NASA’s Next-Generation Spacesuits
Designing a wardrobe for space conditions
Introduction
The United States’ return to the Moon through NASA’s Artemis Program is an ambitious and formidable goal that requires an insurmountable amount of engineering and technical expertise to be executed safely and effectively. An additional goal of the Artemis Program is to take the lessons and knowledge gathered from returning to the Moon and apply those lessons to traveling to Mars. One aspect of the Artemis Program is to improve the existing spacesuit technology to expand the capabilities of astronauts as they embark on their revitalized frontier of exploration on the Moon. NASA teams have made significant milestones in improving these spacesuit’s performance in their operating environments and expanding their respective capabilities as defined by the various stakeholders in the Artemis Program. The creation of these modernized spacesuit systems can be correlated to several Systems Engineering processes and concepts.
Operating Environment
As a part of the Artemis Program, Artemis astronauts will utilize two sets of spacesuits during missions to the Moon. The first spacesuit that has seen significant improvement is the Orion Crew Survival System. According to NASA, the spacesuit will be utilized for launch and re-entry while aboard NASA’s spacecraft (NASA, 2019). The second spacesuit that NASA teams have enhanced is the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), and according to NASA, this spacesuit will be utilized outside of the spacecraft on the surface of the Moon or in the vacuum of space (NASA, 2019). Outside their respective operating environments, these spacesuits will also have a storage requirement aboard the spacecraft that personnel are traveling on.
Artemis astronauts will utilize the Orion Crew Survival System as they travel aboard NASA spacecraft on their journeys through Earth’s atmosphere. The objective of these suits is to ensure the safety of personnel and mitigate risk to personnel as they pass through Earth’s atmosphere. Astronauts will utilize this spacesuit throughout the duration of their ascent and descent aboard NASA spacecraft. These spacesuits are mainly designed for use while astronauts launch, re-enter the atmosphere, and transit between launch vehicles in the vacuum of space. The environment in which these spacesuits are utilized requires flexibility to perform functions aboard spacecraft, communications equipment to ensure consistent transmission between crew and support personnel, and life-support functionality for personnel.
Artemis astronauts will utilize the xEMU as they travel outside NASA spacecraft on their journeys outside Earth’s atmosphere and on the surface of the Moon. The xEMU’s operating environment requires the system to be customizable for each astronaut to ensure maneuverability and be capable of life support for extended durations. The system requires advanced communications equipment to ensure consistent transmission between crew and support personnel outside the NASA spacecraft. There is the additional possibility that the xEMU may be utilized in low-earth orbit for certain missions like space station maintenance. Hence, this requires extra mobility for activities in reduced gravity. The operating environment for these spacesuits will likely expand as the Artemis Program progresses because the program intends to bring humanity to Mars as well. However, the operation of these spacesuits in this environment may require additional considerations to ensure the effective function of the system.
Stakeholders
There are several stakeholders in the Orion Crew Survival and xEMU systems because the system can meet their respective needs and expectations. The primary stakeholders include the astronauts traveling inside NASA spacecraft to the Moon or Mars. The astronauts are important considerations for the design of the suit because each suit must facilitate the dimensions of individual personnel. Also, the key support staff that will interact with these astronauts and systems are vital stakeholders as well. The key support staff for these spacesuits includes the NASA mission personnel and spacesuit maintenance personnel. These stakeholders are also important in design because they facilitate contact with personnel and maintain these systems. Additional stakeholders include regulatory agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Communication Commission. These agencies are responsible for the management of policies and procedures that ensure safety as it relates to the communication and aviation aspects of these systems, which can affect facets of the design. All members of the public are stakeholders as well because the missions these systems will be a part of will help inspire new generations to pursue careers in science, engineering, math, and technology. The taxpayers of the United States should also be considered because the funding for these missions and technologies is coming directly from these citizens.
System Engineering Perspective
Several Systems Engineering concepts and processes can be related to the development and deployment of the Orion Crew Survival and xEMU systems to their respective operating environments. The benefits these processes and concepts can bring to the longevity and safety of these systems are vast.
Life cycle model management is a System Engineering process that can greatly enhance the life cycle of these systems. The control of the life cycle of a spacesuit when it is subject to such a high-stress environment as space is pivotal to mission success. According to the INCOSE SE Handbook, the life cycle management process should leverage lessons learned from one project to projects in the future, which would allow for an increase in performance and a reduction in issues (Walden et al., 2015). The lessons learned from previous iterations of spacesuits would greatly enhance the performance of modernized systems.
“Human systems integration (HSI)” is another pivotal process that these systems must utilize to ensure the safety, performance, and effectiveness of these systems. According to research, HSI is responsible for “the characteristics of the population that will use, operate, maintain, and support the system” (Walden et al., 2015, p. 238). These spacesuits are built with astronauts’ safety, well-being, and comfort in mind to ensure that missions can be accomplished with these systems effectively and efficiently. The user of these systems must be able to navigate high-stress environments with completely or mostly independent life support sub-systems. These system requirements and HSI-related requirements are critical in the development and implementation of these systems.
Two key processes must be implemented to ensure this system meets the various stakeholder requirements and specifications. These processes include the verification and validation of these systems. The verification process for these systems ensures the system fulfills the specified requirements and characteristics. The validation process for these systems ensures that the system meets the needs of the stakeholders throughout the system’s lifecycle. “Verification ensures you built the system right. Validation ensures you built the right system” (Walden et al., 2015, p. 21). These processes are pivotal to the overall success of these systems because, without their implementation, they may cause serious injury to the users during normal operating conditions.
Conclusion
There are countless System Engineering processes and concepts that can be applied to the Orion Crew Survival and xEMU systems development and deployment, but safety for the astronaut wearing the suit is the primary concern for these systems. The life cycle process for these systems must be well understood and implemented due to the nature of the high-risk and stressful environment in which they will operate. The vacuum of space and the surface of different planets will not be able to facilitate the enabling systems that are readily available on Earth. Therefore, special consideration must be given to the life cycle and its process to ensure the safety and reliability of these systems. The HSI process is interwoven into the life cycle of the system because the system must consistently ensure the safety of the spacesuit wearer from harm. The verification and validation process ensures that all the various requirements and considerations, like the HSI, are met.
References
NASA. (2019). NASA: Artemis. NASA.https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/
NASA. (2019, October 16). NASA Introduces New Spacesuits for the Moon and Mars [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj6LYpZosRU
Spacesuit for NASA’s Artemis III Moon Surface Mission Debuts — NASA. (2023, March 15). NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/spacesuit-for-nasas-artemis-iii-moon-surface-mission-debuts/
Walden, D. D., Roedler, G. J., Forsberg, K., R Douglas Hamelin, Shortell, T. M., & Council, I. (2015). INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook (4th ed.). Wiley.
