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The Z series is a series of prototype
The Deep-Space Suit
Retrieved on 2012-12-21.
Z-1 Top Tech
Retrieved on 2012-12-21. The Z-1 was named one of ''Time'' magazine's Best inventions of the year for 2012.Best Inventions 2012
NASA’s Z-1 Space Suit
. Retrieved on 2012-12-21. Because of its unique neon green colored stripes on the arms and legs, the suit has entered popular culture as the "
Z-1 Prototype Space Suit Testing Summary
Retrieved on 2012-12-21.
Image:Z-1 Spacesuit Prototype - kneeling Nov 2012.jpg, Z-1 Spacesuit Prototype - kneeling demonstration (November 2012)
Image:Suitport testing - Z1.jpg , Suitport tests with the Z-1 suit
Image:Z-1 suit test during parabolic flight.jpg , Z-1 suit being tested during a
Both ILC Dover and David Clark competed for the $4.4 million contract to design, manufacture and test the Z-2 prototype space suit. In April 2013, it was announced that ILC Dover had won; the contract is expected to last for an 18-month period.
The Z-2 will use a non-autoclave hard composite upper torso; it is believed this will improve its long-term durability. The design of the shoulder and hip has been improved based on Z-1 testing. The Z-2 will use higher fidelity boots along with materials that are compatible with a full vacuum environment. The suit is expected to have a mass of . The Z-2 will be designed to interface with NASA's advanced portable life support system, currently under development at the Johnson Space Center. The suit will also be designed to interface with both classical air locks and suit ports.
The Z-2 prototype suit was expected to be delivered to NASA by November 2014 with a
The Next Generation Life Support (NGLS) project is developing components that are planned to be part of the portable life support system (PLSS). Two of those components are the Variable Oxygen Regulator (VOR) and the Rapid Cycle Amine (RCA) swing bed.
The VOR is expected to allow the suit pressure to be adjusted to 84 settings between 0 and 8.4 psid. The current
extra-vehicular activity
Extravehicular activity (EVA) is any activity done by an astronaut in outer space outside a spacecraft. In the absence of a breathable Earthlike atmosphere, the astronaut is completely reliant on a space suit for environmental support. EVA i ...
(EVA) space suit
A space suit (or spacesuit) is an environmental suit used for protection from the harsh environment of outer space, mainly from its vacuum as a highly specialized pressure suit, but also its temperature extremes, as well as radiation and ...
s being developed in the Advanced Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AEMU) project under NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) program. The suits are being designed to be used for both micro-gravity
Weightlessness is the complete or near-complete absence of the sensation of weight, i.e., zero apparent weight. It is also termed zero g-force, or zero-g (named after the g-force) or, incorrectly, zero gravity.
Weight is a measurement of the fo ...
and planetary EVAs.
Along with a NASA designed life support system, the new higher pressure Z suits allow for bypassing pre-breathe and allows for quick donning of the suit and exit of the space craft. The Z-1 is the first suit to be successfully integrated into a suitport dock mechanism eliminating the need for an air lock, and reducing the consumable demands on long term missions. A later variant is planned to be tested on the International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...
in 2017.PopsciThe Deep-Space Suit
Retrieved on 2012-12-21.
Versions
Z-1
The Z-1 suit consists of a soft upper torso, soft lower torso, glove assembly, boot assembly and hemispherical dome helmet. Z-1 is called a "soft" suit because when unpressurized its primary structures are pliable fabrics, although it does have several hard mobility elements. The suit has a mass of , with the suitport interface plate (SIP) it is , and with the SIP and portable life support system (PLSS) mock-up it is . The Z-1 prototype was designed and built byILC Dover
ILC Dover is a special engineering development and manufacturing company, globally headquartered in Frederica, Delaware. It specializes in the use of high-performance flexible materials, serving the aerospace manufacturer, aerospace, personal pr ...
for NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
.Delaware Business DailyZ-1 Top Tech
Retrieved on 2012-12-21. The Z-1 was named one of ''Time'' magazine's Best inventions of the year for 2012.Best Inventions 2012
NASA’s Z-1 Space Suit
. Retrieved on 2012-12-21. Because of its unique neon green colored stripes on the arms and legs, the suit has entered popular culture as the "
Buzz Lightyear
Buzz Lightyear is a fictional character in the The Walt Disney Company, Disney–Pixar Toy Story (franchise), ''Toy Story'' franchise. He is a superhero action figure from an Story within a story, in-universe media franchise. Buzz is recognizab ...
Suit" for sharing the color worn by the character in the Pixar
Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...
movie ''Toy Story
''Toy Story'' is a 1995 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the first installment in the Toy Story (franchise), ''Toy Story'' franchise and the Firsts in animation, firs ...
''.
NASA has been running a series of tests on the Z-1. According to a NASA report there have been two parts of the testing: (1) characterize the suit performance to down selection of components for the planned Z-2 Space Suit and (2) "develop interfaces with the suitport and exploration vehicles through pressurized suit evaluations."NASA Technical Reports ServerZ-1 Prototype Space Suit Testing Summary
Retrieved on 2012-12-21.
parabolic flight
A reduced-gravity aircraft is a type of fixed-wing aircraft that provides brief near-weightless environments for training astronauts, conducting research, and making gravity-free movie shots.
Versions of such airplanes were operated by the NA ...
Z-2
Both ILC Dover and David Clark competed for the $4.4 million contract to design, manufacture and test the Z-2 prototype space suit. In April 2013, it was announced that ILC Dover had won; the contract is expected to last for an 18-month period.
The Z-2 will use a non-autoclave hard composite upper torso; it is believed this will improve its long-term durability. The design of the shoulder and hip has been improved based on Z-1 testing. The Z-2 will use higher fidelity boots along with materials that are compatible with a full vacuum environment. The suit is expected to have a mass of . The Z-2 will be designed to interface with NASA's advanced portable life support system, currently under development at the Johnson Space Center. The suit will also be designed to interface with both classical air locks and suit ports.
The Z-2 prototype suit was expected to be delivered to NASA by November 2014 with a technology readiness level
Technology readiness levels (TRLs) are a method for estimating the maturity of technologies during the acquisition phase of a program. TRLs enable consistent and uniform discussions of technical maturity across different types of technology. TR ...
of 7 but was delayed until spring 2015. Final delivery and testing in a human-rated vacuum chamber and the Neutral Buoyancy Lab
The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) is an astronaut training facility and neutral buoyancy pool operated by NASA and located at the Sonny Carter Training Facility, near the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The NBL's main feature is a la ...
is expected in 2018-2019. This is leading up to a human-rated thermal/vacuum chamber test of the suit with its PLSS in 2020.
Portable life support system
The Next Generation Life Support (NGLS) project is developing components that are planned to be part of the portable life support system (PLSS). Two of those components are the Variable Oxygen Regulator (VOR) and the Rapid Cycle Amine (RCA) swing bed.
The VOR is expected to allow the suit pressure to be adjusted to 84 settings between 0 and 8.4 psid. The current Extravehicular Mobility Unit
The Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) is an independent spacesuit that provides environmental protection, mobility, life support, and communications for astronauts performing extravehicular activity (EVA) in Geocentric orbit, Earth orbit. Introd ...
(EMU) only has two pressure settings. This new capability will enable in-suit decompression sickness treatment and flexibility for interfacing with different vehicles. It also allows EVAs to start at a higher internal pressure to decrease prebreathe time, and then slowly decrease the pressure afterward in order to maximize mobility and minimize crew fatigue.
The RCA swing bed removes carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...
(CO2) and controls humidity. The RCA CO2 removal capability is regenerated during EVA by exposure to vacuum, making it superior to previous systems. To remove CO2, the current EMU has to use either a lithium hydroxide (LiOH) canister or a Metal Oxide (Metox) canister. The LiOH canister can only be used once. The Metox canister can be reused post-EVA but to do so takes fourteen hours and requires auxiliary equipment, crew time and significant electricity. RCA is expected to weigh less than current comparable systems.
References
{{space suit American spacesuits