h a l f b a k e r yMagical moments of mediocrity.
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This particular space-suit is a design specifically for on-
orbit EVA; some of the design features make it unusable
for either surface or intra-vehicular use.
The design is simple: start with a box. This box is tall
enough for a kneeling astronaut; it is wide and deep
enough for said astronaut
to turn around. At the front-
top
edge, a transparent-faced space helmet protrudes; out
of
the front of the box, a pair of arms. Those portions are
not notably different from current equipment.
Instead of trying to pretend that the suit is an article of
clothing, with the astronaut struggling into "pants" and
"coat", this suit is a self-contained vehicle, and is
entered
through an airlock. Half of the airlock is mounted on the
space vehicle, the other half is on the back, or bottom,
of
the suit-box.
After entering the suit and closing it off, the astronaut -
who is wearing a harness - attaches the shoulder and
waist
points of the harness to cables which wind in to secure
the
attached astronaut, chest-first, to the front of the suit.
Inserting his arms into the suit arms, he then has good
leverage and stability to operate the arms.
In addition to the main suit arms, an additional pair of
"arms" - robotic servo-driven arms - are attached to the
sides of the suit-box. These are substantially longer and
stronger than a human's arms; they can be controlled by
setting them to mimic the motion of the astronaut's
arm,
or can be controlled remotely, and they can be locked in
any position - thus serving as an attachment point,
making
up for the one thing lost in not suiting up the astronaut's
legs.
The astronaut can release the harness cables, and take a
break from being strapped to the front of the suit. Thus
released, he can blow his nose, scratch, wipe sweat out
of
his eyes, eat a sandwich, or curl up for a nap.
Protection of the astronaut becomes much easier - only
the
arms need to maintain flexibility, and if an arm is
compromised, the astronaut can pull his arm free and
put
a plug in the shoulder joint. The rest of the suit can be
structurally solid, shielded as necessary, and generally
robust.
This suit should add substantial capability for long-
duration
EVA, and be a little more true to the one-size-fits-
several
ideal.
Space Activity Suit
http://en.wikipedia...Space_activity_suit
What [MB] remembers [lurch, Apr 16 2013]
Prior art:
http://assets.inhab.../robot2-537x432.jpg
[piluso, Apr 17 2013]
Arctic whatever
Arctic_20explorer_2..._20horse_20costumes
[not_morrison_rm, Apr 17 2013]
[link]
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So, a sort of 2001-a-space-oddysey pod, then, but
with armholes? I see the advantage of having some
room to maneuver* inside the suit, but also some
disadvantages in trying to maneuver around
obstacles. |
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*why does the spellchecker object to "maneuver",
and also to "manoeuver"? |
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By the way, at one time there was a proposal (out
there, in the so-called 'real world') to replace the
spacesuit with a glorified mesh bodysuit and enclose
only the head in a pressurized helmet. Whatever
happened to that? |
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From Wikipedia: //In order to effectively provide the
minimum pressure of 29.6 kilopascals (220 mmHg; 4.3
psi) necessary for human physiology, the suit had to
be extremely tight-fitting, making donning and
doffing a highly strenuous task.// |
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Larry Niven's "Footfall" had emergency balloons that were similar to this. I heard that NASA went from custom tailored to Small, Medium, Large, XL format for their space folks. |
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That explains it. However, it is good to know that
astronauts 'don' and 'doff'. Clearly the British Space
Programme has left a legacy. |
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I'd say this idea is quite halfbaked by various spacesuit
concepts. Probably the biggest reason it hasn't happened is
because boxy spacesuits are fugly. [MB], partial pressure
suits Like that have been used in high altitude aircraft
since the 50s but they are completely unworkable as actual
spacesuits, that's why. |
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[+] for a be-armed pod with supplementary grapplers which I don't think has been posited yet. Of course being forced to curl up inside of it is going to endear you to pretty well nobody that has to wear one for more than 5 minutes at a time. |
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Regarding a suit/facility airlock: for Lunar usage, where dust is going to be a PITA, having a normally unpressurized "suit garage", where all the suits are attached to their own airlocks in the wall, each opening into a pressurized "locker room" in the facility, makes good sense: keeps the dust out of the air recycler. |
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One could actually have arms, legs, face plates and other desirable appendages and appurtenances in the front as well as the back, allowing two astronauts to share the suit and so double the work done during a space walk. |
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The words "flatulence" spring to mind. |
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One of my thoughts was that two suits should be
able to attach airlocks, thus enabling either shared
multi-arm work, or rendering assistance to a
disabled
astronaut if need arose. |
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[MB] - I think the invention of a "sealed,
overboard-
venting astronaut diaper" is entirely within my
capability. Or even that of your draftsman, were
he
to deign to draw such a device. |
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//pantomime horse// ... ... well, if the airlock
*was* placed on the bottom of the box... |
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A single-person space capsule, with sets of arms. |
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As I recall, the astronaut in Space Odyssey had a bit
of difficulty because he didn't bring along his red
space helmet. |
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//Darn, now I want to see the Hubble fixed by a pantomime horse. |
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I would pay good money to see that. |
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Hmm, I see a secondary market for the arctic explorer pantomime horse outfit. Who can forget the moment on that ISS EVA when we heard the words "Dobbin, we have a problem". |
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One small step for man one giant leap for Dobbin. |
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Seems I might get a chance to find out, Mars One (the privately funded Mars shot for 2023) are recruiting. |
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Obviously as the owner of my own pantomime horse space suit, I'd go straight to the top of the application list, wouldn't I? |
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//Obviously as the owner of my own pantomime
horse space suit, I'd go straight to the top of the
application list, wouldn't I?// |
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See, if you start the trend of providing your own
equipment, I'm going to be expected to bring along
my own phaser, communicator, and tricorder. |
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Maybe if we all bring some fireworks, we can kludge them together into a booster? |
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Incidentally, I'm going for a job interview at a low security mental hospital in 10 days or so. Is is better to mention spending my time on HB, or to draw a veil over it? |
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Depends on whether you're applying for a job as an
inmate or a looker-afterer. |
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Maybe it's like being ship's crew - sometimes you're on duty, sometimes you're off... |
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