NASA reveals prototype Mars spacesuit- Looks pretty rad - Polidicks

[QUOTE=Garrot;49093682]Great. Now aliens will assume we're evil from the get-go.[/QUOTE] Who's saying we aren't?

[QUOTE=FalconHBFS;49094381]I can understand the red details but not the grey colour. The grey colour would blend with the darkness more easily?[/QUOTE] It also absorbs heat better IIRC

[QUOTE=Sableye;49094673]no suit today is shielded against radiation anyways, the apollo missions were just lucky they didn't have a solar flair too big while they were out on the moon or in its orbit whats interesting about this suit is it looks like they've ditched the cotton-based outer garment and went with some kind of polymer fabric instead, anticipating that martian or lunar dust would quickly stain and potentially damage the cotton outer garment[/QUOTE] One of the STS series of missions passed over the south atlantic anomaly and got what would have been their whole-mission dose of radiation in the transit. The best solution for radiation is to plan to be on the surface of mars during the solar minimum, and travelling while the sun is just entering and then just leaving its minimum levels. This will space the majors missions out by 10 years, but until we can reliably cure and fight cancer its probably worth it- astronauts are an investment, best to keep them NOT filled with tumors. And you're pretty limited with what you can shield anyways, low energy stellar stuff is fairly easy in a suit but mars atmosphere is so bare you may as well be in vacuum anyways. Could probably get some heavy-duty shit on the hab quarters itself though.

[QUOTE=Aphtonites;49093786]Good thing they ditched the "give me a wedgie and steal my lunch money" look of the Z1. [IMG]http://i.space.com/images/i/000/024/740/i02/z-1=spacesuit-1.jpg?1356974813[/IMG][/QUOTE] this looks like buzz lightyear if he was that kid who would always try answering first in class

Wonder how much it weights

Should add a bitching Robot arm on the back so that the aliens think were cool and invite us to the big boy parties.

[QUOTE=EqueL;49095783]Wonder how much it weights[/QUOTE] nothing, they're in space

Looks like this time they ditched the old neckpiece. Also, one step closer from power armors.

For sale: mars suit, never worn

[QUOTE=paindoc;49094648]I mean black would also absorb heat better, which is really not a problem with how bloody cold mars is anyways. Might save a touch of energy for the onboard life support systems. And it still stands out fairly well. I'm curious how well insulated this is against radiation, mars' lack of magnetosphere means you pretty much get buttblasted by the full impact of both stellar and interstellar radiation [editline]11th November 2015[/editline] it also looks tougher and like its been beefed up at motion points and points where you're likely to contact the surface- between the actual gravity and the fact mars is covered in rocks having a more durable suit makes sense. I hope NASA releases a nice beefy engineering design brief on this suit, that'd be a fun read.[/QUOTE] I'd be worried about actually overheating but I suppose with how cold it is on Mars you'd be able to reject the heat so much that it wouldn't even come close to straining the material/astronaut. Also I haven't heard much but NASA ought to be looking into using [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c7AUbLGmHM"]Demron[/URL] in their suits, it's the closest thing to proper personal radiation shielding without lead.

This is clearly just a lie to trick the government into funding them, everyone knows The Martian already has the latest design ready.

[QUOTE=markg06;49097306]This is clearly just a lie to trick the government into funding them, everyone knows The Martian already has the latest design ready.[/QUOTE] The Martian EVA suit ([URL="https://www.flickr.com/photos/136848099@N03/albums/72157659509132996"]Gallery of close up pics here[/URL]) would probably be closer to [URL="http://news.mit.edu/2014/second-skin-spacesuits-0918"]MIT's BioSuit[/URL] in terms of providing mechanical counterpressure instead of air pressure to keep an astronaut pressurized. Also probably heavier use of [URL="http://superfabric.com/"]SuperFabric[/URL] (Which has been tested before in [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r1JaMRQGTU"]NASA gloves[/URL]).

[QUOTE=Sableye;49094097]huh, i assumed space-x would launch with NASA suits for NASA missions, i think their flightsuits are more for proposed space-tourism. NASA has been reworking the shuttle suits into a full eva suit which would cut down on weight for missions that required evas[/QUOTE] SpaceX doesn't do space tourism. Their flight suits are for flying the Dragon. A composition of Elon in a prototype: [img_thumb]https://i.imgur.com/PAnqbTM.jpg[/img_thumb] Can also see a glimpse of it here: [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1EB5BQpm7w[/media]

[QUOTE=OvB;49097939]SpaceX doesn't do space tourism. Their flight suits are for flying the Dragon. A composition of Elon in a prototype: [img_thumb]https://i.imgur.com/PAnqbTM.jpg[/img_thumb] Can also see a glimpse of it here: [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1EB5BQpm7w[/media][/QUOTE] i think this video will be the start of a new age of spaceship porn

I can't wait to explore the stars in the name of Kane.

Good to see they have a rear entry hatch, I guess that reduces the chance of cancerous dust getting into the habitat. [QUOTE=Dr.C;49093686]I really like the hardened knuckles. It's going to be useful for when they have to fight the natives[/QUOTE] We'll just get them to trade their rights to the land in exchange for one lousy bead.

[QUOTE=GordonZombie;49099009]Good to see they have a rear entry hatch, I guess that reduces the chance of cancerous dust getting into the habitat. We'll just get them to trade their rights to the land in exchange for one lousy bead.[/QUOTE] Oh jeese I didn't even remember the martian soil was this bad holy fuck its like the entire planet is just a big fuck you. The dust is magnetic, a strong oxidizer, highly abrasive, lofted by winds (dust storms, rip) and laced with a highly carcinogenic substance, hexavalent chromium. damn mars you scary. I keep forgetting how actively space just fucks with living creatures and organisms and our meddling.

[QUOTE=Trixil;49093623]i feel like they're putting way too much attention towards aesthetic instead of functionality.[/QUOTE] I doubt you have any capacity to comment on the functionality of these suits, and are merely assuming that there exist a trade-off between function and aesthetics.

[QUOTE=LoneWolf_Recon;49097453]The Martian EVA suit ([URL="https://www.flickr.com/photos/136848099@N03/albums/72157659509132996"]Gallery of close up pics here[/URL]) would probably be closer to [URL="http://news.mit.edu/2014/second-skin-spacesuits-0918"]MIT's BioSuit[/URL] in terms of providing mechanical counterpressure instead of air pressure to keep an astronaut pressurized. Also probably heavier use of [URL="http://superfabric.com/"]SuperFabric[/URL] (Which has been tested before in [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r1JaMRQGTU"]NASA gloves[/URL]).[/QUOTE] Skintight suits have been around a long time, but they still usually need air pockets for certain regions making them not fully practical. Also due to their tightness, they take longer to put on.

What kind of scale on a personal magnetic field would you need to just bend the radiation around yourself ? I mean it will probably fuck up electronics around you but maybe it'll be worth it for longer walks in an unshielded environment. Probably a stupid thought, but I'm wondering.

[QUOTE=fettoolle;49101085]What kind of scale on a personal magnetic field would you need to just bend the radiation around yourself ? I mean it will probably fuck up electronics around you but maybe it'll be worth it for longer walks in an unshielded environment. Probably a stupid thought, but I'm wondering.[/QUOTE] Considering the Earth's magnetic field doesn't protect us from 100% of solar radiation iirc, I'd say "really fucking massive" is an understatement.

[QUOTE=fettoolle;49101085]What kind of scale on a personal magnetic field would you need to just bend the radiation around yourself ? I mean it will probably fuck up electronics around you but maybe it'll be worth it for longer walks in an unshielded environment. Probably a stupid thought, but I'm wondering.[/QUOTE] The onboard electronics on your person wouldn't be affected much unless they were moving separately with the personal B-field shield (See induction). B-field shielding is a worthwhile and has been a serious field of interest (no pun intended) for NASA, SpaceX, etc for craft worth while enough to divert and deflect charged particles. Problem being is power required, lack of higher temperature superconductors, and size of field required. Power required for significant deflection is something that can't really supplied for batteries as generation of fields in hundreds or thousands mT of strength without going into serious computation this is tens or hundreds of watts of power. Second is the lack of higher temperature superconductors, despite operating in colder temperatures (~220K average on Mars) we don't have superconductors that could operate in those temperatures (Closest available is hydrogen sulfide (pressurized gas) @ 203K Tc and highest solid is HgBa2Ca2Cu3O8 @ 134K). This isn't entirely hopeless as these could be used in craft outside of the atmosphere. Also the field would need to be large enough in diameter to have significant deflection coupled with the strength/field-density to deflect. We're talking a field diameter that's ~10x the diameter/height of the person atleast.

[QUOTE=LoneWolf_Recon;49101644] Good comprehensive answer[/QUOTE] Thanks for the good answer. How big of a problem is gamma rays? If my understanding is correct they are unaffected by magnetic fields.

[QUOTE=fettoolle;49101945]Thanks for the good answer. How big of a problem is gamma rays? If my understanding is correct they are unaffected by magnetic fields.[/QUOTE] Yes, all photons are unaffected by B and E fields. Gamma isn't that big a problem as charged particles as they don't deposit as much energy into matter as charged particles (See [URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalent_dose#History"]Equivalent Dose/Weighted Q Factor[/URL] and [URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_biological_effectiveness#Standardization"]Relative Biological Effectiveness[/URL]) but still a significant threat.

[QUOTE=draugur;49101564]Considering the Earth's magnetic field doesn't protect us from 100% of solar radiation iirc, I'd say "really fucking massive" is an understatement.[/QUOTE] Well to be fair, the magnetic field of Earth is not very strong at the surface and further out (~65 microtesla at most). In comparison an MRI machine typically makes a magnetic field with a strength of around 3 million microtesla (3 tesla). [editline]12th November 2015[/editline] That's not to say it would be easy to make a personal magnetic shield, but the comparison to Earth's magnetic field is not the best.

[QUOTE=Aphtonites;49093786]Good thing they ditched the "give me a wedgie and steal my lunch money" look of the Z1. [IMG]http://i.space.com/images/i/000/024/740/i02/z-1=spacesuit-1.jpg?1356974813[/IMG][/QUOTE] this looks like a safe-space suit

it looks like a shitty buzz lightyear halloween costume

[QUOTE=markg06;49097306]This is clearly just a lie to trick the government into funding them, everyone knows The Martian already has the latest design ready.[/QUOTE] the martian's design wasn't really bad either, the suits were very modular, so a helmit from one could fit on the other without any problem, or the gloves and arms from one could be put on another, it was all interchangable parts, the problem is we don't have the material yet to keep you from marshmellowing when you pressurize the suits

[QUOTE=LoneWolf_Recon;49101644]The onboard electronics on your person wouldn't be affected much unless they were moving separately with the personal B-field shield (See induction). B-field shielding is a worthwhile and has been a serious field of interest (no pun intended) for NASA, SpaceX, etc for craft worth while enough to divert and deflect charged particles. Problem being is power required, lack of higher temperature superconductors, and size of field required. Power required for significant deflection is something that can't really supplied for batteries as generation of fields in hundreds or thousands mT of strength without going into serious computation this is tens or hundreds of watts of power. Second is the lack of higher temperature superconductors, despite operating in colder temperatures (~220K average on Mars) we don't have superconductors that could operate in those temperatures (Closest available is hydrogen sulfide (pressurized gas) @ 203K Tc and highest solid is HgBa2Ca2Cu3O8 @ 134K). This isn't entirely hopeless as these could be used in craft outside of the atmosphere. Also the field would need to be large enough in diameter to have significant deflection coupled with the strength/field-density to deflect. We're talking a field diameter that's ~10x the diameter/height of the person atleast.[/QUOTE] remembering that the dust is magnetic, this means you'd be sweeping away dirt and dust as you walked around. Or at least have like a ring of dirt following you :v: Power requirements are a bitch though, its why I hope fusion makes some serious progress in the next decade or so but thats probably too wishful. I have hopes for the old stellerator designs though, and the spheromak my uni is putting online soon. Those designs are a bit easier to integrate into spacecraft due to their simplicity compared to the tokomak type. fusion would allow for power enough for magnetic shielding and the oomph to use fusion rockets to accelerate the journey, cutting the radiation problem seriously down.

[QUOTE=paindoc;49103974]remembering that the dust is magnetic, this means you'd be sweeping away dirt and dust as you walked around. Or at least have like a ring of dirt following you :v: Power requirements are a bitch though, its why I hope fusion makes some serious progress in the next decade or so but thats probably too wishful. I have hopes for the old stellerator designs though, and the spheromak my uni is putting online soon. Those designs are a bit easier to integrate into spacecraft due to their simplicity compared to the tokomak type. fusion would allow for power enough for magnetic shielding and the oomph to use fusion rockets to accelerate the journey, cutting the radiation problem seriously down.[/QUOTE]Well sending up a nuclear reactor large enough to write home about would be ideal and it's perfectly feasible right now rather than half a century from now. Since radiation is already a massive concern there really isn't any reason why nuclear fission for power would be a bad idea aside from weight, and honestly any Earth-to-Mars craft would likely get launched with some assembly required in orbit. On that note, (and it is a big note given the subject) the reactor size could be much, much larger than previous designs, possibly having it's own dedicated flight on a heavy launch vehicle. As for the radiation there really isn't any need for heavy magnetic shielding, remember that everything that goes needs to have some sort of purpose on Mars and honestly magnetic shielding isn't high on the list of "we need this to survive on another planet." What is high on the list, probably at the top, is water and lots of it, and thankfully water makes [I]great[/I] radiation shielding too! Problem is that's gonna be a fucking lot of water. Really the big problem isn't "oh how do we get there" because at this moment they could pack a tardload of MREs in a Soyuz, wrap that son of a bitch in 2291-T6 alloy, and then send some spaceman off to Mars and that guy would sure as hell get there. What's the big issue right now is when he gets to Mars he's going to slam into the surface at about 2 km/s which has actually been confirmed to be bad for the human body. Radiation really isn't a concern, not when you step back and look at it, pack enough anything on there and it'll attenuate all the cancer away, hell you could pack Russian potatoes on the side and if you have about two meters of the stuff then the trip won't be dangerous at all; sadly the potatoes will have been ruined, but still. Now, if we had a way to get a spacecraft from Earth to Mars cheaply enough we could use conventional rockets to bring it down to the surface gently. Unfortunately in this trade-off game, more weight means bigger rockets which means more fuel which means more oomph to get it in an orbit that will transfer to Mars and a lot of oomph to bring it down. Everything that needs to happen fucks over something else that needs to happen, it's just a big game of finding a cheap balance at this point until something comes along and remakes the game. Long and short of it is we can do all of this but we can't do it all at the same time or within a reasonable budget. Personally I think assembling a ship in orbit using a current shipbuilding technique known as a "superlift" would be best, the actual vehicle itself wouldn't be limited by Earth aerodynamics or by fitting most of the parts neatly on top of a rocket. Essentially the premise is to build a ship part by part, final assembly and final welding are on-site but instead of in a drydock this would be in orbit. My idea has the ship merely as a transportation vessel, the ship itself won't drop to the planet, just a colony "package" while the ship returns on it's own to Earth orbit and can be reused. Perhaps a bunch of small landing vehicles that unpack and can be used to assemble structures or be structures themselves. Either way it avoids all the problems except for the cost, it actually is a very, very costly plan and it will likely need significant investment early on, but it would allow for whoever owns it to ferry stuff back and forth for as long as the ship remains structurally sound.