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PurposeThe suboptimal fit of a spacesuit can interfere with a crewmember's performance and is regarded as a potential risk factor for injury. To quantify suit fit, a virtual fit assessment model was previously developed to identify suit-to-body contact and interference using 3D human body scans and suit CAD models. However, ancillary suit components and garments worn inside of the suit have not been incorporated.Design/methodology/approachThis study was conducted to predict a 3D model of the liquid cooling and ventilation garment (LCVG) from an arbitrary person's body scan. A total of 14 subjects were scanned in a scan wear and LCVG condition. A statistical model was generated using principal component analysis and random forest regression technique.FindingsThe model was able to predict the geometry of the LCVG layer at the accuracy of 5.3 cm maximum error and 1.7 cm root mean square error. The errors were more pronounced for the arms and lower torso, while the thighs and upper torso regions, which are critical for suit fit assessments, show more accurate predictions. A case study of suit fit with and without the LCVG model demonstrated that the new model can enhance the scope and accuracy of future spacesuit assessments.Originality/valueThe capabilities resulting from these modeling techniques would greatly expand the assessments of fit of the garment on various anthropometries. The results from this study can significantly improve the design process modeling and initial suit sizing efforts to optimize crew performance during extravehicular activity training and missions.

The neutral body posture (NBP) has been characteristically observed from crewmembers in a 0 g space flight. This study quantified the NBP from International Space Station crewmembers using a new technique for structured camera calibration and multiple-camera 3D triangulation. Template manikins derived from 3D body scans of the individual subjects also were used to improve accuracy. A skeletal link system was embedded in the manikin and articulated to reproduce the posture matching with the calibrated video images. The estimated body shapes and postures were compared against the NASA Technical Standards. The NBP, as more reliably estimated from this study, can help to improve spaceflight hardware and spacesuit design.

Objective The objective is to analytically determine the expected CG and build hardware to measure and verify the suited subject’s CG for lunar extravehicular activity (EVA) training in an underwater environment. Background For lunar EVAs, it is necessary for astronauts to train with a spacesuit in a simulated partial gravity environment. NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) can provide these conditions by producing negative buoyancy for a submerged suited subject. However, it is critical that the center of gravity (CG) for the human-spacesuit system to be accurate for conditions expected during planetary EVAs. Methods An underwater force-transducer system and individualized human-spacesuit model was created to provide real-time measurement of CG, including recommendations for weight placement locations and quantity of weight needed on the spacesuit to achieve a realistic lunar spacesuit CG. This method was tested with four suited subjects. Results Across tested weighout configurations, it was observed that an aft and high CG location will have large postural differences when compared to low and fore CG locations, highlighting the importance of having a proper CG. The system had an accuracy of ±5lbs of the total lunar weight and within ± 15 cm for fore-aft and left-right CG directions of the model predictions. Conclusion The developed method offers analytical verification of the suited subject’s CG and improves simulation quality of lunar EVAs. Future suit design can also benefit by recommending hardware changes to create ideal CG locations that improve balance and mobility. Application The developed methodology can be used to verify a proper CG location in future planetary EVA simulations such as different reduced gravity training analogs (e.g. active cable offloading systems).

During a Shuttle flight in the early part of 1999, one of the crewmembers was unable to operate the backrest lever for the light-weight seat in microgravity. It is essential that the crewmembers are able to adjust this back-rest lever, which is titled forward 2 degrees from vertical during launch and then moved backwards to 10 degrees aft of vertical upon reaching orbit. This adjustment is needed to cushion the crewmembers during an inadvertent crash landing situation. The original Shuttle seats, which had seat controls located on the front left and right sides of the seat, were replaced recently with the new light-weight seats. The controls for these new, seats were moved to the night side with one control at the front and the other at the back. While it was uncertain whether the problem encountered was unique to that crewmember or not it was clear to the personnel responsible for maintaining the Shuttle seats that not knowing the cause of the problem posed a safety concern for NASA. Hence the Anthropometry and Biomechanics Facility (ABF) of the Johnson Space Center was requested to perform an evaluation of the seat controls and provide NASA with appropriate recommendations on whether the seat lever positions and operations should be modified. The ABF designed an experiment to investigate the amount of pull force exerted by subjects, wearing an unpressurized or pressurized crew launch escape suit, when controls were placed in the front and back (on the right side) of the light-weight seat. Single-axis load cells were attached to the seat levers, which measured the maximum static pull forces that were exerted by the subjects. Twelve subjects, six male and six female, participated in this study. Each subject was asked to perform the pull test at least three times for each combination of lever position and suit pressure conditions. The results from this study showed that as a whole (or in general), the subjects were able to pull on the lever at the back position with only about half the amount of force that they were able to exert on the lever at the front position. In addition, the results also showed that subjects wearing the pressurized suit were unable to reach the seat lever when it was located at the back. Furthermore, the pull forces on the front lever diminished about 50 % when subjects wore the pressurized suits. Based on these results from this study, it was recommended to NASA that the levers should not be located in the back position. In addition, further investigation is needed on whether the levers at the front of the seat could be modified or adjusted to increase the leverage for crew members wearing pressurized launch/escape suits.

One of the reasons for reduction in performance when gloves are donned is the lack of tactile sensitivity. It was argued that grasping force for a weight to be grasped will be a function of the weight to be lifted and the hand conditions. It was further reasoned that the differences in grasping force for various hand conditions will be a correlate of the tactile sensitivity of the corresponding hand conditions. The objective of this experiment, therefore, was to determine the effects of glove type, pressure, and weight of load on the initial grasping force and stable grasping force. It was hypothesized that when a person grasps an object, he/she grasps very firmly initially and then releases the grasp slightly after realizing what force is needed to maintain a steady grasp. This would seem to be particularly true when a person is wearing a glove and has lost some tactile sensitivity and force feedback during the grasp. Therefore, the ratio of initial force and stable force and the stable force itself would represent the amount of tactile adjustment that is made when picking up an object, and this adjustment should vary with the use of gloves. A dynamometer was fabricated to measure the grasping force; the tests were performed inside a glove box. Four female and four male subjects participated in the study, which measured the effects of four variables: load effect, gender effect, glove type, and pressure variance. The only significant effects on the peak and stable force were caused by gender and the weight of the load lifted. Neither gloves nor pressure altered these forces when compared to a bare-handed condition, as was suspected before the test. It is possible that gloves facilitate in holding due to coefficient of friction while they deter in peak grasp strength.

One of the purposes of NASA's Shuttle missions is to deploy and retrieve satellites. Some of these missions require extravehicular activities (EVAs). During EVAs, crew members wear pressurized suits for protection from hazardous conditions and use a Remote Manipulator System (RMS) to transfer heavy objects from one location to another. Prior to the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission (STS-61), concerns were raised whether crew members would be able to hold onto the modules if the RMS started or stopped unexpectedly. An experiment was conducted to measure the handle forces during such a scenario and to determine whether these forces and moments were well within the capabilities of the crew. Four subjects participated in the study. Mockups were built to represent the characteristics of the actual unit and tests were conducted at the Precision Air Bearing Facility (PABF) which simulates a nearly friction-free environment. Force plates were attached to the mockups to monitor forces and moments during the test. Controlled translation and rotation tasks were also conducted to compare the results with those of sudden RMS run start/stop tasks. The results from this study showed that the forces and moments exerted by subjects during sudden stopping and starting conditions were well within the capabilities of the crew members. This study thus provided quantitative data for NASA to be assured of a safe and successful mission.

The primary objectives of this study were to determine the factors that affect stability during locomotion in both lunar and martian gravity environments and to determine the criteria needed to enhance stability and traction. This study tested the effects of three different speeds of locomotion and three different patterns of locomotion under three gravity conditions. The results showed some similarities across gravity levels with regard to changing the speed as well as the pattern of locomotion. Interestingly, the study also showed that as the gravity level decreased, the ratio of horizontal to vertical forces increased significantly. It appears that the tendency to move forward will be more in reduced gravity than compared to earth gravity. Thus, to ensure safe locomotion in reduced gravity, additional traction might be needed. Finally, selection of an appropriate traction material surface should be based on how well the ratio of horizontal to vertical forces is reduced.

Three-dimensional whole body scan data from a single static pose of a subject was processed to create a three-dimensional whole body surface model for anthropometric and biomechanical evaluation of space hardware. While this static surface model had benefits over traditional anthropometric measurements, the single scanned posture was not an ideal pose for evaluating the biomechanical requirements of specific tasks. Therefore, the ability to reposition the whole body surface data into various postures without sacrificing the integrity of kinematic parameters (such as segment lengths, widths, depths, etc) was required. The surface data for the upper extremities has been successfully repositioned using a technique that combines thin-plate spline theory and a kinematic model. The accuracy of this technique is being validated by creating representative models of cross-sections near each joint and performing an analysis of the shape and position of each section.

The effects of a pressurized suit on human performance were investigated. The suit is known as an Extra-Vehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) and is worn by astronauts while working outside their spacecraft in a low earth orbit. Isolated isokinetic joint torques of three female and three male subjects (all experienced users of the suit in 1G gravity) were measured while working at 100% and 80% of their maximum voluntary torque (MVT, which is synonymous with maximum voluntary contraction (MVC)). It was found that the average decrease in the total amount of work (the sum of the work in each repetition until fatigue) done when the subjects were wearing the EMU were 48% and 41% while working at 100% and 80% MVT, respectively. There is a clear relationship between the MVT and the time and amount of work done until fatigue. Here, the time to fatigue is defined as the ending time of the repetition for which the computed work done during that repetition dropped below 50% of the work done during the first repetition. In general the stronger joints took longer to fatigue and did more work than the weaker joints. It was found that the EMU decreases the work output at the wrist and shoulder joints the most, due to the EMU joint geometry. The EMU also decreased the joint range of motion. The average total amount of work done by the test subjects increased by 5.2% (20.4%) for the unsuited (suited) case, when the test subjects decreased the level of effort from 100% to 80% MVT. Also, the average time to fatigue increased by 9.2% (25.6%) for the unsuited (suited) case, when the test subjects decreased the level of effort from 100% to 80% MVT. It was also found that the experimentally measured torque decay could be predicted by a logarithmic equation. The absolute average errors in the predictions were found to be 18.3% and 18.9% for the unsuited and suited subjects, respectively, when working at 100% MVT, and 22.5% and 18.8% for the unsuited and suited subjects, respectively, when working at 80% MVT. These results could be very useful in the design of future EMU suits and the planning of Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) for the future International Space Station assembly operations.

This paper describes the work intended to supplement a previous study of Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) strength fatigue data, collected from a variety of joints at a fixed velocity (60 degrees/second), by collecting torque data of a single joint (knee) over time, unsuited, under a condition of multiple fixed velocities. Knee flexion and extension torque values were evaluated for 8 subjects at 60, 120, 180, and 240 degrees per second. Subjects were considered “fatigued” when they reached 30% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), or after 5 minutes of testing had elapsed. Results indicated that over the five-minute testing period, subjects’ available torque output decreased to 40% of their MVC, and then reached a plateau at this level. For lower velocities, subjects gradually decreased from their MVC, but their overall decrease in torque over the fiveminute period was high. For higher velocities, subjects experienced a sharp decline in torque output at the beginning of the trial, but quickly reached a plateau and had an overall smaller decrease in torque compared with lower velocities. Subjects were able to maintain a more constant torque at higher velocities at the beginning of a trial. These results will be correlated to the EMU data when it has been collected and processed, and a mathematical fatigue model will be built to aid designers and mission planners in evaluating EVA activities.

To work outside a space craft, humans must wear a protective suit. The required suit pressurization creates additional resistance for the wearer while performing work. How much does the suit effect work and fatigue? To answer these questions, dynamic torque was collected for the shoulder, elbow and wrist for six subjects in an Extra-vehicular Mobility Unit (EMU). In order to quantify fatigue, the subjects were to exert maximum voluntary torque for five minutes or until their maximum fell below 50% of their initial maximum for three consecutive repetitions. Using the collected torque and time data, logarithmic based functions were derived to estimate torque decay to within an absolute error of 20%. These results will be used in the development of a generalized tool for prediction of maximum available torque over time for humans using the current EMU.

A quantification has been conducted of any existing differences between the performance, in operational conditions, of the Space Shuttle crew Launch Entry Suit (LES) and the new Advanced Crew Escape Suit (ACES). While LES is a partial-pressure suit, the ACES system which is being considered as a replacement for LES is a full-pressure suit. Three tests have been conducted with six subjects to ascertain the suits' reach envelope, strength, and treadmill performance. No significant operational differences were found between the two suit designs.

An effort is made to ascertain the factors affecting stability during locomotion in lunar and Martian gravity environments, as well as to establish criteria for the enhancement of stability and traction. The effects of changing both the speed and the pattern of locomotion under three different gravity conditions were investigated. As gravity level increased, vertical and horizontal forces significantly declined; similarities were noted across gravity levels, however, with respect to locomotion speed and pattern changes, where increasing speed enhanced both vertical and horizontal forces. With decreasing gravity, the ratio of horizontal to vertical forces increased significantly.