Suits Through the Eras: The Next Generation
This is final installment of a three-part series. Catch up on parts I and II.
Our achievements during the last 60 years have made the United States a world leader in space exploration. However, this comes with great responsibility, and we must challenge ourselves to reach new heights and continue to explore the unknown.
The next generation of exploration will begin with the Artemis program, which will drive missions unlike any we have yet to experience. Appropriately named after the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon, Artemis will return to the Moon in 2024 as a steppingstone to Mars. This mission will require a whole fleet of new technologies to enable it, including a spacesuit that can support the many new challenges planetary exploration will present.
The Exploration Suit - xEMU
To meet the ever-growing requirements of the coming missions, we will call on the next generation of spacesuits—beginning with the xEMU (Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit). The first new suit for NASA in more than 35 years, this exploration suit will be different from those used during the Gemini, Apollo and Shuttle programs. There are new features and technologies that will better support an extended presence and new exploration tasks on the lunar surface. Additionally, the suit’s design incorporates lessons from all previous missions and provides increased functionality. 
The New Era with Better Fit
Despite being in zero gravity, the astronauts still must contend with overcoming the pressurized elements of the suit to perform even the simplest of tasks. Spacewalk suits are typically operated at lower pressures (close to 4 psi) to reduce overall stiffness of the pressure garment and improve mobility. However, if not designed properly, it can be still be quite difficult to move in a suit at these low pressures. To mitigate the effects of resistance loading, the xEMU incorporates various components that alleviate some of that resistance. For instance, the xEMU will employ a more flexible, convoluted shoulder design allowing for greater range of shoulder motion with less resistance. So that the astronaut can walk at a normal gait, kneel and squat, the lower torso incorporates several bearings to permit waist and hip rotation. With these features, our future astronauts will be able to walk and complete tasks much like a geologist: performing maneuvers low to the ground, on different surfaces, with varying gravitational levels and flexibility of movement. The combination of enhanced upper torso and improved lower torso will aid future explorers in collecting soil and conducting experiments on the surface of the Moon, among other responsibilities.
Another major change for the new era of suit design affects how the astronaut puts on (donning) and takes off (doffing) the suit. With no more trying to put on a two-piece suit and connect them together in zero gravity, donning and doffing the xEMU will be significantly easier through a rear-entry hatch. This method of donning/doffing will make it easier for designers to properly fit the crew without impeding their ability to get into the suit. In addition to a rear-entry hatch, the new upper torso includes sizing features that improve fit for a wider range of crew sizes, thereby improving upper torso mobility. Ultimately, the goal of the xEMU pressure garment design is to allow for more natural movement and improved fit so that astronauts can complete a diverse set of tasks that will require bending, twisting and kneeling like geologists can do on Earth.
Brand-New Technology
The experience accumulated from years of spacesuit design, and for many different purposes, has helped identify several gaps in capabilities and technologies to further exploration goals. NASA has been steadily working to close these gaps through the design of the xEMU suit. Similarly, we know that new technology is developed regularly, and cutting-edge innovation is around every corner. This new suit is built to keep up with that rate of advancement and the changing demands of the mission. Be it exploring the lunar surface or Mars and beyond, the xEMU will upgrade as we mature the objectives of the Artemis program and other future human exploration endeavors. Some of the upgrades that have been included in the xEMU suit design include:
Safe and Ready to Explore
Since it is a spacecraft, every suit needs to have a Portable Life Support System (PLSS) incorporated to provide oxygen and pressurization for breathing, cooling for the astronaut and electronics, carbon dioxide removal and power for all the technology embedded with the suit. One of the significant improvements for the xEMU suit PLSS is regenerative carbon dioxide removal technology, which means no more changing out of heavy carbon dioxide collection canisters. Used air will be removed through an alternating dual-bed chemical system that desorbs the waste into the vacuum of space when it is not removing it from within the suit. Astronauts would then be able to explore for eight hours at a time without needing to include canisters amongst consumables when packing up for the Moon!
Another task of the PLSS is to manage the internal temperature of the suit. Upgrades have also been made to the xEMU’s heat-rejection capability with hollow-fiber membrane technology, which uses thousands of tiny straw-like “pipes” that, when exposed to space, provide evaporative cooling. The new system is much less sensitive to the quality of the onboard water, which is significant since water is a limited resource abroad spacecraft and will support many more spacewalks before needing maintenance.
Finally, the PLSS backpack has been packaged to function like a computer “motherboard.” The system uses a backplate with embedded channels and connectors that allow for the components to be plugged in and ready to use. This allows for simpler removal and repairs, and it simplifies the interface to enable future upgrades.
Loud and Clear Mission Control
The exploration suit will also incorporate upgrades in other systems, including the communications system. Communications between the ground and the crew member will no longer require a separate “Snoopy Cap” to be worn by the astronaut; rather, the speakers and microphones will be incorporated into the neck ring of the suit. Several microphones will be placed around the neck ring of the upper torso to capture crew member audio more clearly as they move their head about inside the helmet. By incorporating these elements into the upper torso and including noise-cancelling technologies, there will be one less critical system for the astronaut to address during donning and doffing, and one less distraction when preparing for a spacewalk. Thanks to these improvements, the astronaut will remain comfortable and cool while going about their assignments.
Compact and Convenient
The display and control unit mounted on the chest area of the suit has also been redesigned and reduced into a smaller upper torso that allows for a better fit and reach for smaller-statured astronauts. This display provides critical information to the astronaut, while the control module enables the crew to interact with vital suit functions during their spacewalks. By reducing the size of the control unit on the hard-upper torso, astronauts are able to move their arms and shoulders in a more natural way, gaining increased cross-reach and overhead-reach access, and will be able to see and touch the control module with greater ease.
Camera Ready
The current EMU uses video cameras on the helmet to give us a real-time view of things just as the astronaut sees it. For the xEMU, the cameras will be upgraded to provide a high-definition view of operations conducted on the Moon. All of this video requires a bigger data “pipe” to send the video and images to our counterparts in lunar orbit or aboard the International Space Station, as well as ground controllers on Earth. To accomplish this, the radio aboard the xEMU will have vastly increased data-transmission capabilities, relying on higher bandwidth frequencies and digital technologies. This combination of upgrades will enable astronauts to see and record their activities in extreme detail, have access to the operations information in near real-time and provide feedback to the scientists on the ground with exceptional clarity.
Ready to Don
From Mercury, to Gemini, to Apollo and to Shuttle/Space Station, each suit has serviced its missions faithfully, unveiling a wealth of information. The xEMU is the first of the next generation of spacesuits, and will exemplify the innovation and technology advancements of our time. Serving the Artemis program, this suit will take us much further than the Moon. By collaborating with the public, industry and other international partners, this suit will help to establish an interplanetary presence while opening the commercial market for spacesuit products and services. NASA is building a private economy on the Moon and maintaining a Gateway as a first step to these lunar missions. Eventually, what we learn there will lead us to accomplishing the greater goal of sending humans to explore the surface of Mars. Through the visor of the xEMU, the next generation of astronauts will very soon gaze out at the stars from the Moon. NASA is ready to suit up our astronauts for Artemis … and the future!
