DEVELOPMENT OF AN ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURED RIGID SPACESUIT COMPONENT FOR LONG DURATION MISSIONS

Abstract

Long duration human exploration of Mars will pose demands on spacesuits that current designs are unable to overcome, including the need for in-situ replacement and repair of suit components. Advancements in additive manufacturing (AM) technologies provide capabilities to repair or replace rigid pressure garments on-site and on-need. This thesis focuses on a potential application for in-situ hard suit manufacturing: the integration of AM components into a functional spacesuit arm. Material tests were conducted and top candidates were selected for the joint segment components. AM bearing con figurations were tested under operational loads and seals were incorporated for pressure retention. Selected components were integrated into a hard suit arm, which was compared to the Shuttle-era EMU arm through human tests in a pressurized glove-box. The results indicate that further re finement of hard suits has the potential to match the performance of operational EMU models while reducing the logistical issues with current spacesuits.