At present advanced projects of the early XXI century are beginning to develop. These projects include lunar base development and manned missions to Mars. The space suit is one of the basic requirements for successful implementation of future programs. The space suit enclosure enables mobility of crewmembers wearing pressurized space suits which will be required to complete these missions. Requirements on Planetary Space Suit (PSS) enclosure design, especially for elements providing mobility of the lower torso assembly will be different from these on orbital space suit enclosure design, intended for zero gravity conditions. The PSS enclosure provides cosmonaut/astronaut movement on planetary exploration surfaces, ascent/descent of the Landing Module ladder, suited crewmember's bending etc. Thus this PSS component will play a considerable role in successful fulfillment of extra-vehicular activity (EVA) tasks on planetary surfaces. The paper comprises the following: n Analysis of the specific environmental conditions and EVA characteristics on the Moon and Mars n Major PSS enclosure requirements n PSS enclosure design concepts analysis n PSS lower torso assembly concept for the Moon and Mars
Advanced projects envisage multiple EVAs on the planetary surface and great distances to be covered by EVA astronauts during manned Mars missions. Astronauts' egress with special Martian EVA space suits on can be provided only through the landing module/spacecraft airlock. To move over the planet, astronauts are expected both to walk and use a planetary rover (Martian rover). To make EVA activities on the planetary surface successful, an optimized concept for space suit attachment both to the airlock and Martian rover should be developed. The paper considers concept options of the planetary space suit (PSS)/airlock and PSS/Martian rover mechanical interfaces based on patent information study and analysis of development, test and operation data for the EVA space suits. The paper proposes an option of the concept that, in the authors' viewpoint, fulfills in the best way the following tasks: astronauts' unassisted capability to fulfill all airlock procedures, space vehicle ingress/egress, Martian rover ingress/egress and control of driving. The selected interface concept is based on the space suit design with a hard upper torso (HUT) and a rear entry hatch. The concept provides for HUT-mounted attachment points and their mating fasteners located on the airlock wall and on the Martian rover. Using the same interfaces, the suited astronaut can be attached to the Martian rover working station and to the airlock. There are no usual seats on the Martian rover, consequently, there is no need to sit and stand in the rover. Ingress to and egress from the Martian rover become comfortable. To have a rest, an astronaut can "sit" inside the suit. This paper presents interfaces' design concepts and application method.
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