Chilling out in the Lunar South Pole: The Race for Warm Spacesuits
NASA Requires Development of Gloves and Footwear Resilient to Moon's Freezing Climate Temperatures
NASA's imminent lunar expeditions are going to be balmy compared to the Apollo era, but the agency is working hard to ensure its astronauts stay warm as they explore the icy nooks of the Moon's south pole.
A team of NASA engineers are giving elbow joints a brain freeze in a whopping cryogenic chamber, evaluating the next-gen space suits designed for lunar adventures. The colossal chamber, known as CITADEL, was initially built for robot parts destined for Mars and other icy celestial bodies. Now, it's the stage for humanity's highly anticipated return to the Moon.
"We aim to comprehend the risk lunar explorers face in permanently shadowed regions, where gloves and boots are paramount as they deal with frigid surfaces and tools," declared Zach Fester, an engineer from NASA Johnson's Advanced Suit Team, and the mastermind behind the boot testing.
Standing at a towering 4 feet (1.2 meters) and spanning 5 feet (1.5 meters), the colossal CITADEL calls NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory home. Unlike conventional cryogenic facilities, CITADEL harnesses compressed helium to achieve temperatures as low as -370° Fahrenheit (-223° Celsius), making it quite the ice queen. Reaching these icy depths requires a few days, and popping it open resets the process, so CITADEL is outfitted with four load locks to maintain its chilled vacuum state.
CITADEL sports a robotic arm to grab test materials and a pair of eyes—visible and infrared light cameras—to capture everything. For simulations of lunar missions, the team plans to add abrasion tests and lunar regolith-like material to the chamber, along with aluminum blocks to mimic the tools gripped by astronauts.
In the past, NASA used real astronauts for thermal testing, making them plunge their gloved hands into icy glove boxes and endure freezing objects. Now, a custom-built manikin hand and foot, equipped with blood flow simulation systems and thermal sensors, are the stars of CITADEL's test runs.
NASA'sArtemis 3 mission has its eyes on landing astronauts on the lunar surface since Apollo's glory days. Unlike the Apollo crews, who touched down near the equator on the near side of the Moon, the Artemis cadre will venture into the rapidly cooling regions around the Moon's south pole. Scientists are all a-twitter about the lunar south pole, as it may hide water ice in perpetual darkness, but it's a less than inviting environment due to extreme temperatures and sunlight-starved locales. Artemis astronauts anticipate spending up to two hours inside craters, where temperatures can plunge to a mind-numbing -414° Fahrenheit (-248° Celsius), as stated by NASA.
NASA's trendy new spacesuits are a far cry from their 70s counterparts. In 2022, NASA delegated Axiom Space with the creation of lunar moonwalking spacesuits, known as the AxEMU, a nod to the Apollo suit heritage, while incorporating progressive technology for enhanced lunar mobility and environmental protection. In a charming twist, Axiom Space partnered with Prada to capitalize on the brand's design and material expertise, creating a space-age look for moon-trotting astronauts.
The trials in CITADEL will assist NASA in devising criteria for their next-gen axEMU suits. As of now, the gloves undergoing testing in the chamber belong to the sixth iteration of a glove that's been around since the 80s, and they're part of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit the International Space Station astronauts use for spacewalks. The gloves haven't been cutting the chill in CITADEL, according to NASA, leaving room for improvement. The verdict on the boots is still out on the table.
"This test is about learning the limits—how long gloves or boots can withstand the lunar environment. We want to quantify the gap between our current hardware capabilities and the demands of the lunar south pole," asserted Shane McFarland, the Advanced Suit Team's technology development lead at NASA Johnson.
NASA's Artemis 3 mission is set for a 2027 launch, hurtling astronauts into previously uncharted territories of the Moon. Here's hoping the astronauts can stay warm in the Moon's frosty south pole as they traverse its frigid vistas.
📝 Key Insights
Intense testing is underway to prepare the new AxEMU spacesuits for the harsh lunar south pole. Critical components like gloves and boots are being scrutinized in NASA's CITADEL chamber, a cryogenic chamber that simulates extreme temperatures. NASA's Artemis 3 mission, set for 2027, marks a return to the Moon since the Apollo era.
- The future of space exploration, specifically NASA's Artemis 3 mission, aims to land astronauts on the lunar south pole, a less inviting environment due to extreme temperatures and sunlight-starved locales.
- In preparation for this monumental journey, NASA's engineers are utilizing technology to test the durability of spacesuits in CITADEL, a colossal cryogenic chamber capable of achieving temperatures as low as -370° Fahrenheit (-223° Celsius).
- The latest trend in spacesuit design includes progressive technology for enhanced lunar mobility and environmental protection, as seen in the AxEMU suits developed by Axiom Space, which also partnered with Prada for a space-age aesthetic.
- The testing in CITADEL is crucial for NASA to understand the limits of their current hardware capabilities, particularly the gloves and boots, and devise criteria for the next-generation AxEMU suits.
- The results from these science and technology-driven tests will play a significant role in ensuring astronauts can endure the frigid temperatures of the lunar south pole during their future missions, ultimately unlocking the secrets hidden within its icy nooks.
