Source丨Entrepreneurship Bang (ID: ichuangyebang)
Author丨Linfeng
Editor丨Sea waist
First photo丨AFP
On September 12, in Earth orbit 700 kilometers above the surface, Polaris Dawn commander Jared Isaacman became the first private astronaut to perform EVA (extravehicular activities).
On the 15th, the Crew Dragon spacecraft splashed down on the Gulf of Mexico, ending the five-day mission, marking the end of the "Polaris Dawn" mission and the successful completion of SpaceX's fifth private astronaut mission.
Source: SpaceX, four crew members of the "Polaris Dawn".
Jared Isaacman, a billionaire and founder of payments company Shift4 Payments, commissioned SpaceX for a private manned space flight on Polaris Dawn. The footage shows crew members Jared and Sarah Gillis taking turns emerging from the Dragon spacecraft's hatch and spending about 10 minutes each testing SpaceX's EVA suit. This exit was a "standing" exit, and the astronauts did not fly out of the spacecraft.
The SpaceX spacesuit in this extravehicular walk is a new spacesuit developed by SpaceX for more than 2 years, which is lighter and more fitting than NASA's traditional spacesuit. According to reports, the spacesuits worn by the astronauts on Polaris Dawn are almost entirely soft materials, and are designed with heat-insulating and radiation-resistant textiles recovered from the spacecraft, making them easier to manufacture and less expensive.
Use 3D printing and spacecraft recycling materials
The first commercial spacewalk was a milestone in the commercial space industry, with no government funding involved, and the main theme was that "civilians can really go to the sky if they have money". This is also Jared Isaacman's second time in space, after launching the Inspiration4 all-civilian space mission in hopes of raising awareness and raising money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. That flight, which he also partnered with SpaceX and was entirely funded by Jared, took a cancer patient, a doctor and an elementary school teacher to the sky on a Dragon spacecraft for three days.
Polaris Dawn is mission one of the Polaris program, a private space flight program contracted by Jared Isaacman with SpaceX and equally purposeful. The plan is divided into three steps, the first two will be completed using Crew Dragon, in addition to the first mission to verify the reliability of the SpaceX extravehicular suit, there will be a mission to "rescue" the Hubble Space Telescope, and the third will be the first manned launch mission of the SpaceX Starship launch vehicle.
Source: Wikipedia
According to the official website of the Polaris program, the first mission on September 10 has four major goals: a high-orbit manned flight, the first commercial spacewalk, and Starlink-based space communication and health impact research. According to SpaceNews, the Falcon 9 launched the Dragon spacecraft into an elliptical orbit at an altitude of 1,408.1 kilometers, which is also the highest altitude of a manned Earth orbit mission so far.
Source: Polaris Dawn official website
The spacewalk took place on September 12, about 6 times around the Earth after the Dragon spacecraft lowered the distance to about 720 kilometers above the surface, and while over Australia and New Zealand, Jared Isaacman walked out of the hatch, followed by SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis.
In addition, the mission tested new communications technologies, particularly Starlink's laser space communication technology, which is planned to pave the way for future space missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
According to the Washington Post, the Dragon spacecraft does not have a special airlock cabin, so the method of "full cabin decompression" is adopted, the entire spacecraft is used as an airlock cabin, and the return capsule of the entire spacecraft is deflated to a vacuum state until the top hatch of the spacecraft is opened after balancing with the pressure of the space environment. Jared and Sarah alternated exits, closing the hatch and starting to repressurize with oxygen and nitrogen upon returning to the cabin.
As can be seen from the video footage, the spacesuit is slightly inflated when exiting the capsule, and each astronaut carries an "umbilical cord" to control cooling and oxygen during the spacewalk. In this process, the astronauts did not change their spacesuits, and the in-cabin and extravehicular spacesuits were integrated.
Source: YouTube
Extravehicular activities are very dangerous activities, with no air supply in space, astronauts will be exposed to solar radiation and cosmic rays, and will have extreme cold or hot temperatures. In addition, the extravehicular spacesuit needs to have joint flexibility and maneuverability to facilitate astronauts to perform a variety of operations and tasks.
In May of this year, SpaceX's first extravehicular spacesuit (EVA) debuted, an evolution of the black-and-white intravehicular activity suit (IVA) based on the Crew Dragon spacecraft, enhanced and improved in key areas to make it lightweight while protecting astronauts in the harsh outer space environment.
On this walk, SpaceX's extravehicular spacesuit became the focus of attention, and netizens said that there was "black technology" hidden in it. "It's like a suit of armor made of fabric," says Erik Kraus, chief spacesuit engineer.
The first is the visual intuitiveness, compared with the traditional extravehicular spacesuit, SpaceX's extravehicular suit is quite simple and lightweight, like wearing a one-piece overalls. Due to the need to carry life support systems to cope with the extreme conditions in space, the previous spacesuits were often designed to be fat and heavy, and a set of spacesuits was similar to a small spacecraft, and the putting on and taking off methods such as "back in", "waist in" and "double plane penetration" required assembly.
图源：网络，SpaceX IVA、SpaceX EVA
SpaceX's extravehicular suit integrates a complex set of systems. According to the Da Liu Science Channel, a traditional spacesuit has more than a dozen layers of structure, the first layer of underwear is in direct contact with the skin to monitor the astronaut's heart rate, body temperature and breathing, the second layer uses multiple thin tubes to adjust the liquid temperature, which is equivalent to a close-fitting air conditioner, the third layer of pressurized layer fills the gas to provide pressure, the fourth layer of restraint layer will confine the gas to an ergonomic shape, and the fifth layer is a hard shell composed of various fibers to resist the impact of fragments.
In particular, extravehicular spacesuits need to meet the four characteristics of thermal insulation, air pressure, protection and flexibility. Da Liu introduced: "SpaceX aerospace obeys the perspective of simplicity and fashion, and requires engineers to simplify the traditional structure as much as possible when reversing, and simplify the design of many functions. In the EVA spacesuit, SpaceX replaces the nitrogen-oxygen mixture inside with pure oxygen through the "umbilical cord", which can maintain pressure and breathing, while regulating temperature. Simplified design, one service for two purposes.
SpaceX's extravehicular suits are significantly lighter than traditional extravehicular suits. According to the data, the basic version of NASA's spacesuit for low-earth orbit out-of-cabin activities weighs about 115KG (the enhanced version weighs about 145KG), and the weight of the mainland's second-generation "Feitian" spacesuit has increased to 130KG. Although the weight of SpaceX's EVA extravehicular suit is not yet known, some netizens pointed out in a reddit discussion thread that the IVA in-cabin suit in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft weighs about 10 kilograms. Because the suit does not have a life-saving system, it is likely to weigh much less than the Space Shuttle ACES or NASA EMUs.
Unlike traditional extravehicular suits with multiple layers of equipment, this spacesuit is easy to wear. SpaceX's extravehicular suit is designed with a spiral zipper at the waist, and the zipper on the forearm can be opened without gloves and allows for freehand operation, making it easy to put on and take off quickly. The spacesuit design can be expanded for a variety of body types to fit different astronauts, ensuring that each astronaut can find the right size and that the individual parts can be assembled and disassembled relatively easily.
Judging from the introduction on the official website, the main color of SpaceX's extravehicular suit is white and black, wearing a specially coated helmet and a pair of boots, which is more suitable for the human body. The outer body fabric is a new type of flame-retardant elastic material developed by SpaceX, which insulates heat and warmth, makes it easy to manufacture and improves the flexibility of the spacesuit.
Source: Polaris Dawn official website
The "umbilical cord" that connects the astronaut to the equipment inside has a dial that controls the temperature inside the spacesuit and provides extra oxygen during the spacewalk.
According to reports, the extravehicular suit is flexible and mobile. Flexed joints at the wrists, elbows, waist and legs provide pressurized mobility, and the innovative semi-rigid swivel joint remains soft until pressurized while allowing the arm to rotate. For example, when Sarah leans out of the hatch, she can rotate her wrist to hold the crossbar.
Astronauts' helmets are their goggles. Because the helmet has a copper/tin oxide coating, it can insulate heat, defog and protect the eyes from unfiltered direct sunlight, and it is conductive and can act as an electromagnetic shield. In addition, the special coating of this goggle adjusts the reflection and refraction of light, and it also serves as a high-tech head-up display (HUD) and camera.
It only works during a spacewalk, displaying the pressure, temperature and relative humidity index of the astronaut's environment, depending on the actual situation. At the same time, it will also detect how long astronauts are exposed to the vacuum of space. These systems provide critical information and visual aids to astronauts during their spacewalks.
When outside the capsule, the tightness of the spacesuit is closely linked to the life of the astronaut. The SpaceX suit's redundant helmet seals, locking mechanism locking mechanism, and added internal valves for fault-tolerant pressure control ensure robustness and safety to operate at 5.1Psia, allowing for both in-cabin and extravehicular activities.
In the special environment of space, the shoes of the spacesuit need to provide foot protection and support under weightless conditions. It is worth mentioning that the boots of the spacesuit are made of the thermal material used in the trunks of the Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft, which can provide thermal performance in both high and low temperatures in space.
Another key highlight is that the helmet worn by SpaceX is made of 3D printed polycarbonate material, which is lighter and allows for rapid production, reducing costs and time. In this test, it was confirmed that the 3D printed helmet is able to withstand the extreme conditions of deep space.
The crew of the Polaris Dawn program reported that the spacesuit worked well. When Sarah exited the capsule, she felt like she could stay outside the spacecraft a little longer.
Source: YouTube
In terms of cost, due to the use of lightweight, flame-retardant materials, integrated life support systems, and reuse of thermal materials, it is reasonable to speculate that SpaceX's extravehicular spacesuit is significantly lower than NASA's EMU spacesuit, which costs more than $100 million.
It is not known whether the SpaceX extravehicular spacesuit will be able to support long spacewalks, but it can be seen from the actual video that the astronauts leaning out of the capsule move slowly and stiffly. The EMU of the Space Shuttle era was designed to serve 100 Space Shuttle missions and a 15-year service life. Therefore, the long-term benefits of the two cannot be directly compared.
The progress is far ahead of NASA's new generation of extravehicular spacesuits
According to reports, SpaceX's spacesuit was created by Ironhead Studio, a master of Hollywood movie costume design, Jose himself provided exterior design advice, and then SpaceX realized the production and manufacture of the spacesuit according to the design. The studio has been responsible for the costume design of "X-Men", "Avengers", "Batman", and "Wonder Woman".
In 2014, after signing a Commercial Crew Program contract with NASA, SpaceX began to provide transportation services for astronauts on the International Space Station.
The spacewalk is the key to the mission of "Dawn of the North Star", and the development progress of the extravehicular spacesuit has advanced with this project, which has taken more than two years of research and development. Originally planned for the end of 2022, it was later postponed several times. In July of this year, SpaceX completed acceptance tests of a new spacesuit developed for EVA.
"SpaceX's extravehicular spacesuit may be even better than the one NASA is building," commented YouTube Tech Map. There is an argument that after SpaceX pushes for the first commercial spacewalk in humans, its extravehicular spacesuit could be an alternative.
As early as 1981, NASA began the development of a new generation of extravehicular spacesuits (xEMUs) for astronauts to wear when walking on the lunar surface. Its shape is the same as that of a traditional spacesuit, consisting of an extravehicular pressure suit and a life support system. Compared to the previous model, the xEMU has a new design with an embedded communication system, additional support bearings and materials, etc.
图源:网络,EMU、xEMU
In September 2022, NASA's extravehicular activity services (xEVAS) contract called for the development of next-generation astronaut spacesuits to support the Artemis moon landing program, and two companies, Axiom and veteran aerospace Collins, with a contract value of $1.26 billion, were selected.
The Axiom extravehicular maneuvering unit (AxEMU) is a modification of NASA's new-generation spacesuit xEMU prototype. In March this year, Axiom completed an initial design review, a little later than originally planned. NASA showed off the first prototype spacesuit at an event in Texas. "Axiom's next-generation spacesuit will not only enable the first woman to set foot on the moon, but will also provide opportunities for more people to explore the moon for scientific research," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
Therefore, in terms of appearance, Axiom's extravehicular suit is very similar to the xEMU design, with multiple layers of protection, hypertrophy, and high cost.
图源:Axiom,AxEMU
According to public information, NASA cooperates with Axiom in the form of a commercial contract, that is, NASA buys lunar walking services from Axiom, which can actively find commercial customers to support lunar walks. Axiom has improved the xEMU with advanced technology to accommodate 90% of United States men and women, and will apply modern technological innovations in life support systems, pressure suits and avionics.
According to the "NASA: Major Project Evaluation" released by the United States Government Accountability Agency (GAO) in October 2024, NASA's EVA development progress is shown. Axiom was relatively quick, completing the mission concept review back in December 2022 and building spacesuit components that mimic the space environment and are tested in a vacuum environment, with the risk of schedule delays.
In addition, Axiom had to compete with companies that also made spacesuits, and had to deal with the problem of being an exclusive supplier of some components, which they sought to supply in limited quantities worldwide. Axiom representatives mentioned that the company that supplied the coating for its helmets had collapsed and needed to find alternative solutions, which would also delay progress. Axiom's competitors also include another company in the same period, Collins.
Collins completed the Integrated Mission Concept Review and Certification Baseline Review in April 2023, but the project did not meet NASA quality and integrity requirements, and the crew capability assessment of the ISS spacesuit was required to complete the preliminary design review. The progress was significantly delayed due to delays in the approval of documents. And in June of this year, Collins withdrew from the contract due to cost issues, which means that the progress of the new generation of extravehicular spacesuits will lag even further.
Despite the slow progress, NASA has chosen to take the safe path, with Lara Kearney, Program Manager for Extravehicular Activities and Human Ground Mobility, saying, "NASA leverages industry capabilities and expertise to deliver moonwalk services as safely, effectively and efficiently as possible." ”
Some analysts said that although SpaceX's extravehicular spacesuit has a simple design and saves the safety and redundancy equipment on spacesuits such as Apollo spacesuits, there will be defects, that is, the reduction of materials will lead to a redundant decline in anti-bursting performance, and the lack of repair kits will bring hidden dangers once the "umbilical cord" is broken due to the lack of independent survival performance of SpaceX's extravehicular suit. In addition, the SpaceX spacesuit does not have an external display screen to inform the neighboring astronauts of the status of the spacesuit, so they cannot rescue each other in time.
At the same time, NASA has also chosen to embrace new and innovative technologies, exploring the use of 3D printing technology to improve spacesuit design. For example, in the past two years, NASA has selected more than a dozen early-stage research to support future space missions, funded by the Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, including one: developing a high-performance spacesuit 4.0 project for Mars exploration and using technologies including 3D printing to build spacesuits.