. You won't have Wormface on your trail but it's upsetting to have even your best friend sneak up behind you."

As a first statement on the subject, here, if we're talking about surface suits (which this thread is about, I think), the only experience anyone has ever had with surface operations suits in a vacuum or near-vacuum was on the Apollo lunar surface EVAs.

No one ever thought to provide a suit mirror for the Apollo lunar EV suit, because all of the EMU controls and indicators were placed in direct view, on the chest-mounted remote control unit.  And because the surface crews practiced the surface operations so often, choreographing every step, they never ended up with one guy unaware the other was behind him and blundering backwards into his teammate.

So, with just two guys performing well-practiced activities, a rear-view mirror did not seem to be needful.  With three or more, performing familiar activities put together ad-hoc by the overnight planning team, you might need to re-think that...
-Doug  (With my shield, not yet upon it)

Offline Paul451

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But in the future, multiple person EVAs will not only be likely, but almost mandatory.  Thus quick and simple visual identification would pretty much be a requirement to simplify both communication as well as identification in potential emergencies.

There'll need to be a bunch of technologies once there are many independent teams on the surface. From visible IDs, to BVR beacon/locator-maps, to radios that include intuitive automatic range-varying (so your whisper isn't broadcast over several miles, but your shout is.)

Offline Zed_Noir

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But in the future, multiple person EVAs will not only be likely, but almost mandatory.  Thus quick and simple visual identification would pretty much be a requirement to simplify both communication as well as identification in potential emergencies.

Maybe something like Sashimono flags Japanese Samurai attached to their armour. Besides you need a radio antenna anyway.

Offline sghill

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But in the future, multiple person EVAs will not only be likely, but almost mandatory.  Thus quick and simple visual identification would pretty much be a requirement to simplify both communication as well as identification in potential emergencies.

Maybe something like Sashimono flags Japanese Samurai attached to their armour. Besides you need a radio antenna anyway.

Or the stripes we painted on Apollo helmets to distinguish pilot and commander...

Any sort of epaulettes or rank and class colors that can be viewed from a distance will do for visual identification I should think.  We've been doing that with soldier uniforms for thousands of years.
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Offline russianhalo117

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Gotta love that Charlie's Angels action pose. But does that glowing logo on the front have any purpose? Is it an actual lamp?


starting to look to me more and more like the armour and spacesuits in a cross between the Dead Space series and Space Engineers.

Online AnalogMan

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Thought this conference paper might be of interest to readers of this thread:

Z-2 Space Suit: A Case Study in Human Spaceflight Public Outreach
Due to be presented at 46th Intl. Conf. on Environmental systems 10-14 July 2016

Abstract

NASA Johnson Space Center’s Z-series of planetary space suit prototypes is an iterative development platform with a Mars-forward design philosophy, targeting a Mars surface mission in the mid-2030s. The first space suit assembly, called the Z-1, was delivered in 2012. While meeting the project’s stated requirements and objectives, the general public’s reception primarily focused on the color scheme, which vaguely invoked similarity to a certain animated cartoon character. The public at large has and continues to be exposed to varying space suit design aesthetics from popular culture and low TRL technology maturation efforts such as mechanical counterpressure. The lesson learned was that while the design aesthetic is not important from an engineering perspective, the perception of the public is important for NASA and human spaceflight in general. For the Z-2 space suit, an integrated public outreach strategy was employed to engage, excite and educate the public on the current technology of space suits and NASA’s plans moving forward. The keystone of this strategy was a public vote on three different suit cover layer aesthetics, the winner of which would be used as inspiration in fabrication. Other components included social media, university collaboration, and select media appearances, the cumulative result of which, while intangible in its benefit, was ultimately a positive effect in terms of the image of NASA as well as the dissemination of information vital to dispelling public misconceptions.

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20160003497.pdf

[copy also attached]

Offline CuddlyRocket

Although it doesn't really serve any particular purpose, the integration of Electroluminescent cloth in different colors and configured in different patterns, would go a LONG ways for quick identification and being able to see personnel at a range either at night or in environments where visual range may be impaired.

Larry Niven in his Known Space science-fiction series had members of the Belter culture (asteroid miners) decorate their spacesuits with individual and striking designs for precisely this reason. But notwithstanding the practical advantages, some individuals of a Martian colony are going to want to individualise their spacesuits. It might be good for morale if the suit designers allowed for this possibility in the basic suit design.

Offline RanulfC

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Anybody else remember the aborted "Plymouth" TV series? "You get to wear 'Zilla..." and a space suit dressed up to look like Godzilla? Bit over the top, (but not like a rocket powered Lunar Rover and making rain inside the habitat wasn't?) but had promise.

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Offline docmordrid

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Mechanical counterpressure suites in fact use the wearer's skin as the sealing layer.

That sounds like a recipe for some seriously dry skin.  I think you are almost but not quite right on that.

New to this thread but wanted to address this.

No, it needn't cause skin issues. I'm a below knee amputee, and the biocompatable silicone liners we amputees use to mount out prosthesis are very comfortable and can be worn for extended periods. Additionally, there are COTS cremes which can be applied under the liner if needed.
« Last Edit: 04/03/2016 01:27 am by docmordrid »
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Offline philw1776

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Although it doesn't really serve any particular purpose, the integration of Electroluminescent cloth in different colors and configured in different patterns, would go a LONG ways for quick identification and being able to see personnel at a range either at night or in environments where visual range may be impaired.

Larry Niven in his Known Space science-fiction series had members of the Belter culture (asteroid miners) decorate their spacesuits with individual and striking designs for precisely this reason. But notwithstanding the practical advantages, some individuals of a Martian colony are going to want to individualise their spacesuits. It might be good for morale if the suit designers allowed for this possibility in the basic suit design.

In Heinlein's 1949 "Red Planet" the young protagonists painted unique designs on their "suits" which were minimal as he way overestimated Martian atmospheric pressure.
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