[FPSPACE] Space Activity Suit - Bio Suit

[Jim Oberg]

This is what the spacesuit guys at JSC told me back in the 1970s, when the 
concept had already been invented -- and debunked -- several times. At one 
point, some US Senator demanded NASA stop work on current suits and evaluate 
the idea 'invented' by one of his voters back home in Minnesota or 
somewhere. The issue of body shape/size variability was  recognized even 
then.

Thanks for reminding us of the wisdom of past experience, Mark -- the true 
criticality of GOOD history.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Wade" <astronautix at gmail.com>
To: <fpspace at friends-partners.org>
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 2:12 AM
Subject: Re: [FPSPACE] Space Activity Suit - Bio Suit


> The trouble with the Biosuit, as well as the earlier Space Activity
> Suit, and other Mechanical Counter Pressure devices, is the difficulty
> in keeping equal pressure over the whole body, especially in the groin
> area. This led to swelling/edema. Furthermore, the suit would have to
> be tailored for each individual body countour - and retailored if the
> person's body form changed (during long missions to Mars, for
> example).
>
> The BioSuit hypothesized that this could be countered by blue-sky
> technologies like spray-on and dispose outer coatings. But this is a
> kind of academic study of potential technology, a long way from
> practical solution.
>
> That said, there really has to be a need for a lighter-weight suit for
> any eventual Mars missions or even a return to the moon (the current
> suits have been added and added to, and are now much heavier than the
> Apollo suits). On the other hand, the way things are going, such
> missions will never occur, and robots are much better suited to the
> task...
>
>
> See
>
> http://www.astronautix.com/craft/spaysuit.htm
>
> and
>
> http://www.astronautix.com/craft/biosuit.htm
> -- 
> Mark Wade
> Encyclopedia Astronautica
> http://www.astronautix.com/
> astronautix at gmail.com
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