NASA's new spacesuit

[Dr Mordrid]

Helmet faceplate looks a bit like those in the "Lost in Space" movie, doesn't it?

[Nowhere]

Can't wait when "second skin" space suits will enter service...

[Dr Mordrid]

Yup, those MIT suits make way too much sense BUT they're funded by the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) and it's to be shut down by August because of budget problems.

No word on where if/where it's surviving projects will be transferred to, but they include the lunar space elevator, magnetic sail, mini-magnetospheric plasma propulsion (M2P2) and others.

Still, given the long lead time of the bio-suit the one in the first post will still be needed for Orion, COTS etc.

[Nowhere]

I was thinking more about the ones that are in large part "painted" over your skin...even more cool

[Gurm]

Yeah, I've always sort of marveled that we have all this amazing technology but our most advanced space suits look like they came straight off the Apollo missions...

But then again, space technology hasn't been a priority in this country, or at NASA, since the 70's... and YES, I'm being highly critical right now. China is about to hand us our asses on a platter in the space arena.

[Dr Mordrid]

But then again, space technology hasn't been a priority in this country, or at NASA, since the 70's... and YES, I'm being highly critical right now. China is about to hand us our asses on a platter in the space arena.

Agreed unless the private companies succeed.

Yes, China's Shenzou is a great upgrade/upsize of Soyuz, but it's still limited in cargo and in the latest version only handles a crew of 3.



NASA's Orion is a decent system but funding will cause it to come rather late; 2016. Max crew:4 for LEO/Lunar & 6 for Mars, but in that mode it's just for crew return.

With any luck by then the SpaceX Dragon will have been flying for >6 years (first flight 2008), and it's been evaluated as lunar capable with more maneuvering capability than Orion. It also has more flexibility in that the same shell can be used for pure cargo, 7 passengers or a mix of passengers up to 7 + cargo. It also has an unpressurized cargo "trunk" in its service module.

Big Dragon pictures;

http://digitalvideo.8m.net/spaceships/dragon.jpg

http://digitalvideo.8m.net/spaceships/dragoncargo.jpg

http://digitalvideo.8m.net/spaceships/dragonmanned.jpg

http://digitalvideo.8m.net/spaceships/dragonstack.jpg

IMO Bigelow's inflatable BA-330 habitats could well end up being the space station tech for most space faring nations; they're cheap, LARGE and modules can be launched on existing boosters. In an interview 2 weeks ago Bigelow said they're working on a way to assemble them into a moon base at L1 (the gravity balance point between Earth & Moon) then land the whole shebang intact & ready for use.

BA-330 volume: 330 cu/meters each
ISS current size: 425 cu/meters

Each Bigelow hub can mount 5 of those things for up to 1650 cu/meters, or 60% larger than a completed ISS

My (incomplete) interpretation of a 1 module moon base;

[Gurm]

I agree that China's technology is ... lagging ... a little. But they've gone from "no men in orbit" to "ready to shoot for the moon" in a few short years. Faster than we did in the 60's. And they have the added advantage of not really caring all that much if their guys get back alive or not!

[Dr Mordrid]

It's possible a keiretsu of ULA (United Launch Alliance = Lockheed + Boeing), Bigelow and perhaps SpaceX will beat them and NASA back to the moon. Watch for April 10th

[Technoid]

It's possible a keiretsu of ULA (United Launch Alliance = Lockheed + Boeing), Bigelow and perhaps SpaceX will beat them and NASA back to the moon. Watch for April 10th

Don't you mean April the first?

[Dr Mordrid]

Cute, but no.