We are stepping into an era, where soon, commercial space travel will not be a far fetched
dream. With ambitious ventures like SpaceX, we now
see new projects and rockets being built and for
every new spaceship, there must be a new breed of spacesuits too.
This is Tech Space and we are starting out with a brand new series called “The Technology
Behind” and in today’s video we will be taking a closer look at the technology behind
the SpaceX astronaut suit!
Elon Musk's main goal with his company SpaceX has always been to make space travel and
human space flight a possibility. He achieved this same ambition on May 30th
2020 with his Crew Dragon Spacecraft that was
able to carry NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space
Station. They made history as this was the first time
a crewed spaceship was sent from American soil,
thanks to the spacecraft developed by SpaceX and Boeing.
This amazing project not only brought the Crew Dragon spacecraft to everyone’s attention,
but also the amazing spacesuits that the two astronauts
wore for their journey into orbit. Spaceships as well as the suits have come
a long way from the early days of their conception. You might remember the images of the big and
bulky orange suits that astronauts wore when they were launched into space.
Well, it looks like Elon Musk holds his love for sleek design and innovation when it comes
to every aspect of his work and this means the
suit is not an exception. Why should space travel not be sleek and fancy?
We can hardly disagree. Let’s take a closer look at the spacesuits.
THE DESIGN When the ambitious Crew Dragon mission was
announced, it also revealed what will now be the
next generation of astronautical wear, that is the SpaceX suit or otherwise called the
Starman suit.
If we’re being quite honest, one look at the suit and it’s like you’re looking
straight into the future or from a movie.
This is exactly something you would expect from Elon musk if you take a look at his design
for the Cybertruck that was criticised for looking
like it belonged to aliens. But when it comes to the spacesuit, no one
can really deny the sleek design is actually pretty
nice. All the credit for the design and tailoring
goes to movie costume designer Jose Fernandez from
Ironhead Studios. He has also previously worked in movies like
Men in Black, BlackPanther and even Ironman. Oftentimes people have said that the movie
Ironman is actually based on the real life of Elon
Musk, so this seems just too good to be true that he managed to get Jose to design the
spacesuits. In fact, the designer actually thought the
“costumes” were for a film production about astronauts,
little did he know he would be setting the new standard for space fashion!
The designer stated that he wanted the spacesuit to almost be like putting on a tuxedo, that
it should make the person look better.
The designer didn’t even know what SpaceX was, let alone that he would be the one designing
their futuristic suits. When you actually compare the suits now to
the ones that were revealed by Musk in 2017, the
changes are very few, at least on the surface level.
The white and black suits, that are more body hugging and sleek, have protruding shoulder
pads and a more minimalist feel. The suits have been designed to perfection
to compliment the Dragon spaceship. They go together so well, you could actually
say that they are merely an extension of the actual
spacecraft. THE FEATURES AND TECHNOLOGY
To begin with, the stylish helmets were 3D printed, and they look like something straight
out of the Tron Legacy.
We can imagine how Doug and Bob must have felt while putting the headpieces on.
The helmets include integrated valves and mechanisms for visor retraction, locking as
well as microphones built within the helmets structure.
As far as helmets go, that has got to be something you would see only in movies.
Astronauts would be relieved by the new shape of the helmet as well and will no longer have
to wear that round bubble of helmet that probably
Neil Armstrong had to wear. Honestly, no one likes the idea of a fishbowl
around their head. The primary objective of course is to protect
the crew from depressurisation, that is in the event
that there is any loss of air inside the capsule. Or only that but the suits also will start
working automatically once the two astronauts are inside
the capsule. Each suit has been designed and customised
to fit the astronaut correctly. They didn't want to repeat the old bulky suits
that you would see in movies. The suits have been designed in such a way
that they will ensure the astronauts have sufficient
oxygen that they need and will also be able to regulate their temperature.
They have something that is similar to an “umbilical” cable that is in the seat
and it plugs into the suit.
With this, they can use it as a source of breathable air and it also doubles up as a
communications link!
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features and technology.
When it comes to weight the suits come in at around 20 pounds and are made from a fire
resistant material Kevlar and Nomex. Every aspect of the suit is so intricate and
detailed, even the gloves have been designed to
provide just the right amount of pressurisation and protection and at the same time it offers
touchscreen compatibility so that the astronauts can work with all the control surfaces of
the Dragon.
The suits were made in Hawthorne California, in the very same building where SpaceX makes
its rockets. Now that's pretty epic!
This just goes to show how much value and effort they have put into the suits and they
see it as much value as they do their rockets unlike
how NASA usually just has someone else make them.
Both of the suits had been tested and sent into space twice before they were actually
worn by the two astronauts.
The first time was when they placed it on the dummy at the wheel of the Tesla that was
launched into space on the Falcon Heavy Rocket back in 2018.
The second time around, they placed it on the dummy called Ripley that was on the Crew
Dragon, when they sent the spacecraft into orbit, to complete its first unscrewed Demo
1 test flight. Both times the suit fared extremely
well and without any problems. THE PRODUCTION AND FUTURE
We do not yet have an exact number on how much the suits cost, but Musk has been quoted
as saying that the project has cost them close
to a billion dollars. With all those amazing features it does not
come as much of a surprise. What’s even more notable is the fact that
unlike any other suits that have been made, this one
was made by SpaceX themselves. This is not the same case when it comes to
tomato spacesuit projects. Usually, NASA would be tying up or outsourcing
to specialised contractors who have a long history in designing and would make a suit
for NASA. But here we see, SpaceX with their unique
approach have been able to create something that
not only was made by them but will also serve them.
They wanted to create something in house that would serve as an extension of their spacecraft,
and they were of the opinion that only they would be able to make the right suit that
would be both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
This is not something new to Elon Musk as he does prefer to make everything in house
whether it’s Tesla or any of his other projects.
Musk said that they worked in the suits for nearly three to four years and the result
of course is there for everyone to see.
Musk stated that with the suit, he wanted to create something that would even appeal
to children and get them fired up and excited
about space travel to inspire a new young generation
of astronauts! The futuristic spacesuits have been well received,
especially following the success of the mission and we can only wait and watch for
what the company has next in store for space travel, whether it’s their rockets or their
fancy suits.
And with that being said, it’s time to end our video but before that, we want to know
from you what you think about the SpaceX Starman suit
? Let us know in the comment section. Consider
liking the video and subscribing to the channel. Thanks for watching and see you next time.