What Is So Special About SpaceX’s Spacesuit?
A spacesuit is a necessary piece of technology that has many different purposes during a mission. One of the most important is safety where SpaceX has managed to make some upgrades. The current spacesuits SpaceX develops are intravehicular spacesuits and they are quite different from what we have seen before in the industry.
SpaceX looked at past spacesuit models and worked to upgrade and add to make a more modern design. They did this in multiple ways including the connection between the suit and Dragon spacecraft, updated design, and the convenience within and outside the spacecraft. All help to make SpaceX’s spacesuit stand out.
The spacesuit not only had to look good but be approved by NASA. At the end of the day, safety is the number one priority and the spacesuit provides that. However, SpaceX is known for not only creating innovative and advanced technology but also doing it in style. This same theme can be seen when looking at the spacesuit.
SpaceX Spacesuit Background
With the development of the Falcon 9 making big strides it ended up getting noticed by NASA. For about the last decade NASA had relied on Russia to get their astronauts into space. This was a very expensive process and not ideal for the agency. NASA started a commercial crew program and choose both SpaceX and Boeing to create human-rated capsules to safely transport humans to the International Space Station and back. With SpaceX developing the Dragon capsule they also worked on a new spacesuit for astronauts while in the rocket. This is exactly why the spacesuit is made and is still being used today on different crewed missions.
The point of the spacesuit is to keep astronauts safe and comfortable during the entire process. There are a lot of different factors and possible complications that can happen when flying on a rocket and the spacesuit is meant to try and help the astronauts stay safe in different scenarios. The first astronauts to use the spacesuits for an actual launch were Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on the Demo-2 mission. This was the first crewed mission of the Dragon capsule, Falcon 9, and the first use of SpaceX’s unique spacesuit. This mission gave the spacesuit a lot of attention mostly because of its completely unique look from what the world had seen before.
Features Of SpaceX Spacesuit
Connection To Dragon Capsule – One of the first important features of the spacesuit is its connection to the Dragon Capsule. More specifically astronauts literally connect an umbilical to the suit from the capsule. There are multiple key things that the connection provides. One of the most important is gas. In the unlikely event of depressurization, the suit will become pressurized thanks to the umbilical. The umbilical also provides electronics for the suit. This is necessary for the communication system and more. The final thing it provides is cooling throughout the suit.
With astronauts sitting in the same seat for hours on end it can help keep them comfortable and focused on the mission at hand. There were a lot of different factors that were considered when creating the suit and its relation to the surrounding capsule. One of the main thoughts was about ease of use. SpaceX wanted astronauts to sit down, connect the suit, and forget about it. That is exactly what they did with the addition of an umbilical and the different features it provides simply by connecting the suit to the spacecraft.
Visual Design – If you have seen any of SpaceX’s current or future work you know how important looks are to the company. The Falcon 9 for example would be considered by many to be a very aesthetically pleasing rocket. SpaceX made no exceptions to this theme when designing its spacesuit. A lot of work went into making the suit sleek and more accurately match the look of the Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket. The suit primarily uses white with grey accents in different locations including the shoulders, boots, and more. The next big part that stands out is the helmet. The helmet is completely white with a large black visor that can flip up and down whenever the astronauts do or don’t need it. When comparing SpaceX’s suit to different agencies spacesuits the difference becomes clear. Overall the suit’s modern design makes it stand out a lot.
Interaction With & Without The Spacecraft – The suit not only looks good and connects to the Dragon capsule but also provides some additional important features. One of the first is fire resistance. The entire suit is built to be fire resistant and protect the astronauts in high temperatures. In the case of an error and the astronauts being exposed to fire, the suits can help protect them and extend the time they are safe prior to help arriving.
As I mentioned before a lot of thought went into the suit’s interaction with the surrounding Dragon capsule. An example of this could be the fingertips of the suit’s gloves that are able to interact with screens. The Dragon Capsule has three large screens that act as practically all the controls. Astronauts need to be capable of interacting with the screens while in their suits. This is why the fingertips were made especially for this task. The suit also helps with the crucial aspect of communication. Within the helmet powered by the spacecraft, the astronauts have access to communication. Here they can easily hear and talk to Mission Control and whoever else while in space. Each suit is also custom-made for every astronaut ensuring they fit perfectly. All of these features combine to help make SpaceX’s spacesuit something special.
What Is NASA’s Relation With The Spacesuit?
You may have noticed the NASA logo on the spacesuit and wondered what exactly the relation was between the two. The more obvious reason is the people who have used the spacesuits so far are primarily NASA astronauts. However, this also means that NASA did a lot of different testing prior to approving the spacesuits. NASA just like many other agencies and companies prioritizes safety above all else. The agency needed to make sure the suits were safe prior to allowing any of their astronauts to use them. Through this process, the agency made sure everything was in order and ended up being very impressed with the quality and safety.
Does SpaceX Have Future Spacesuit Plans?
So far SpaceX has only developed one spacesuit which is what I have talked about prior. However, this spacesuit is only for use inside a spacecraft such as the Dragon capsule. This brings up the question of whether or not SpaceX will develop additional suits in the future. The answer is very likely yes they will. More specifically SpaceX has ambitious plans to put humans on Mars and beyond. In the quest for a Martian colony, the private company could very well develop their own spacesuit meant for the vacuum of space rather than inside a rocket. Recently NASA announced some delays with the development of their next-generation spacesuits meant for the Artemis missions. Elon tweeted that SpaceX could do it if need be. It’s likely nothing will directly come from this comment but it shows SpaceX’s interest in creating more spacesuits in the future.
Conclusion
A lot of work went into SpaceX’s current spacesuit. The company not only wanted it to be safe and convenient but also look good. They did this in multiple ways including connecting the suit to the Dragon capsule, the visual design, and its general interaction with the astronauts and the rest of the spacecraft. All of which makes it stand out as a modern and unique piece of technology. In the future it’s possible we see SpaceX work on even more advanced and complicated spacesuits. We will have to wait and see what develops and the plans of the private space company.