Photo credit: www.nasa.gov

NASA’s Innovative Spacesuit Glove Undergoes Critical Testing

A glove designed specifically for NASA’s spacesuits, intended for extravehicular activities aboard the International Space Station, is currently undergoing rigorous thermal vacuum testing. This testing is taking place in a unique facility known as CITADEL (Cryogenic Ice Testing, Acquisition Development, and Excavation Laboratory) at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory located in Southern California. The glove was prepared for these extreme conditions on November 1, 2023.

This particular glove is part of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) and has been subjected to vacuum environments and temperatures plummeting to minus 352 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 213 degrees Celsius). Such conditions mimic the intensely cold surroundings that astronauts on the upcoming Artemis III mission might encounter, especially at the Moon’s South Pole. A cross-functional team comprising experts from NASA JPL, Johnson Space Center in Houston, and the NASA Engineering and Safety Center has been engaged in testing not just the gloves but also boots within the CITADEL facility.

Plans are already in motion for the next phase of testing, which will focus on the elbow joints of the suit. These assessments aim to identify any weaknesses in the current NASA suit design while also establishing testing criteria for the next-generation lunar suit being developed by Axiom Space. This new suit is crucial for ensuring that NASA astronauts are well-equipped and safeguarded during their missions as part of the Artemis III program.

To explore more about the various testing phases essential for the Artemis III mission, follow this link.

Text credit: Melissa Pamer

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Source
www.nasa.gov