EVA Suit 2000: a joint European/Russian space suit design

A feasibility study in 1992 showed the benefits of a common European Russian space suit development, EVA Suit 2000, replacing the Russian space suit Orlan-DMA and the planned European Hermes EVA space suit at the turn of the century. This EVA Suit 2000 is a joint development initiated by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian Space Agency (RKA). The main objectives of this development program are: first utilization aboard the Russian Space Station MIR-2; performance improvement with respect to current operational suits; development cost reduction. Russian experience gained with the present extravehicular activity (EVA) suit on the MIR Space Station and extensive application of European Technologies will be needed to achieve these ambitious goals. This paper presents the current status of the development activities, the space suit system design and concentrates in more detail on life support aspects. Specific subjects addressed will include the overall life support conceptual architecture, design features, crew comfort and operational considerations.     

The EVA space suit development in Europe

The progress of the European EVA space suit predevelopment activities has resulted in an improved technical reference concept, which will form the basis for a start of the Phase C/D development work in 1992. Technology development work over the last 2 years has resulted in a considerable amount of test data and a better understanding of the characteristics and behaviour of individual parts of the space suit system, in particular in the areas of suits' mobility and life support functions. This information has enabled a consolidation of certain design features on the one hand, but also led to the challenging of some of the design solutions on the other hand. While working towards an improved situation with respect to the main design drivers mass and cost, the technical concept has been improved with respect to functional safety and ease of handling, taking the evolving Hermes spaceplane requirements into consideration. Necessary hardware and functional redundancies have been implemented taking the operational scenario with Hermes and Columbus servicing into consideration. This paper presents the latest design status of the European EVA space suit concept, with particular emphasis on crew safety, comfort and productivity, in the frame of the predevelopment work for the European Space Agency.     

Ensuring of long operation life of the orbiting station EVA space suit

Russia has gained a lot of experience in operating the space suits (SS) during the extravehicular activities (EVA) by the crews of SALYUT-6, SALYUT-7 and MIR orbiting stations. A total of 21 Orlan-type space suits of various models were operated onboard the orbiting stations (OS) during almost 20 years period. Some of these space suits served up to 3 years in orbit. The paper reviews special features of long SS operation (without return to the Earth) onboard an orbiting station as well as the problems associated with SS repeated use by several crews. An analysis of measures to support solving of the problems of SS long stay and reliable operation onboard the orbiting station is made: selection of a corresponding SS type and separate elements design; selection of the materials; routine and preventive maintenance; development tests. The advantages of the space suit of a semi-rigid type for solving the above problems are shown. The paper includes a short analysis of space suits' operation onboard the Russian orbiting station MIR, and some restuts of inspection of the Orlan-DMA space suit returned to the Earth from orbit by STS-79 alter long operation in orbit. Recommendations on further improvement of the space suits for EVA operations in the International Space Station (ISS) are given.     

Design to safety: experience and plans of the Russian space suit programme

The paper presents the analysis of the Russian experience gained in the operations of Salyut-6, 7 and Mir orbital stations. The main factors determining their effectiveness and safety are considered and the main requirements to the EVA suit, as the most important tool for the EVA, are formulated.     

EVA: European plans

The current status of European EVA (extravehicular activity) plans is reviewed. The major difference to already existing EVA scenarios in U.S.A. and Soviet Union consists in the adoption of a higher suit pressure, namely 500 hPa. The results of a study concerned with the physiological consequences of this adoption are presented, including recommendations for protective procedures and their necessary experimental validation. A certain discrepancy between laboratory experimental decompression data and EVA operational results is discussed, leading to the identification of several items which may influence space decompression. Microgravity and the influence of the space suit itself are most likely factors in the explanation of this discrepancy, and both experimental procedures and technological developments are proposed to clarify their role for the future design of EVA procedures.     

A glimpse from the inside of a space suit: What is it really like to train for an EVA?

The beauty of the view from the office of a spacewalking astronaut gives the impression of simplicity, but few beyond the astronauts, and those who train them, know what it really takes to get there. Extravehicular Activity (EVA) training is an intense process that utilizes NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) to develop a very specific skill set needed to safely construct and maintain the orbiting International Space Station. To qualify for flight assignments, astronauts must demonstrate the ability to work safely and efficiently in the physically demanding environment of the space suit, possess an acute ability to resolve unforeseen problems, and implement proper tool protocols to ensure no tools will be lost in space. Through the insights and the lessons learned by actual EVA astronauts and EVA instructors, this paper will take you on a journey through an astronaut’s earliest experiences working in the space suit, termed the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), in the underwater training environment of the NBL. This work details an actual Suit Qualification NBL training event, outlines the numerous challenges the astronauts face throughout their initial training, and the various ways they adapt their own abilities to overcome them. The goal of this paper is to give everyone a small glimpse into what it is really like to work in a space suit.     

As assessment of habitat pressure, oxygen fraction, and EVA suit design for space operations

At high cabin pressure [e.g. 1013 hPa (14.7 psi) 21% O2] there are serious issues relative to specification of suit pressure and the need for prebreathing. A high pressure suit will be costly but use of the existing, flexible suit requires up to 6 h of prebreathing. Or one could use a cabin pressure of 700 hPa (10.2 psi) prior to extravehicular activity (EVA) in order to use the existing suit with only 1 h of prebreathing. If these normal cabin pressures and O2 levels are utilized, existing physiological and medical databases apply, providing a known basis for evaluating effects of long duration space missions. If a 345 hPa (5 psi), 70-100% O2 atmosphere is adopted the existing suit can be used with no prebreathing required. However, there is no reference database on physiological effects under the conditions of lower pressure and higher O2 concentration. This paper considers the major issues involved in defining habitat pressure, O2 fraction, and EVA suit design for operations in space. A preliminary model for evaluating habitat/suit pressure and O2% strategies is presented.     

Main problems of the Russian Orlan-M space suit utilization for EVAs on the ISS

In the recent years the Russian Orlan-M space suits have been improved as applied to their operational requirements for the ISS. A special attention is paid to enhancement of EVA crew efficiency and safety. The paper considers the main problems regarding specific features of the Russian space suit operation in the ISS, and analyses measures on their solution. In particular, the problems associated with the following are considered: enhancement of the anthropometric range for the EVA crewmembers; use of some US EMU elements and unified NASA equipment elements; Orlan-M operation support in the wide range of the ISS thermal conditions; use of Simplified Aid For Extravehicular activity Rescue (SAFER) designed as a self-rescue device, which will be used for an EVA crewmember return in the event that he (she) breaks away inadvertently from the ISS surface. The paper states the main space suit differences with reference to solution of the above problems. The paper presents briefly the design of space suit arms developed for crewmembers with small anthropometric parameters, as well as peculiarities and test results for the gloves with enhanced thermal protection. Measures on further space suit development with the purpose to improve its performances are considered.     

Defining a European space research policy: The role of the European Space Science Committee

The willingness of the European Union (EU) to acquire an important position by defining a well articulated space policy for Europe requires a redefinition of the roles of the various actors of this policy. This has been demonstrated at the last ESA Ministerial Conference despite the financial difficulties encountered by all spacefaring European countries. The European Space Science Committee (ESSC), an associated Committee of the European Science Foundation (ESF), actively participated in the elaboration of such a policy by presenting the point of view of the space scientific community and making recommendations to ensure that scientific space research is appropriately accounted for in overall European space policy. The ESSC is briefly described along with its activities and contributions to the definition of a European space policy.     

Prospects for a European space administration

This paper addresses legal issues relating to the relationship between ESA and the EU. At present, several policy options are being discussed on how the two international organisations might enhance their cooperation in order to allow Europe's space activities to become more efficient and more competitive. The political options can be classified into four models, each having its specific implications concerning institutional and substantive legal questions. It becomes equally apparent that any cooperation of the two organisations will have certain effects on the funding of space programmes. The paper outlines the various models against the background of the latest policy developments and gives an overview of the possible implications of the models.     

舱外航天服冷热电一体化系统性能分析

文章提出了一种舱外航天服冷热电一体化(Combined Cooling-Heating-Power,CCHP)系统,该系统的主要组件有质子交换膜燃料电池、热驱制冷装置、金属氢化物储氢装置和辐射器等.在冷热电一体化系统的冷电匹配方法上提出了“以电定冷”方案,按照该方案计算了一组典型工况下系统的工作状态,分析了燃料电池的工作温度、工作电流密度和工作压力对系统质量和消耗性工质损失的影响.结果表明,该舱外航天服冷热电一体化系统在质量大小方面可以接受,在消耗性工质损失方面比水升华器冷源/蓄电池电源方案小得多;且降低燃料电池工作温度和压力、增大燃料电池工作电流密度,均能够减小系统质量、降低系统消耗性工质损失.     

European space governance: The outlook

For the third year in a row, the Paris-based French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), and the Secure World Foundation (SWF) joined together to organise their annual space conference. The event took place in Brussels on 13 September 2011, under the banner “European space governance: the outlook”. This report summarises the main outputs of this event.     

The Soviet/Russian spacesuit history: Part III—The European connection

The European spacesuit system (ESSS) initiated by the European Space Agency (ESA) in the late 1980s had many similarities with the Soviet/Russian ORLAN spacesuit system, due to the Hermes system requirements. First, direct contacts in 1989 permitted closer comparison of the two suit systems, and soon the ORLAN manufacturer Zvezda could be contracted as support to the European spacesuit team. In particular, the suit enclosure design and predevelopment testing and operational analysis were performed in close cooperation between Zvezda and the European team under Dornier.

With the changing system requirements and a closer cooperation between ESA and the new Russian Space Agency (RKA) a new joint spaceplane/stations mission scenario came about. This scenario could be served by one spacesuit system, EVA SUIT 2000, which was to be jointly developed by a team headed by Zvezda and Dornier for ESA and RKA. ORLAN-DMA and ESSS experience and hardware were the initial platforms for these activities to create a new generation spacesuits for the Mir 2 and later the ISSs.

A suit demonstrator was manufactured and tested by the end of 1994 when ESA stopped its spacesuit development activities and the joint EVA SUIT 2000 project was terminated. However, many of the features designed, manufactured and tested for the EVA SUIT 2000 were then implemented by Zvezda in the new Russian spacesuit system ORLAN-M, now in full operation onboard the ISS.     

Taking stock of Europe's developing space policy: from the European space policy workshops to the European space policy forum

A series of workshops designed to make up for the lack of high-level, informal discussion of European space policy has been running—with a gap during formulation of the EC Green/White Paper on this subject—since September 2002. In view of the progress made in establishing a coherent European strategy, and of various other recent events, such as China's entry into the human spaceflight field, the organizers intend not only to continue the series but also to establish a more permanent, research-oriented European Space Policy Foundation (ESPF). Following a report on the proceedings of the third workshop, held in September 2003, which covered developing an overall European policy, new applications (Galileo and GMES) and human spaceflight, the authors set out a proposal for an ESPF and present the six major research themes it would aim to investigate.     

From initial ideas to a European plan: GMES as an exemplar of European space strategy

Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) is an idea which originated during a meeting in Baveno, Italy, in May 1998, which generated a call for Europe to get its act together in the field of environmental monitoring from space, to define a well articulated strategy in this area and to build upon its excellent scientific research community, its proven technical prowess in Earth observation from space and its nascent political will to express its objectives in international fora related to climate change and other global environment topics. While Europe was already active in the most advanced areas of global monitoring, its rather uncoordinated efforts (even within the European Commission) lacked visibility and did not appear to fit into a clearly established strategy. The ‘Baveno initiative’ was an attempt to remedy this situation and find a place within a developing ‘European Strategy for Space’, which requires ESA and the European Union to work more closely together. GMES was extended to include the ‘security’ (in its wider sense) aspects of global monitoring, a move that produced a number of questions and misunderstandings, but which allowed many in Europe to realize that monitoring the activities of the Earth’ land masses, oceans and atmosphere do include a security dimension. GMES will eventually incorporate an implementation plan which will call upon various monitoring techniques, ambitious modelling projects and connections with society's more urgent requirements with respect to environmental protection and prevention or reduction of risks related to natural hazards. This will entail significant efforts to inform the user communities and to convince them of the relevance and usefulness of this initiative. It will also provide a sound basis for the European contribution to the new initiative for improved coordination of strategies and systems for Earth observations called for by the July 2003 Earth Observation Summit.     

Creating a European internal security strategy involving space applications

Space applications are used for countering a wide variety of external security threats but their use for the provision of internal security (for non-military threats like terrorism, organised crime or illegal immigration) is still largely neglected. Several steps have recently been taken to consider space applications for counter-terrorism and other internal security threats. In the context of the general call for a specific European security research programme, the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP 7) is conducting several projects using space applications for fighting internal security threats. However, current attempts remain scattered across national and European initiatives, policy fields and pillars, institutional actors and actors involved in various projects. There is thus a strong need for a more integrated approach at the EU-level through a European Internal Security Strategy complementing the existing European Security Strategy. The US has been looking at the provision of homeland security for some time. A revision of existing structures in Europe should thus not neglect the dimension of transatlantic cooperation in this policy area.     

Towards a European vision for space exploration: Recommendations of the Space Advisory Group of the European Commission

As a result of increasing public and political interest in ‘space’ (i.e. solar system) exploration at the global scale, the Space Advisory Group of the European Commission has evaluated the situation in Europe with regard to its potential to participate in this ambitious global enterprise. Aspects of science, technology, environment and safety, society, spin-offs and international cooperation were all considered. The group concluded that Europe possesses sufficient key technologies and scientific expertise to play a major role in international space exploration and has recommended that the EU take a central role to ensure the success of future European space exploration, not only to give a clear political signal for the way forward but also to ensure an appropriate financial framework. In this way Europe would embrace the spirit of the European Space Policy and contribute to the knowledge-based society by investing significantly in space-based science and technology, thereby playing a strong role in international space exploration.     

National visions of European space governance: Elements for a new institutional architecture

The governance of space activities in Europe remains an open question, even more so since the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, and the latest EC document and ESA declaration have revived the debate. This paper considers the strengths and weaknesses of the current governance model, and compares recent French, German, Italian and UK national documents in order to highlight their vision of space governance in Europe. Some elements of agreement emerge but, more interestingly, this comparison highlights their differences, especially with regard to the role of the EU as a supranational actor in the space domain.     

Finding a ‘genuine’ space policy for Europe: the European space policy workshop series

Despite some impressive programmes, Europe has not yet succeeded in forging a coherent space policy and, as a result, has not achieved its full potential in this field. As efforts to formulate a more comprehensive policy intensify, a series of workshops has been initiated in order to provide an independent platform, allowing broad participation, for discussion of the issues. This article describes the rationale behind the process and the structure of the workshops and reports on the highlights of the first workshop, examining the fundamental questions involved. The themes of forthcoming workshops are also presented.