A world space Agency announced plans for the development of programs aimed at the resumption of the active phase study of the satellite. Recently, we reported that India this summer is going to launch lunar Rover, China announced plans to land a man on the moon before 2036. In the early 2030’s on Earth satellite manned way going and Russia. However, the faster all this plan to make US, promising to return to its astronauts in 2024. And although now all the talk is mainly on what to fly and how to land, the main question is not in this. More importantly, what the astronauts and cosmonauts will be able to do it.
According to Nikolai Moiseyev, an expert in skafunkrastapunk with over 30 years of experience, which turned the publication RIA “Novosti”, the issue is not the past few decades, almost no one did.
With the development of the first spacesuit tested on animals, it took 65 years. During this time, people were able to master not only orbit the Earth but also to go to the moon. And if the suits that are used in near-earth space is constantly improving, the moon all this time there was almost no one.
The last time the spacesuits used on the moon were produced in the 60-ies. The United States had the opportunity to test them in the field, however, Soviet development and has not found its application. At the moment Moses works for a private American company Final Frontier Design. NASA approved the company filed its application for designing shoes for the new lunar space suit. In conversation with the Russian edition, he said, as things stand now in the field of capandtrade and the capacity of the different countries of the world in this matter. It turns out that Russia lags well behind its direct competitor.
According to available information, the Russian engineers are going to be based on spacesuit “Orlan”, is a serious upgrade for use on the moon. Moiseev believes the approach is reasonable, however, in his view, the ideal course need not recycle orbital option and to create a fundamentally new.
The dangers of the lunar environment
The temperature range on the moon is much broader than the International space station. The temperature can range from -170 to +120 degrees Celsius. According to Moses, at the moment durable materials capable of withstanding such differences do not exist. Not so long ago it was reported about the plans of the European space Agency to develop a new material for space suits that can withstand long hours of operation on the lunar surface, but these work only just begins. As Moses notes, the materials used in spacesuits to exit astronauts on the moon are not designed for repeated use on the moon’s surface, as it was designed for short-time output.
“For the moon is a very important thermal protection: the outer layer that protects the inner layers and all of extreme temperatures”, — quotes the source of the expert.
“In contrast to the weightlessness in orbit around the Earth on the moon there is such a factor as dust. She is all-pervading, electrically charged, and it sticks. Accordingly, the outer layer of the suit must have some coverage. It should not absorb dust, and in the best case – to push,” adds the engineer.
Protection from cosmic radiation
Dust and temperature are not the only factors which will have to cope lunar suit. According to Moses, the degradation of the material will be essential. This will contribute not only natural wear and gradation of temperatures and space radiation.
“Radiation outside Earth’s magnetic field is significant. You can’t just take the suit from the space station and some modifications to move to the moon. The electronics fails. There is the radiation situation is completely different,” explains the engineer.
To work in the lunar environment will require the use of different electronics, with a high degree of protection from any level of radiation. According to experts, the problem, at least for Russia is that all this electronics is made only in the USA.
“It’s all done in the United States. In Russia to solve this issue, I don’t know,” says Moses.
He did not rule out the possibility of having a development in this direction, but they apparently are not advertised. So at the moment we can say that the modern suit has no serious radiation protection.
“Set of materials of which they consist, in some way protects the weak, but the special radiation protection suits are not,” explains the engineer.
Lunar gravity
Another problem to be addressed is to develop a fairly lightweight suit. Despite the fact that the gravity on moon is six times below the ground, it is important to resolve the weight issue of the future of the suit. The weight of each used on the ISS space suit is about 120 pounds. On the moon these 120 pounds are to be felt like 20, but ideally, the expert believes, it is better to develop the suit, the weight of which will not exceed 90 kilograms.
“The weight was calculated a long time ago. The suit of the mission “Apollo” was 90 pounds. The moon’s reduced gravity. This of course counts, but there is a lot of inertia. You’re still carrying this heavy armor with reduced gravity. If you fall, you will not stand”, — the expert explains.
According to the expert, the spacesuits for the moon in the US is anybody seriously was not engaged. If as contractors for the construction of the space station Gateway to NASA volunteered several dozen different companies, wanting to create a new “camp garb” for the astronauts was not. So now this issue is dealt with in the Space center NASA Lyndon B. Johnson.
“Traditionally, the US has only two stefankovic company: ILC Dover and David Clark Company. They work at NASA for 60 years. They are some of his concepts have. I must say, they are very heavy: about 140 pounds. On the contrary, there is no decrease and weight gain. This is a serious problem”, — said Moiseev.
According to experts, if the United States is scheduled to be ready by 2024 to create all the necessary technology to fly to the moon, the astronauts likely will use the 140-pound suit. But its development is not yet complete. While testing a new spacesuit scheduled only a year before the official mission to the moon.
A lot of weight, in turn, implies that the use of these suits can only physically well prepared people, but comfortable in their work, the expert believes, will be problematic. Moses also noted that NASA plans to develop a new spacesuit to 2028. Maybe it will be very different from the model 2024, but to say no one can.
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