NASA picks a tailor for Artemis moonwalking suits
- Reference: 1662653344
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/09/08/axiom_spacesuits_artemis_moon_astronauts/
- Source link:
That is, if the Artemis mission ever gets there. What was supposed to have been the first uncrewed launch of the SLS rocket was [1]scrubbed twice recently due to a leak in a hydrogen fueling mechanism. The next attempt will be in late September or early October.
Artemis II, which aims to eventually take humanity beyond the Moon, is tentatively scheduled for "no earlier than 2024," while Artemis III, which plans to land a woman and person of color on the lunar surface, is penciled in for 2025.
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Still, considering all that can go catastrophically wrong with space flight, there's no harm in starting now. Axiom Space was up against Collins Aerospace for the contract, and is now tasked with developing "a next generation Artemis spacesuit and supporting systems, and to demonstrate their use on the lunar surface during Artemis III."
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"NASA is proud to partner with commercial industry on this historic mission that will kickstart the United States building a lasting presence on the surface of the Moon," said Lara Kearney, manager of NASA's Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility program.
"What we learn on Artemis III and future missions on and around the Moon will pave the way for missions to Mars. Spacesuits enable us to literally take that next step."
[5]NASA's Artemis rocket makers explain that it's a marathon and a sprint
[6]NASA sees our space future as both government and privately run
[7]NASA scrubs Artemis mission yet again because SLS just can't handle the pressure
[8]NASA scrubs Artemis SLS Moon rocket launch
Having landed people on the Moon no less than six times between 1969 and 1972, NASA said it has "defined the technical and safety requirements for the next generation of spacesuits" over 50-plus years.
"Axiom Space will be responsible for the design, development, qualification, certification, and production of its spacesuits and support equipment that will meet these key agency requirements for Artemis III," the agency added, while NASA will "maintain the authority for astronaut training, mission planning, and approval of the service systems."
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Axiom is required to test the suits in a spacelike environment ahead of the Artemis III mission, which sounds like a pretty good idea.
While Axiom has snapped up this portion of the Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services contract, other "industry partners" will be able to compete for future task orders covering NASA's needs through to 2034.
The agency said it was "currently evaluating task order options for space station spacesuits" for use in low-Earth orbit.
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Looking at how the Artemis program is going, though, Axiom has no need to rush. ®
Get our [11]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/03/artemis_nasa_scrubbed/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Yxpl9gXtlgD7TZvklq-oBAAAAMw&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Yxpl9gXtlgD7TZvklq-oBAAAAMw&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Yxpl9gXtlgD7TZvklq-oBAAAAMw&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/05/nasa_sls_northrop_grumman/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/04/nasa_spacex/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/03/artemis_nasa_scrubbed/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/29/nasa_sls_artemis_scrubbed/
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Yxpl9gXtlgD7TZvklq-oBAAAAMw&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
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[11] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Now you think of a suit?
NASA has spent billions of dollars over many years trying to build new spacesuits inhouse. It realised that at the current rate of progress, the suits would be ready a year or two after they're needed. So they've decided to give up on their internal project and ask the private sector to step in.
Re: Now you think of a suit?
Yes but the program began in 2005, got renamed by Obama and then made biggly-er by Trump
So on a project with a tight deadline and numerous technical challengers I might have looked at some critical bits of technology that haven't been looked at for nearly 60years and which commercial vendors have never had to build. Rather than wait until 2years before I needed them.
Re: Now you think of a suit?
So on a project with a tight deadline and numerous technical challengers I might have looked at some critical bits of technology that haven't been looked at for nearly 60years and which commercial vendors have never had to build.
So who makes those snazzy "Dan dare style numbers worn by SpaceX passengers?
Re: Now you think of a suit?
So who makes those snazzy "Dan dare style numbers worn by SpaceX passengers?
Someone who doesn't have to build a suit for EVA extremes, never mind walking on another celestial body,
Re: Now you think of a suit?
Not NASA's fault.
NASA has done half a dozen suit contracts and studies and Congress has yanked the funding for them all.
There's the AX-5 - https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/multimedia/images/2010/iotw/ax_5_astronaut.html
There's the I-Suit - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-Suit
There's the Mark III - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_III_(space_suit)
There's the Z-1 and Z-2 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_series_space_suits
There's also the MX-2, the PXS, and the North Dakota suit.
They awarded $745M to Oceaneering International fo the "Constellation Space Suit system". WTF happened to that money?
Re: Now you think of a suit?
The money went where intended: To supporters of the politicians involved.
That applies to the entire moon program, really.
Getting a working spacesuit and/or rocket would be a nice side effect, and there are lots of engineers trying their best to make that happen, but it isn't the goal of the people in charge of the funding.
Ever the optimist
It's called contingency planning. In case you actually succeed.
" ... land a woman and person of color ... "
When I was a lad homosexuality was a crime and notices saying "no Irish, no coloured" were often seen in boarding house windows. It was the way things were. We have, thankfully, progressed a great deal as I have become older. I am sure there are many nuances here but is it really necessary today to specify the gender and racial characteristic of the astronauts before they have been chosen?
No axe to grind, I just think NASA should just be selecting the best for the job.
Re: " ... land a woman and person of color ... "
notices saying "no Irish, no coloured"
Even the Guardian concedes that "No dogs, no black, no Irish" signs are apocryphal and that even the single photograph of one is "of uncertain provenance". https://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/oct/21/no-irish-no-blacks-no-dogs-no-proof
That said, women and non-white people were blatantly excluded from the original manned (what a giveaway) space flight programme and I see nothing wrong in deliberately seeking to rectify that now.
Re: " ... land a woman and person of color ... "
So, between an incompetent black woman and a competent white man we should choose the woman because...?
Re: " ... land a woman and person of color ... "
Agreed. The thing is though, what jobs do they need to be good at? All round mechanic and troubleshooter in case anything breaks? LEM pilot in case the automation fails? They won't actually be doing much science on the Moon. Just setting up equipment and collecting samples. Maybe an amateur selenologist to pick out "interesting" looking samples. One of them will be a government "minder" of course, to make sure there's no photos or video of the alien base. Or the Nazi base.
Re: " ... land a woman and person of color ... "
That alien nazi moon base is right out then?
Heil Zxyrumpbbb-¦™¬¶§gibhnnnn the 3rd.
Now you think of a suit?
Don't you think they might have looked at a suit design once they decided that walking on the moon might have needed a suit?
Hopefully the splash down in the water contract will be agreed before launch, or at least before spalshdown