Today Elon Musk has published the first picture of SpaceX spacesuit. According to his statement is not a model but a working sample that passed the first tests. As Max writes, it was quite difficult to strike a balance between aesthetics and functionality.
No doubt, it looks very cool. But there is no information about what functionality can provide this costume, and whether it can rightly be called a spacesuit.
Let's be objective: even with the leadership of SpaceX and other Mask's companies in many advanced technologies, it's hard to believe that this suit has everything necessary for survival in space.
A space suit should provide protection from the following basic threats: the absence of oxygen, high and low temperature, pressure compensation, radiation and solar wind.
Let's compare this trendy outfit with the most «powerful» NASA's suit: EMU, which is used for work in outer space.
EMU suit (images)EMU combines soft and hard materials, which provides protection and mobility. In fact, the material of the suit consists of 13 layers: two layers of internal cooling, two layers of compressing, eight layers of thermal and micrometeorites protection and one outer layer. The composition of these layers is composed of the following materials: knitted nylon, spandex, urethane nylon, dacron neoprene, nylon, mylar, gortex, kevlar and nomex.
EMU consists of different functional modules:
- MAG (collects urine),
- LCVG (removes excess heat),
- EEH (provides communication), LTA (lower part of the suit, pants, knee pads, Shin guards and boots),
- HUT (upper part of the costume, hard fiberglass shell that supports several structures: arms, torso, helmet, life support backpack and control module),
- PLSS (primary life support system: oxygen, energy, carbon dioxide cleaning, cooling, water).
And that's not all, a complete description of the parts of the costume you can see in the picture below:
you can find a detailed description and more images HERE
EMU is designed for 8 hours of work in outer space and withstand the temperature range from -184 °с to +149 °с degrees, this monster weighs 145 kg. The production cost of one suit ranges from 12-20 million dollars. Hom much will cost SpaceX suit?- We don't know.
A couple of years ago, NASA launched the development of a new prototype Z1 (Buzz Lightyear suit). But, it was too bulky and uncomfortable. Therefore, almost immediately was started work on the next prototype Z2.
Source NASA. The most curious can see how the Z1 looked :)
In fact, Z2 is the symbiosis of the EMU suit with Dava Newman development- Biosuit. Biosuit is a tightly wrapped fabric of polymers and active materials (alloy of nickel and titanium).
Biosuit. Source and more information with pictures
It is worth noting, that Elon Musk never claimed that the development of SpaceX is able to provide the astronaut with all the necessary functionality. Today, cosmonauts have a wide range of suits that meet completely different requirements and serve for different situations. Can you imagine that Mask's suit replace all these parts:
From right to left: 1. Suit for outer space 2. For activity inside a spaceship 3-4. External pressurized suit 5-6. Inner suit pressurized suit 7. Shell with insulation and protection from meteors 8. Suit of constant wearing 9. Suit with liquid cooling 10. NWM :). source
Most likely, the model of SpaceX is intended primarily for the environment, which already has a primary basic protection from space impacts: on board the spacecraft, space rover, station of colonists on another planet.
The main objective of this suit is to protect the astronaut from the low temperature differential and a short-term lack of oxygen. This suit can give a few minutes of life, that could be decisive in a critical situation, and will allow the cosmonaut to reach the rescue compartments or a more reliable spacesuit.
I look forward to more detailed presentations...
I think Elon Musk is an alien sent to secretly sort out the mess we are in. He can't just give us all this alien technology too fast because it will look too suspicious. So, he uses his time warp technology to make it seem like all his projects are all spread out over time when really, he's only been on earth for a few weeks. It's really the only explanation to how he is accomplishing all these things.
Hmmm, but what for? I'm not sure that aliens are so kind. Maybe they wanna use us for their mystic purposes, try to direct our civilization in a direction that is advantageous for them -_-
https://steemit.com/@argd88
Elon Musk is an absolute beast! How does he have time for all these things???
He really is amazing, let's hope that it's really interesting working prototype and not just a PR :)
vote plz
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It would be cool to replace all the multiple layers of the present-day suit with two or three. Much more freedom for an astronaut. Perhaps, new materials will soon give the humanity such an opportunity (just thought of a biological material of algae "eating" radiation). But I agree that Musk's costume is hardly designed for wearing in outer space.
It's a flight suit. Google "space shuttle flight suit" or "soyuz flight suit" to see what it is replacing. It's a huge improvement and of course it has the required functionality. Their rockets work, so why would you expect their suits do not?