Space Exploration and the Importance of Spacesuits

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"Space Exploration and the Importance of Spacesuits"

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Who among us here have not dreamt of going out into space? I think everyone else had fantasized of traveling and exploring the universe and its mysteries! From planets, to moons, to other solar system or to any other parts of the whole universe, we humans would love to be there!

During the early time when science was still young, humans have already been fascinated by the beauty and the wonder of the skies especially at night. Even early human beings may have been captivated by the charming lights of stars in the evening. Maybe they were also imagining of what it’s like to be in space. Well, who knows.

Although great minds of science have already been observing space since antiquity, it was only on the early 20th century that applied research and studies on possible space exploration were initiated. And it was the three countries United States, Russia and Germany which started developing rockets powerful enough to bring humans in space.

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These developments were attributed to the American engineer named Robert Goddard who built the first ever liquid-fueled rocket which he successfully launched on March 16, 1926. Goddard and his team had also launched over 30 rockets in a period of 15 years reaching an altitude of as high as 2.6 kilometers at a speed of about 885 kph.

By means of Goddard’s ideas and works, Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to reach an altitude of 327 kilometers and orbits Earth for 108 minutes on April 12, 1961. Americans also sent their astronauts in space and Alan Shepard became the first American to travel in space.

It is really true that Goddard’s works made space exploration possible. Overcoming the force of gravity was really difficult and Goddard really did a great job in providing a solution on that but without the contributions of other great minds in the history of science, space travel would not really become certain.

The space is a different environment and therefore spacewalking is simply dangerous. Humans could face harsh conditions in space such as cold temperature which could drop to as low as minus 250 degrees Fahrenheit and the extremely hot temperature which could reach up to 250 degrees centigrade. Therefore we need a special suit which could help us survive these extreme conditions in space.

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Spacesuits protect humans in space. It is what an astronaut wears outside the spacecraft or during exploration on moon or in other planet. According to Nasa,

A spacesuit is much more than a set of clothes astronauts wear on spacewalks. A fully equipped spacesuit is really a one-person spacecraft. The formal name for the spacesuit used on the space shuttle and International Space Station is the Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or EMU. "Extravehicular" means outside of the vehicle or spacecraft. "Mobility" means that the astronaut can move around in the suit.

The spacesuit simply protects human from all possible harm that could happen. It also supplies astronaut’s necessity in space such as oxygen to help them breathe and water to satisfy their thirst during spacewalk and exploration. Spacesuit also protects astronaut from the dangerous radiation in space and it even protects their eyes from the sunlight.

The spacesuit is also specifically designed so that the wearer could not experience discomfort, thus it has its own cooling system inside it. This cooling system is made by lacing tubes into the clothes which covers the entire body except the head, the hands and the feet.

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It is also constructed out of lightweight yet durable materials to assure safety during spacewalks or during outside spacecraft. It is consist of several parts from head to foot with primary life support at the back of the suit and it also has its own source of electricity inside it.

Its upper torso assembly hardly covers and protects astronaut’s chest while the lower torso assembly covers legs and feet. It has garments wrapping both arms which are also connected to both gloves. Special materials are also used so that joints in feet and arms could be easily bent and moved. These flexible parts of the suit are made out of special and from several layers of materials.

A Primary Life Support Subsystem is also available at the back of the suit and I think its name is self-explanatory – it provides life support. This “backpack” looking material contains all the necessary oxygen that the astronaut needs during certain exploration.

This life support system also removes carbon dioxide as a result of astronaut’s exhalation inside the suit. It could also perform 40% better than any other life support. A water tank is also installed to keep water in its cooling system.

Additionally, a device called the Simplified Aid for Extravehicular Activity Rescue or SAFER with various small thruster jets is also attached at the back of the suit which could help astronaut to fly back to spacecraft or to space station if he or she gets separated.

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Today, Nasa astronauts have already been wearing other suits.

The Advanced Crew Escape Suit is the orange suit that astronauts wear during launch and landing of the space shuttle. This suit cannot be worn during spacewalks. Sometimes, NASA astronauts will wear the Russian Orlan spacesuit. This suit is the Russian version of the EMU and is used for spacewalks.

Other spacesuit is also designed to be exclusively used inside a spacecraft. NASA has been constantly developing suits which are lighter and more comfortable than the earlier suits ever constructed. More and more improvements are being experimented today to be able to make the spacesuits as efficient as before.

References:
1.) http://www.aerospace.org/education/stem-outreach/space-primer/a-brief-history-of-space-exploration/
2.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_H._Goddard
3.) https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-knows/what-is-a-spacesuit-58.html
4.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_suit

_{Credits to @rocking-dave for the cool this cool gif}