US: First next-gen spacesuit passes crucial NASA test, will be used by astronauts outside space station
Collins Aerospace's spacesuit, tested aboard a microgravity flight, clears a key milestone
A private US firm has passed a crucial milestone test for creating advanced spacesuits to be used outside the International Space Station (ISS). American space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said the new design promises a good fit and better functionality for operations in microgravity.
NASA had selected Collins Aerospace to do the job of creating the new design that would replace the currently used spacesuit. For last two decades, the astronauts have been using an extravehicular mobility unit to assemble and maintain the ISS.
The new spacesuits are expected to further advance astronauts’ spacewalking outside the ISS, which will remain operational at least till 2030.
Why new spacesuits are required?
The new spacesuits would be advanced as well as more efficient than the current ones. They would be durable and require less maintenance.
The test was conducted in an artificially created microgravity environment aboard an aircraft. During the brief period of weightlessness, the astronaut performed several roller-coaster-like manoeuvres, demonstrating the features and practicality of the new suits.
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This helped the researchers to assess the viability of the suits without needing to go into space.
What next?
Collins Aerospace has said it will continue testing the new ‘next-gen’ spacesuit in a space-like environment.
The next-gen suit would also be tested at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory – a 40-foot deep pool at the Johnson Space Center in Houston which simulates a microgravity environment for astronaut spacewalk training.
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Notably, this is one of two suits being developed by NASA with hopes to support station maintenance and operations.
“With a new spacesuit, we can address some of the current obsolescence issues with the EMU and take advantage of all the new technologies that are available to us now that weren’t available 50 years ago, such as improved mobility and technological innovations in life support systems,” NASA had said last year.
(With inputs from agencies)