ALL SCI-FI

[bulldogtrekker]

Futuristic Skintight Spacesuits May Shrink-Wrap Astronauts

By Miriam Kramer, Staff Writer , Space.com
Imgur image

The spacesuits of the future might be totally alien-looking.



Instead of the bulky-looking spacesuits that astronauts wear today, a group of MIT researchers want to "shrink-wrap" the spaceflyers of tomorrow. Current spacesuits could be replaced by a pressurized but skintight suit that would allow for a much better range of motion during exploration..."These are basically self-closing buckles," MIT's Bradley Holschuh, the designer of the coils, said in the same statement. "Once you put the suit on, you can run a current through all these little features, and the suit will shrink-wrap you, and pull closed."....

LINK:
http://www.space.com/27214-skintight-spacesuit-biosuit-photos.html?cmpid=514630_20141003_32723096

[Bud Brewster]

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I'm picturing something like this.





I'm trying desperately not to -- but I can't help it! Hey, is that Scarlett Johansson in this outfit?

Oh Lord, now I'll never be able to get to sleep . . .



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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Robert (Butch) Day]

Gee-Whizz; we're almost to the original Lost In Space (CBS 1965 - 1968) concept!
_________________
Common Sense ISN'T Common

[bulldogtrekker]

This was the first spacesuit designed for astronauts on the moon
By Jessica Orwig, Business Insider Imgur

A decade before Neil Armstrong ever took that first small step on the moon in 1969, NASA engineer Allyn B. Hazard was already thinking about manned missions to the moon in a very big way by designing one of the first ever spacesuits.

Here he is in the spacesuit, which looks like it would be incredibly difficult to maneuver.



And for comparison, here's the Apollo suit Armstrong took the moon (notice there are no antennae on Neil's head cap):



At the time he invented the suit, Hazard was a senior development engineer in the Missile Engineering Section of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. The suit was never an official project by NASA, and considering the bulky design, Armstrong and other astronauts are probably thankful for it.

The project was more just big thinking on Hazard's part and his imagination and innovation certainly garnered some attention. For example, Hazard and his suit were featured on the cover of Life Magazine on April 27, 1962.....



Full story at this LINK:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/original-spacesuit-first-man-moon-161805406.html

[orzel-w]

[larryfoster]

"DNA Nanobots To Treat Disease in First Human Trial"
http://www.thecollectiveint.com/2015/03/dna-nanobots-to-treat-disease-in-first.html

"This year, researchers hope that tiny robots built entirely of DNA will help save a critically ill leukemia patient. These DNA nanobots are designed to seek out and destroy cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unscathed."
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Tired of waiting on NASA to adopt Flying Saucer technology! Sick of human political-representative government! I want 1970: COLOSSUS (The Forbin Project) A.I. - as World Control government! Providing flying saucer tech, "For the betterment of man."

[Brent Gair]

In defense of the goofy looking moonsuit, I do see some strong pluses for the design.

Notably, such a suit could be built with only a single opening requiring a pressure seal.

Think of the regular space suite with separate boots, gloves, helmet, and the suit itself all requiring infallible pressure seals. That's a lot of places for leaks to occur and leaks HAVE occurred. A spacewalk was recently delayed on the ISS due to a suit leak. On the surface of the moon, a leak could quickly be fatal.

Now think of the Hazard spacesuit. It could have only a SINGLE pressure seal. The arms with gloves and legs with boots could be part of the permanent assembly...built and pressure tested on Earth with no "astronaut serviceable" parts. The astronaut could enter through a removeable top (helmet) or hatch and work his arms and legs into the suit components the way a baby would get into "onesie" pyjamas. Then the one hatch could be sealed. No need to worry about half a dozen o-rings and seals.

[Gord Green]

A variation of the Hazard suit would be ideal as an EVA suit used in space more than on the Moon or a planetary surface. More room inside makes it almost a small personal spacecraft. Not shown here, but seen in other pictures from the time was a set of extendable "legs" that allow the astronaut to rest or set up experiments on a planetary surface.

One of the problems with spacesuits is that you have to provide air pressure from the feet up. Some plans called for pressure for the extremedies from the neck down to be provided by tight elastic fabrics while only the helmet would get oxygen mixture under pressure.

Flightsuits are distinctly different from "spacesuits" in that they must also provide fluctuating pressures to compensate for G forces.

Still, spacesuits are neat, but I doubt they'd come with high heel boots like in the top illustration. Sexy though they may be!

[Gord Green]

Oh, I should add that when this suit was first revealed in '62 I built my own version of it from a steel barrel and plexiglass with arms and legs cut from an old snowsuit. Spray paint and Xmas lights connected to a bank of 6 volt batteries completed the job.

I haunted my neighborhood at night and influenced a couple of other kids to follow my design and make their own.

I wish I still had pictures of my Moon Patrol, but I remember them well!

[bulldogtrekker]

NASA's New Astronaut Suits Are Straight Out of 2001: A Space Odyssey Imgur
Rae Paoletta




Someone at Boeing has been on a serious Kubrick kick, as evidenced by the new spacesuits it made for Boeing Starliner astronauts. The blue suits, which were revealed today, combine a retro flare with a modern feel.

In fact, the suits look just like a smoothed out version of the blue spacesuit in 2001: A Space Odyssey......

The major difference is that the 2001 suits had bigger helmets with sloping visors, while the new Starliner suits feature the badass domed glass visor that's reminiscent of the Apollo era. But it's not just about looks.

The most important part is that the suit will keep you alive, astronaut Eric Boe said in a press release. It is a lot lighter, more form-fitting and it's simpler, which is always a good thing. Complicated systems have more ways they can break, so simple is better on something like this.....EDIT: It is not an EVA suit.

LINK: http://gizmodo.com/nasas-new-astronaut-suits-are-straight-out-of-2001-a-s-1791625989

[Gord Green]

[Krel.]

I don't see anything 2001 ASO in that suit. Seriously, look at photo of a 2001 suit, then look back at this one. Besides, if you can't EVA, or walk on the Moon in it, then it is just a pretty pressure suit, not a Space Suit.

David.

[Gord Green]

Note the "soft" helmet. Only the faceplate is rigid.
This is a flight suit, not for EVA activities or Lunar surface, but could be adapted tor Martian surface conditions with the addition of a backpack.[/size]

[Krel.]

So the suit is blue. Following that logic, that would mean that all blue cars look alike. The 2001 suits are cut differently. The material is patterned differently. The helmet, gloves and boots attach differently. The life support umbilical lines attach differently. The only similarity I can see, is a similar shade of blue.

There is a reason that the space shuttle pressure suits were an orange color. It is so they would standout if they had to ditch at sea. These blue ones will function more like camouflage if they have to ditch at sea.

I like these new suits, not crazy about the booties or helmet, but once they perfect the skintight suit all other suits will be obsolete. Even though they will not be that flattering on most people.

David.

[Bud Brewster]