Download or read book Enhancing Astronaut Mobility Through Spacesuit Kinematics and Interactive Space Outreach written by Pierre Jean Bertrand and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Human spaceflight programs are facing new challenges rising from the evolution of the exploration agenda, as well as the changing international panel of actors. Planetary exploration missions will require intensive extravehicular activities (EVA). Simultaneously, the design of such missions will increasingly rely on cooperation between several types of actors: international and public/private. Adapting this paradigm shift requires astronauts, both symbols and key elements of human space exploration, to be fully equipped to explore and share their experiences. Consequently, astronaut mobility during the exploration mission, characterized by spacesuit kinematics, as well as astronaut mobility for space public outreach, characterized by the ability to inspire multiple types of people, are critical for the future of human spaceflight. This thesis focuses on these two elements of astronaut mobility: spacesuit motion and public inspiration for human spaceflight. All of the spacesuits currently in use are gas-pressurized and enable a wide range of astronaut performance. However, the pressurization causes an inherent stiffness, leading to astronauts' fatigue, unnecessary energy expenditure and limited mobility in the spacesuit. Better understanding of spacesuit kinematics is crucial to enable future human space exploration during extreme mobility tasks such as climbing, loping and excavating. Different methods are currently used to assess spacesuit mobility, but they are restricted to laboratory settings and do not measure the interactions between the suit and the person inside the suit. The first objective of this research is to develop a novel method to assess spacesuit kinematics and visualize human-spacesuit interactions. Upper body mobility of different suits was assessed by placing inertial measurement units (IMUs) on the person's body and on the outside of the spacesuit. IMUs incorporate accelerometers and gyroscopes to estimate relative rotation. They are mobile and low power, offering an economical and efficient kinematic tracking capability. A comparison of joint angle amplitude between different pressurization conditions and different motions was performed, and a 3D kinematic visualization tool was developed. While space-based technologies for Earth applications are flourishing, space exploration activities suffer from a lack of public awareness as well as decreasing budgets. Recent robotic exploration missions have positively influenced public perception by utilizing video and social media communication. How can these new communication technologies be used to better serve human spaceflight? How can space agencies and astronauts inspire tax-paying citizens, and thus politicians, to commit to an ambitious, global human spaceflight program based on international collaboration? The second part of the research analyzes how astronauts' use of interactive platforms can increase international public interest in human space exploration. An analysis of the Twitter network related to human spaceflight was performed, measuring how influence and relationships are linked, to better capture the best practices.
Download or read book An Investigation of Space Suit Mobility with Applications to EVA Operations written by Patricia Barrett Schmidt and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: (Cont.) The experimental data corresponds closely with the membrane model, implying that space suit joint stiffness is primarily determined by volume changes as the joint bends and the resulting compression of the gas inside the space suit. The space suit models were applied in a computational work envelope analysis to determine the volume in which a space-suited astronaut can comfortably work. A new method that uses inverse kinematics and the space suit model to calculate a work envelope based on visibility constraints and human strength limits is developed. Sensitivity analysis of the work envelope indicates that improving shoulder mobility and upward and downward visibility enlarge the space-suited work envelope.
Download or read book Extravehicular Mobility Unit Training Suit Symptom Study Report written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-05-31 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this study was to characterize the symptoms and injuries experienced by NASA astronauts during extravehicular activity (space walk) spacesuit training at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at Ellington Field, Houston, Texas. We identified the frequency and incidence rates of symptoms by each general body location and characterized mechanisms of injury and effective countermeasures. Based on these findings a comprehensive list of recommendations was made to improve training, test preparation, and current spacesuit components, and to design the next -generation spacesuit. At completion of each test event a comprehensive questionnaire was produced that documented suit symptom comments, identified mechanisms of injury, and recommended countermeasures. As we completed our study we found that most extravehicular mobility unit suit symptoms were mild, self-limited, and controlled by available countermeasures. Some symptoms represented the potential for significant injury with short- and long-term consequences regarding astronaut health and interference with mission objectives. The location of symptoms and injuries that were most clinically significant was in the hands, shoulders, and feet. Correction of suit symptoms issues will require a multidisciplinary approach to improve prevention, early medical intervention, astronaut training, test planning, and suit engineering.Strauss, SamuelJohnson Space CenterEXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVITY; SPACE SUITS; SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS; EXTRAVEHICULAR MOBILITY UNITS; INJURIES; ASTRONAUT TRAINING; COUNTERMEASURES; EDUCATION; PREVENTION
Download or read book U S Spacesuits written by Kenneth S. Thomas and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-11-23 with total page 501 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spacesuits are far more than garments. They are a personalized spacecraft that allows direct contact and interaction with everything beyond our world, and a last refuge for survival in a disaster. Creating safe, reliable, and comfortable spacesuits is an ongoing challenge that has spanned over four decades. "U. S. Spacesuits, 2nd Edition" by Kenneth S. Thomas and Harold J. McMann details the technical evolution of U. S. spacesuits from their roots in high altitude aviation and vacuum tube development to present day, with an additional look into the future. This primary source of spacesuit information explains the functions, historical development, and use of spacesuits from a worldwide perspective. In this new edition, the authors update the story of U.S. spacesuit development and efforts, from the design challenges modern engineers face to the latest roles of spacesuits in space exploration. The book also provides a close up look at NASA's new Constellation Space Suit System as well as Apollo prototype configurations that have been discovered since 2005. Also not in the earlier edition is a prototype and model of the Gemini pressure suit and an explanation of its development. Finally, there are new insights into the suits used for the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle, and International Space Station missions.
Download or read book Quantifying Astronaut Tasks written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-06-04 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The primary aim of this research effort was to advance the current understanding of astronauts' capabilities and limitations in space-suited EVA by developing models of the constitutive and compatibility relations of a space suit, based on experimental data gained from human test subjects as well as a 12 degree-of-freedom human-sized robot, and utilizing these fundamental relations to estimate a human factors performance metric for space suited EVA work. The three specific objectives are to: 1) Compile a detailed database of torques required to bend the joints of a space suit, using realistic, multi- joint human motions. 2) Develop a mathematical model of the constitutive relations between space suit joint torques and joint angular positions, based on experimental data and compare other investigators' physics-based models to experimental data. 3) Estimate the work envelope of a space suited astronaut, using the constitutive and compatibility relations of the space suit. The body of work that makes up this report includes experimentation, empirical and physics-based modeling, and model applications. A detailed space suit joint torque-angle database was compiled with a novel experimental approach that used space-suited human test subjects to generate realistic, multi-joint motions and an instrumented robot to measure the torques required to accomplish these motions in a space suit. Based on the experimental data, a mathematical model is developed to predict joint torque from the joint angle history. Two physics-based models of pressurized fabric cylinder bending are compared to experimental data, yielding design insights. The mathematical model is applied to EVA operations in an inverse kinematic analysis coupled to the space suit model to calculate the volume in which space-suited astronauts can work with their hands, demonstrating that operational human factors metrics can be predicted from fundamental space suit information.Newman, DavaJohnson Space CenterHUMAN FAC
Download or read book Space Exploration Challenges written by Bradley Thomas Holschuh and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis addresses two challenges associated with advanced space and planetary exploration: characterizing and improving the mobility of current and future gas pressurized space suits; and developing effective domestic Planetary Protection policies for the emerging private space industry. Gas-pressurized space suits are known to be highly resistive to astronaut movement. As NASA seeks to return to planetary exploration, there is a critical need to improve full body space suit mobility for planetary exploration. Volume effects (the torque required to displace gas due to internal volume change during movement) and structural effects (the additional torque required to bend the suit materials in their pressurized state) are cited as the primary contributors to suit rigidity. Constant volume soft joints have become the design goal of space suit engineers, and simple joints like the elbow are believed to have nearly achieved such performance. However, more complex joints like the shoulder and waist have not yet achieved comparable optimization. As a result, it is hypothesized that joints like the shoulder and waist introduce a third, and not well studied, contributor to space suit rigidity: pressure effects (the additional work required to compress gas in the closed operating volume of the suit during movement). This thesis quantifies the individual contributors to space suit rigidity through modeling and experimentation. An Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) space suit arm was mounted in a -30kPa hypobaric chamber, and both volume and torque measurements were taken versus elbow angle. The arm was tested with both open and closed operating volumes to determine the contribution of pressure effects to total elbow rigidity. These tests were then repeated using a full EMU volume to determine the actual impact of elbow pressure effects on rigidity when connected to the full suit. In both cases, structural and volume effects were found to be primary contributors to elbow joint rigidity, with structural effects dominating at low flexion angles and volume effects dominating at high flexion angles; pressure effects were detected in the tests that used only the volume of the arm, but were found to be a secondary contributor to total rigidity (on average 5%). These pressure effects were not detected in the tests that used the volume representative of a full EMU. Unexpected structural effects behavior was also measured at high ( 75°) flexion angles, suggesting that the underlying mechanisms of these effects are not yet fully understood, and that current models predicting structural effects behavior do not fully represent the actual mechanisms at work. The detection of pressure effects in the well-optimized elbow joint, even if only in a limited volume, suggests that these effects may prove significant for sub-optimized, larger, multi-axis space suit joints. A novel, fast-acting pressure control system, developed in response to these findings, was found to be capable of mitigating pressure spikes due to volume change (and thus, pressure effects). Implementation of a similar system in future space suit designs could lead to improvements in overall suit mobility. A second study, which focused on the implications of the development of the US private space industry on domestic Planetary Protection policy, is also presented. As signatories of the 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space (commonly known as the Outer Space Treaty), the United States is responsible for implementing Planetary Protection procedures designed to prevent biological contamination of the Solar System, as well as contamination of the Earth by any samples returned from extra-terrestrial bodies. NASA has established policies and procedures to comply with this treaty, and has successfully policed itself independently and autonomously since the signing of the treaty. However, for the first time in the history of the American space program, private entities outside of NASA have developed the capability and interest to send objects into space and beyond Earth orbit, and no current protocol exists to guarantee these profit-minded entities comply with US Planetary Protection obligations (a costly and time-consuming process). This thesis presents a review of US Planetary Protection obligations, including NASA's procedures and infrastructure related to Planetary Protection, and based on these current protocols provides policy architecture recommendations for the emerging commercial spaceflight industry. It was determined that the most effective policy architecture for ensuring public and private compliance with Planetary Protection places NASA in control of all domestic Planetary Protection matters, and in this role NASA is charged with overseeing, supporting, and regulating the private spaceflight industry. The underlying analysis and architecture tradeoffs that led to this recommendation are presented and discussed.
Download or read book US Spacesuits written by Kenneth S. Thomas and published by Praxis. This book was released on 2005-12-20 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: * the most accurate and comprehensive work on U.S. spacesuits ever published. *A unique insight into the development of US spacesuits through to the present day. * Presents in context the authors’ unique collection of 172 black and white photographs. * Explains why spacesuits are a last refuge for astronauts for survival. * Details many technically and historically interesting developments, but which never achieved fruition.
Download or read book Apollo Space Suit and Extravehicular Mobility Unit written by Lockheed Missiles and Space Company and published by . This book was released on 1966 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Space Journey written by Maria Gabriela Sanchez Angulo and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 99 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Space journey is an interactive experiential design installation that explores the field of Astronomy and astronaut training programs, to encourage younger generations to follow scientific and astronomy education. This project explored, the boundaries of the interactive user experience along with projection design to learn, discover and experience using a gesture-based interface creating an immersive experience. Astronomy as a scientific field, has always had a significant impact on the worldview, it explores the wonders of the universe and its countless celestial objects, through its multiples researches, it has been used to solve unknown questions about the evolution and it has been the propeller of the development of technologies that we know and used today. But while there are a lot of advance in technology, there are still many unanswered questions in the field of astronomy. Before going into space, astronauts must endure many hours of training and preparation, where they learn about space, science and technology. Encouraging astronomy education in the younger generation could not only improve the skills, motivation and knowledge to train like an astronaut, but could impact positively in the world by inspiring new scientist and amateurs to keep exploring and researching the universe and through them, science and technology could inevitably evolve. This project presents different mind and body challenges that teach and entertain the users on how to train like an astronaut. By playing these challenges, the users gain different skills that are useful for astronauts in space. While playing, the users explore the wonders of the universe, learning not only about astronauts but space in general."--Abstract.
Download or read book Interactive Aerospace Engineering and Design written by Dava J. Newman and published by McGraw-Hill Companies. This book was released on 2002 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text contains an integrated bound-in CD-ROM, and has a strong emphasis on design. Its active visual approach and inclusion of space-orientated engineering make it an interesting examination of the aerospace engineering field.
Download or read book Portable Life Support Systems written by and published by . This book was released on 1970 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Introduction to Space Physics written by Margaret G. Kivelson and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1995-04-28 with total page 594 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: All aspects of space plasmas in the Solar System are introduced and explored in this text for senior undergraduate and graduate students. Introduction to Space Physics provides a broad, yet selective, treatment of the complex interactions of the ionized gases of the solar terrestrial environment. The book includes extensive discussion of the Sun and solar wind, the magnetized and unmagnetized planets, and the fundamental processes of space plasmas including shocks, plasma waves, ULF waves, wave particle interactions, and auroral processes. The text devotes particular attention to space plasma observations and integrates these with phenomenological and theoretical interpretations. Highly coordinated chapters, written by experts in their fields, combine to provide a comprehensive introduction to space physics. Based on an advanced undergraduate and graduate course presented in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles, the text will be valuable to both students and professionals in the field.
Download or read book Hands on Herpetology written by Rebecca L. Schneider and published by NSTA Press. This book was released on 2001 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is ideal for middle and high school teachers and nature center staff who want to mix serious issues with amazing science. Plentiful, diverse, and readily available, these animals - known in science as 'herps' - are also perfect for teaching students about biology, ecology, and conservation. This highly readable resource melds rigorous science content with science research.
Download or read book Journey to Inspire Innovate and Discover written by United States. President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy and published by U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Admi. This book was released on 2004 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chairman: Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge, Jr.
Download or read book Drawing Futures written by Bob Sheil and published by UCL Press. This book was released on 2016-11-11 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing Futures brings together international designers and artists for speculations in contemporary drawing for art and architecture.Despite numerous developments in technological manufacture and computational design that provide new grounds for designers, the act of drawing still plays a central role as a vehicle for speculation. There is a rich and long history of drawing tied to innovations in technology as well as to revolutions in our philosophical understanding of the world. In reflection of a society now underpinned by computational networks and interfaces allowing hitherto unprecedented views of the world, the changing status of the drawing and its representation as a political act demands a platform for reflection and innovation. Drawing Futures will present a compendium of projects, writings and interviews that critically reassess the act of drawing and where its future may lie.Drawing Futures focuses on the discussion of how the field of drawing may expand synchronously alongside technological and computational developments. The book coincides with an international conference of the same name, taking place at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, in November 2016. Bringing together practitioners from many creative fields, the book discusses how drawing is changing in relation to new technologies for the production and dissemination of ideas.
Download or read book Advanced Technology for Human Support in Space written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1997-08-02 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Advanced Technology for Human Support in Space was written in response to a request from NASA's Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications (OLMSA) to evaluate its Advanced Human Support Technology Program. This report reviews the four major areas of the program: advanced life support (ALS), environmental monitoring and control (EMC), extravehicular activities (EVA), and space human factors (SHF). The focus of this program is on long-term technology development applicable to future human long-duration space missions, such as for a hypothetical new mission to the Moon or Mars.
Download or read book Digital Content Creation written by Rae Earnshaw and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The very word "digital" has acquired a status that far exceeds its humble dictionary definition. Even the prefix digital, when associ ated with familiar sectors such as radio, television, photography and telecommunications, has reinvented these industries, and provided a unique opportunity to refresh them with new start-up companies, equipment, personnel, training and working practices - all of which are vital to modern national and international economies. The last century was a period in which new media stimulated new job opportunities, and in many cases created totally new sectors: video competed with film, CDs transformed LPs, and computer graphics threatened traditional graphic design sectors. Today, even the need for a physical medium is in question. The virtual digital domain allows the capture, processing, transmission, storage, retrieval and display of text, images, audio and animation without familiar materials such as paper, celluloid, magnetic tape and plastic. But moving from these media to the digital domain intro duces all sorts of problems, such as the conversion of analog archives, multimedia databases, content-based retrieval and the design of new content that exploits the benefits offered by digital systems. It is this issue of digital content creation that we address in this book. Authors from around the world were invited to comment on different aspects of digital content creation, and their contributions form the 23 chapters of this volume.
