NASA’s intent is to transition from the traditional Government-owned hardware model to an “EVA as a Service” model. The goal is to achieve one or more EVA service demonstrations as early as 2024, and the full suite of commercial EVA services beginning as soon as feasible thereafter to meet the continued NASA demand.
Spacesuits Encountering Continuous DelaysPrior to 2019, NASA planned to design, test, develop, and provide next-generation Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) spacesuits to the ISS by 2023 and to the Artemis III mission by 2028. However, when the timeline for Artemis III was accelerated, NASA was required to fast-track its schedule by 4 years. Since then, delivery of the spacesuits necessary for lunar expeditions have been delayed due to technical challenges, funding shortfalls, and COVID-19 impacts. AES schedules indicate that the projected delivery date for the ISS demonstration and Artemis III spacesuits is December 2024. Given the subsequent integration requirements, the suits will not be ready for flight until May 2025 at the earliest, making the suits and associated hardware unavailable for a planned 2024 lunar landing. In August 2021, we reported that given the projected delays and lack of contingency plans, the current pace of spacesuit development will preclude a 2024 crewed lunar landing.[34] We also projected that by the time two flight-ready spacesuits are completed, NASA will have spent over a billion dollars on the development and assembly of its next-generation spacesuits, along with development of associated Extravehicular Activity (EVA) tools and equipment and upgrade of aging EVA facilities and infrastructure. Going forward, NASA officials told us that they plan to reduce technical risks for a future services contract by using an online Technical Library for spacesuit components and assemblies accessible by potential contractors, and through planned on-orbit testing of spacesuit components to increase their technical maturity. While this will be helpful for companies competing for and receiving a spacesuit contract, even with these modifications in approach, we determined the new spacesuits will still not be ready by 2024.[34] IG-21-025
However, in April 2021, the Agency altered their acquisition approach for the suits, opting to instead utilize a commercial services approach to acquire EVA services for the ISS, Artemis, and other advanced programs. Similar to the commercial crew and cargo efforts, the approach will involve NASA paying for contractor-developed suits as opposed to building the suits in-house or purchasing the suits outright.
One thing that I wanted to clarify. People keep saying that the suits for the Moon have been delayed to 2025. That information comes from the IG Report but they were talking about the xEMU suits which will NOT be made. The exact date of when the commercial suits will be ready is undetermined. NASA has only stated that it wants a demo unit to be ready in 2024 (presumably that demo spacesuit will be tested at the ISS).
Quote from: yg1968 on 11/11/2021 01:14 pmOne thing that I wanted to clarify. People keep saying that the suits for the Moon have been delayed to 2025. That information comes from the IG Report but they were talking about the xEMU suits which will NOT be made. The exact date of when the commercial suits will be ready is undetermined. NASA has only stated that it wants a demo unit to be ready in 2024 (presumably that demo spacesuit will be tested at the ISS). While it isn't guaranteed, I'm pretty sure that much or even most of the xEMU design will be picked up by the commercial vendor. I don't see how there is any other feasible way that any company can meet the schedule that the solicitation outlines. So at the very least, it's presumptive and a bit reductionist to say that the xEMU won't be made - because at this point, no one can actually know. The procurement will bear this out.
Yes, it is possible (and perhaps even likely) that the providers will be inspired by the xEMU but it wouldn't technically be the xEMU anymore (it would only be a design that is inspired by the xEMU). But I see your point in saying that the xEMU efforts weren't done in vain as they will help the commercial providers build their own spacesuits. That is a good point.
It's also not obvious that that will continue to be the plan, given that it was predicated on the lander only being able to house two crew for the duration (only going up to four after a habitat is available). After the selection of Starship for HLS, they probably started questioning whether they are willing to leave Orion empty while not docked to Gateway so they can get eight boots on the surface... but not officially investigating that because the contract hasn't actually been issued yet.But they will almost certainly be sending the suits up in the lander either way, and there's more than enough space for four. The other question is how quickly the suits can be produced; it's already going to be tight, they might adapt the plan depending on how many are available
...........Now with the pivot to commercial services, it opens up the possibility for the vendor to adopt all, most, some or none of the xEMU design as it currently stands (or will stand when the vendor comes online). Whatever ends up flying at the end of the day could be 0%, 20%, 50%, 75%, or 99% of the xEMU design. We don't know and nobody will know until the ink dries on a procurement award. But I do expect that given the schedule pressure and the competitive nature of the bidding process, that there is an incentive to leverage the xEMU design to a significant extent. I don't think it's just inspiration - I think it's straight up design. I could be wrong - we'll see.Now, whether the suit ends up being called xEMU or it's called something else is a matter of trivial detail that isn't really germane to the discussion.
.....If there is anything to the remark of Elon Musk, that they can provide a Moon suit by 2024, then SpaceX must have some advanced state of development for a surface suit. Which would be nothing like xEMU.
A quick edit of the above suit image to boost the brightness and pick out some details.
Quote from: Scintillant on 11/23/2021 08:40 pmA quick edit of the above suit image to boost the brightness and pick out some details.Looks similar to the EVA suit from ILC Dover.
Proposals are due today. Some times companies will reveal details of their proposals after the due date.
#NASA #HEO #NAC - On new suits, was part of the Gateway program initially, development a suit to replace EMU's high priority to get new suit developed, have a procurement out now. Mobility is key. Want a wider range of human sizes, & more time to operate at higher pressure
• xEVA Services (xEVAS) procurement to provide suits for ISS, Gateway and the lunar surface • Proposals received on Dec 14th, 2021 • Targeting contract award April 2022• Continued strong government-based risk reduction work • Initiated exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) design verification testing (DVT) of the pressure garment subsystem (PGS) and portable life support subsystem (PLSS) • Primary and auxiliary Thermal Control Loop testing • Helmet light and camera assembly vibration testing • Antenna pattern testing • PGS partial gravity mobility evaluations at Active Response Gravity Off-load System facility (ARGOS) • Successfully completed first human-in-the-loop test series in upgraded 20ft Chamber test facility • Successfully completed fifth of six planned on-orbit simulated EVA series with the Spacesuit Evaporation Rejection Flight Experiment (SERFE) following a planned 210d dwell period • Test data and reports will be added to EVA Technical Library to reduce risk for future xEVAS partner(s)
https://twitter.com/wapodavenport/status/1493210025048911874Jared Isaacman, who led the first all-private astronaut mission to orbit, has commissioned 3 more flights from SpaceX:https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/02/14/jared-isaacman-polaris-spacex-starship-inspiration4/Quote from: the articleIsaacman will be the commander of the first Polaris flight, known as Polaris Dawn. He’ll be joined by Scott “Kidd” Poteet, a former Air Force pilot who served as the mission director for Inspiration4, and two SpaceX lead operation engineers, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, who help prepare astronauts for flights on the company’s Dragon spacecraft. The four got to know one another during the Inspiration4 mission and have “a foundation of trust they can build upon as they undertake the challenges of this mission,” the crew said in a statement. [...]Isaacman said it had not yet been decided whether everyone would get the chance to venture outside and that it was one of many details of the operation that are still being worked out. To perform the spacewalk, SpaceX is developing more advanced spacesuits that would keep the astronauts safe in the vacuum of space.
Isaacman will be the commander of the first Polaris flight, known as Polaris Dawn. He’ll be joined by Scott “Kidd” Poteet, a former Air Force pilot who served as the mission director for Inspiration4, and two SpaceX lead operation engineers, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, who help prepare astronauts for flights on the company’s Dragon spacecraft. The four got to know one another during the Inspiration4 mission and have “a foundation of trust they can build upon as they undertake the challenges of this mission,” the crew said in a statement. [...]Isaacman said it had not yet been decided whether everyone would get the chance to venture outside and that it was one of many details of the operation that are still being worked out. To perform the spacewalk, SpaceX is developing more advanced spacesuits that would keep the astronauts safe in the vacuum of space.
