# Presentation: 520538

## Constellation Space Suit SystemGovernment Capabilities and Facilities

*Raul A. Blanco*
*Crew and Thermal Systems Division*

## Motivation

- The development and eventual certification of a space suit system requires a significant investment in test facilities, many of which require many years to construct
- To allow for full and open competition NASA does not desire to limit competition to those potential offerors who already have facilities that would serve this purpose
- Similarly, NASA is aware that some contractors have facilities that they desire to use
- The following is a list of capabilities and facilities that could be used to assist in the design, development, certification, and processing of the space suit system
- NASA is interested in your comments on which of the facilities and capabilities you would propose to use

## Agenda

- Government Capabilities
- Operational Phase Government Interaction
- Ground Operations
- Human Rating
- JSC Facilities

## Government Capabilities

- Expertise – Space Suit and EVA engineering have ~450 years of cumulative experience that is available to draw upon
- Extensive experience in developing Intravehicular Activity (IVA) and EVA systems
- Launch & Entry Suits and Crew Survival Systems
- EMU and EVA Tools and Equipment
- Vehicle Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) and Airlock Systems
- Legacy in development of all space suits used in NASA programs from Project Mercury to ISS
**Mercury, Gemini, Apollo** - Provided GFE suit systems, technical management of vehicle ECLSS, and design, development, and fabrication of survival equipment
**ASTP & Skylab** – Provided GFE suit systems and technical management of vehicle ECLSS
**Shuttle/ISS**
- Designed and developed initial “strawman” baseline configuration for Shuttle EMU, GFE for Design, development, and early production
- Post Challenger Crew Escape System (LES, ACES, Escape Pole, parachute, etc.) was all GFE
**Advanced Space Suit Development** – Developed approximately 20 advanced concept IVA and EVA space suit configurations and numerous advanced life support system technologies

## Government Capabilities

- Crew Evaluation Testing
- Human interfacing hardware such as space suits require a significant amount of subjective testing
- The Crew Office at JSC provides astronauts to evaluate hardware concepts and develop Crew Consensus Reports to assist in subjective design decisions
- These reports are used to guide designers and refine requirements during the hardware development phase

## Government Capabilities

- Flight and Training Hardware  Processing
- Until 1986, all space suit system processing was performed on site at JSC
- Until ~ 1991, all Crew Escape System (except for Shuttle escape pole) was processed on site at JSC
- Some Crew Escape hardware is still processed at JSC and Ellington Field
- Government has maintained limited facilities that could be used to house processing during the initial operational phases of the contract

## Operational Phase Government Interaction

**Sustaining Engineering and hardware processing phases of this contract will require significant interaction with many JSC resident personnel**

**Flight Readiness Assessment** – Program, Engineering, S&MA, Crew, Medical Operations, and others

**Fit-checks and Sizing** – Flight Crew

**Failure and Anomaly Resolution** - Program, Engineering, S&MA, and others

**Training** – Engineering, Mission Operations, Crew

**Mission Support** – Program, Engineering, S&MA, Mission Operations

## Ground Operations

- To support integrated testing, crew training, and flight preparations, Suit System ground operations will be required at multiple JSC and KSC locations
- Current training space suit systems are used in chambers/labs for dry runs, with mockups in multiple buildings, in hypobaric glove boxes, in the neutral buoyancy lab, at Patrick AFB (over water bail out), on the reduced gravity aircraft, and at KSC (egress)
- Current flight space suit systems are used in chambers/labs for integrated tests and crew training activities, in hypobaric glove boxes, and at KSC
- Fixed location Ground Support Equipment (GSE) will be required at these locations

## Human Rating

- Historically, the government has performed the human rating testing of all Space Suit Systems in its facilities
- Test subject and crew use of suit in enriched oxygen
- Unmanned PLSS testing at vacuum
- Manned Suit System testing at vacuum
- Manned Suit System testing in thermal-vacuum as applicable
- Vehicle interface – Manned Suit System testing in the relevant environment
- The Government anticipates having facilities ready for use with CEV ECLSS interfaces and the new Space Suit System by 2010
- All Government owned testing facilities are available for use by the CSSS contractor

## JSC Facilities

- The following facilities are currently active at JSC and are used to support existing space suit work
- It is anticipated that modifications to the existing facilities, or new facilities at JSC will be used for the same scope of work for the Constellation Space Suit System
- New facilities for surface analogs are also being contemplated

## Space Suit Systems Lab

- Facility Features
- A controlled work area that contains a generally clean area, many level 100 flow benches, a class 10,000 clean room, and many tests stands
- Current Usage
- Anomaly and failure investigation of EMU hardware
- Development and life extension testing for EMU hardware
- Pre-Delivery Acceptance (PDA) and Pre-Installation Acceptance (PIA) of EMU hardware
- Testing of next generation shuttle EMU components and systems
- EMU component and system fit checks
- Pretest staging for all EMU's used to support crew training in building 7

## Crew Escape Lab

- Facility Features
- LES system test stand
- Breathing air pressurize and leak check
- Vacuum chamber (8mmHg/100kft. Altitude)
- Laminar flow bench
- Controlled working area
- Electrical work area
- Current Usage
- Anomaly and failure investigation of ACES hardware and ISS breathing mask systems
- Pre-Delivery Acceptance (PDA) and Pre-Installation Acceptance (PIA) of ACES hardware and ISS breathing mask systems
- Component and system fit checks
- Pre-flight staging for some of the hardware before shipment to KSC

## 8 Foot Chamber

- Facility Features
- Vacuum chamber (1E-2 torr)
- Remote actuators for switches
- “Canned Man” variable metabolic load
- CO2 generation
- O2 consumption
-  H2O generation
- Thermal loading
- Current Usage
- Unmanned verification testing of the EMU life support system

## Facility Features
Environmental Test Article (ETA) houses Shuttle ECLSS and Airlock for integrated testing
LiOH
Pressure Control System
Airlock
Current Usage
None
Anticipating an equivalent system for CEV system level testing

- Facility Features
- Environmental Test Article (ETA) houses Shuttle ECLSS and Airlock for integrated testing
- LiOH
- Pressure Control System
- Airlock
- Current Usage
- None
- Anticipating an equivalent system for CEV system level testing

- Environmental Test Article

## 11 Foot Chamber

- 11 Foot had a low fidelity Lunar Module volume simulator and ECLSS system for suit testing in the relevant environment
- Facility Features
- Vacuum to 1E-2 torr
- Treadmill and push-bar for metabolic load
- Current Usage
- EMU human rating with an actual metabolic load

## Space Station Airlock Test Article

- Facility Features
- Vacuum to 1E-2 torr
- Dual airlock configuration functionally similar to space the station airlock
- Equipped with Class II EMU Service and Performance Checkout Systems
- Umbilical Interface Assembly
- Power Supply Assembly
- Battery Charger Modules
- Battery Stowage Assembly
- In-Flight Water Refill Unit

- Current Uses
- ISS EVA crew training
- Hardware testing
- Battery charge/discharge
- Water loop
-  MOD procedure development
- New ISS Airlock hardware development  and certification testing

## Chamber B

- Facility Features
- Human rated thermal vacuum chamber
- Vacuum  - 1E-6 torr
- Thermal – LN2 shroud (-298°F) with 0.95 IR emissivity
- Solar simulation may be reactivated
- Current Usage
- Engineering development of ISS and Shuttle repair hardware

## Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory

- Facility Features
- 202’ x 102’ x 40’ tank
- 20’ above and 20’ below ground
- 6.2 million gallons of water
- Supports two independent activities simultaneously

- Current Usage
- Zero-G EVA simulation with EMU, Shuttle, and ISS models
- Used for flight hardware development, procedure development, training, and mission support

## Jim GipsProjects Procurement Office / JSC

*Jim Gips**Projects Procurement Office / JSC*

- Synopsis Discussion / Procurement Information