Suitport Feasibility - Human Pressurized Space Suit Donning Tests with the Marman Clamp and Pneumatic Flipper Suitport Concepts

Boyle, Robert M.; Rodriggs, Liana; Alton, Charles; Jennings, Mallory A.; Aitchison, Lindsay

doi:10.2514/6.2013-3399

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…For the fifth measure, suitports, we refer the reader to the numerous existing concepts (see, e.g., refs. [15][16][17][18] ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An airlock concept to reduce contamination risks during the human exploration of Mars

Vrankar,

Verseux,

Heinicke

2023

npj Microgravity

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Protecting the Martian environment from contamination with terrestrial microbes is generally seen as essential to the scientific exploration of Mars, especially when it comes to the search for indigenous life. However, while companies and space agencies aim at getting to Mars within ambitious timelines, the state-of-the-art planetary protection measures are only applicable to uncrewed spacecraft. With this paper, we attempt to reconcile these two conflicting goals: the human exploration of Mars and its protection from biological contamination. In our view, the one nominal mission activity that is most prone to introducing terrestrial microbes into the Martian environment is when humans leave their habitat to explore the Martian surface, if one were to use state-of-the-art airlocks. We therefore propose to adapt airlocks specifically to the goals of planetary protection. We suggest a concrete concept for such an adapted airlock, believing that only practical and implementable solutions will be followed by human explorers in the long run.

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“…For the fifth measure, suitports, we refer the reader to the numerous existing concepts (see, e.g., refs. [15][16][17][18] ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An airlock concept to reduce contamination risks during the human exploration of Mars

Vrankar,

Verseux,

Heinicke

2023

npj Microgravity

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“…It can be done. The suitport may be a solution for the problem of dust inside habitats (Boyle et al, 2013).…”

Section: One Of the Most Aggravating Restricting Facets Of Lunar Surface Exploration Is The Dust And Its Adherence To Everything No Mattementioning

confidence: 99%

NASA and ESA are likely to be legally required to sterilize Mars samples to protect the environment until proven safe – the technology doesn't yet exist to comply with the ESF study's requirement to contain viable starved ultramicrobacteria proven to pass through 0.1 micron nanopores - proposal to study samples of astrobiological interest remotely in a safe high orbit above GEO with miniature life detection instruments – and immediately return sterilized subsamples to Earth

Walker¹

2021

Preprint

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NASA plans to return samples from Mars by 2031. They believe that there is no surface life in Jezero crater but astrobiologists can’t yet rule out surface microhabitats, where life might survive from a more habitable early Mars. NASA agrees it needs to protect Earth from the possibility of native Martian life in the samples.Most of our laws to protect Earth’s biosphere didn’t exist in 1969. The Apollo sample returns had no legal review. With many lapses of containment, they are now seen as an example of how not to protect Earth.NASA's proposal will get careful scrutiny. We find that this may change build requirements. The sample return study by the European Space Foundation from 2012 requires 100% containment of starvation stressed nanobacteria. These pass through 0.1 micron nanopores, far beyond the limits of testing for HEPA or ULPA filters. If this becomes a legal requirement, the technology doesn't yet exist, even as experimental filters in laboratories.NASA is not permitted to risk such a high level of public funds (~$500 million), until they know if their proposed design will be accepted or modified. The requirements could change through to the end of the legal process of 8+ years. Adding 11+ years for the build, we find that NASA won't be ready for unsterilized samples from Mars before 2039 with delays likely.It's possible to sterilize samples at a level sufficient for planetary protection while preserving astrobiological and geological interest. This becomes an unrestricted sample return; a relatively simple process under the Outer Space Treaty.However, there may be interest in the possibility of viable present day life in the samples. If so, we propose NASA return them to a holding satellite in a stable inclined orbit above GEO in Earth's Laplace plane or "ring plane". This particular orbit has many advantages for protection of Earth, the Moon, and other satellites. Sterilized subsamples can be returned to Earth immediately, so there's no delay for geological studies. If the unsterilized samples are of astrobiological interest, scientists can study them from Earth, teleoperating instruments already designed to search for life in situ on Mars, but with almost no latency. We can decide what to do next based on what they discover.This article examines specific worst case scenarios, such as a blue-green algae with everything flipped as in a mirror: DNA spirals the other way; amino acids, carbohydrates, sugars, all are in their mirror forms. A mirror cell should function identically to a normal cell but most ordinary terrestrial life can't make any use of its mirror organics.Synthetic biologists have started a step by step process to flip a terrestrial cell of normal life to mirror life. They warn that such life, if released from the lab, could gradually transform organics in terrestrial ecosystems to indigestible mirror organics giving it a competitive advantage over terrestrial life.To keep Earth safe, synthetic mirror cells will depend on chemicals only available in the laboratory. We might have to leave any Martian mirror life in orbit to achieve a similar level of safety.In the worst case scenarios Mars's biosphere can never mix safely with Earth's. Sometimes quarantine of returning astronauts is also insufficient to protect our biosphere. In other scenarios Martian life is harmless.Future possibilities, and opportunities, open to us depend on whether there is life on Mars and what it's like. Answering this seems a top priority for space colonization enthusiasts and astrobiologists alike.With a combined effort, astronauts could conduct rapid surveys of the most important potential habitats from orbit around Mars, via telepresence. Humans in orbit could control surface robots with minimal latency. This would help resolve these questions as fast as possible.We also suggest that the ESA fetch rover is modified to return a sample of dirt, including the brine layers discovered by Curiosity, to resolve the puzzling Viking lander results. Are these the result of complex chemistry or native life? We also suggest collecting some of the dust to study whether terrestrial microbes could propagate in dust storms and to start a search for dust storm resistant Martian propagules.There is no other terrestrial planet within reach, to study chemical processes on a planet left for billions of years without life. If the apparent circadian rhythms in the Viking experiment are due to complex chemistry, could this be relevant to understanding the chemistry of planets before the first living cells?This mission can easily miss present day life even if it exists in the region explored by Perseverance. However, we can maximize chances of success. Whatever we detect is a useful first step to inform future searches.This article concludes that the complex laws already in place to protect Earth’s biosphere are both understandable and necessary.

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“…It can be done. The suitport may be a solution for the problem of dust inside habitats (Boyle et al, 2013). None of this makes Mars settlement impossible, but Mars does not seem to be an optimal place to colonize for its own sake.…”

Section: One Of the Most Aggravating Restricting Facets Of Lunar Surf...mentioning

confidence: 99%

NASA and ESA will need to sterilize Mars samples to protect Earth's biosphere, because of the many years to complete the legal process and then build a receiving facility to the legally approved design - recommendation to study unsterilized samples telerobotically in a safe orbit above GEO, and return sterilized sub-samples to Earth immediately - PLEASE READ LATEST VERSION AT: https://osf.io/rk2gd

Walker¹

2020

Preprint

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We assume that NASA and ESA wait until the legal requirements are clear before they start work on the Mars sample receiving facility. In that case, it is a minimum of 19 years to complete the process of legal approval for a martian sample return, construct the facility and be ready to receive samples. Ideally we should have started the legal process well before 2010 for ESA’s 2026 sample retrieval mission. However NASA’s Perseverance rover has not been equipped with the astrobiological instruments designed to detect present day life in situ. It also can’t drill deep enough for a proper search for past life. Any organics in its samples are more likely to come from meteoritic and comet infall, and to be as ambiguous for central questions in astrobiology as the organics in ALH84001. It is important not to raise public expectations. By its design, Perseverance is primarily a geological mission, and only a technological demonstration for astrobiology. With that background, the simplest way to protect Earth’s biosphere is to sterilize the sample, which would then not need any special precautions to protect Earth’s biosphere. Geologists could account for the sterilizing radiation for radiometric dating, just as they do for martian meteorites. Meanwhile if there is life in the sample it can still be recognized as such. However, it would be of astrobiological interest to “grab some dirt” as Chris McKay once suggested. The dust might contain spores of wind dispersed martian life, and could answer many questions about survivability of spores in the dust. Another interesting sample would be a scoop of material from a depth of a few centimeters, to sample the brine layer found by Curiosity. This would help us understand the Viking labeled release experimental data from the 1970s. This layer is of astrobiological interest whether or not it returns life. If observations suggest the samples have a significant chance of containing life, we propose returning them unsterilized, initially to a high orbit above GEO, as part of a measured step by step process that keeps Earth protected at all stages in an evidence based approach. At each stage we only build what is needed, minimizing legal complexities and cost, and maximizing science return. We look briefly at worst case scenarios such as sample return of a mirror biology cyanobacteria. We suggest that extreme caution is needed until the samples are well characterized. We conclude that the complex legal process is both understandable and necessary.

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Suitport Feasibility - Human Pressurized Space Suit Donning Tests with the Marman Clamp and Pneumatic Flipper Suitport Concepts

Cited by 7 publications

References 1 publication

An airlock concept to reduce contamination risks during the human exploration of Mars

An airlock concept to reduce contamination risks during the human exploration of Mars

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