Spacesuit expert: Moon dust is the number one problem

The number one problem on the Moon is dust, which scratches helmet glass, damages equipment and seals, Michelle Stein, who is working on a new generation spacesuit, told PAP. It is such a suit that the next man will stand on the Moon in.

Michelle Stein leads the team creating the AxEMU spacesuit. The suits, which are being created under her supervision at KBR (a partner company of Axiom Space), will be used by members of NASA's Artemis III mission, among others. The mission, which will bring humans back to the Moon after 55 years, is scheduled to launch in mid-2027.

PAP : What kind of suit is your team working on?

Michelle Stein : There are two types of suits. The non-pressurized IVA (IntraVehicular Activity) suits are used for launch and return from space. The EVA (ExtraVehicular Activity) suits are pressurized suits. They are used in low-pressure environments, above the Armstrong limit, which is about 19 km above the Earth's surface. Our suit is the latest version of that.

American astronauts walked on the Moon in Apollo suits. The EMUs (Extravehicular Mobility Units) are currently in use on the International Space Station (ISS). Our suits, AxEMU, will be able to be used on the surface of the Moon and in microgravity conditions on space stations. And the starting point was both of the earlier suits, true works of art and engineering marvels.

PAP : Designing spacesuits – is there any place to get training in this field?

MS: There are no experts in such a narrow specialization.

PAP : Except for you.

MS : Well, I've been doing this for 25 years. But our team, which is several hundred people, has experts in many areas. It takes a whole village to make a spacesuit. So we have specialists in life support systems, communication systems, materials science, we have designers and tailors.

PAP : And experts in the field of style – after all, you cooperate with the Italian fashion house Prada.

MS : Contrary to appearances, the creators of space suits and the designers from Prada have a lot in common. We are united by the passion with which we approach our work, creativity, courage in crossing boundaries and searching for new solutions.

Prada experts have a vast knowledge of materials and sewing techniques. They have also taught us that the appearance of the suit also matters. Astronauts are famous people, so it is no wonder that they want to look good.

PAP : In the past, astronauts were selected like an honor guard – all of similar height and build. But that has changed. How do you adjust the suits to people with very different body types?

MS : It's not easy, especially for people of smaller stature. But we prepare AxEMU in different sizes. This applies to all elements except the helmet – parts covering the torso, arms, hands, legs and feet. We have six sizes of sleeves and four sizes of legs, boots and gloves. In addition, each sleeve and leg can be shortened or lengthened using a buckle system – so that the elbows and knees are in the right places in the suit. Since four shoe sizes are not enough, we have developed inserts that provide a precise fit so that the shoes are comfortable.

PAP : There are probably many layers hidden beneath the outer, protective shell of the suit.

MS : A person who is going to go into space in a spacesuit first puts on a diaper. It's not very elegant, but it's necessary. Then comes thermal underwear, similar to what you use for skiing or running training. It's antibacterial and wicks away moisture.

The next layer is a cooling and ventilation garment made of three-dimensional knitted fabric with tubes. Cold water is connected to them to maintain the right temperature and to remove some of the moisture from the body - and the tight interior of the suit filled with all this equipment quickly becomes hot. There are also tubes in the sleeves and legs, which suck warm, moist air out of the suit, transport it to the life support system, where it is cooled and re-injected onto the face.

PAP : I thought the suit probably had to be heated…

MS : And of course it is – it has to protect against frost and heat, because the temperature on the Moon ranges from plus 120 to minus 170 degrees Celsius. Heating in the gloves is particularly important – and this is my favorite element of our project.

The suit must be strong and thick to protect against extreme temperatures, dust and micrometeorites. But astronauts have a lot of work to do during a lunar mission: they will grab and carry small objects, open and close containers, take samples. This means that the gloves must be designed completely differently to provide a precise grip and ideal mobility, while also protecting the hands. They must be thinner than the rest of the suit – but then the hands will freeze, especially when the astronauts reach for cold metal tools. So heaters must be placed in the gloves, but this cannot reduce the mobility of the hands.

The EMU suit that is currently in use is equipped with Phase VI gloves – a masterpiece of engineering. But I think our gloves will beat them.

PAP : Is the Axiom Space suit made of known materials?

MS : Some of these fabrics are in every wardrobe, but we developed a few materials ourselves, with the idea of ​​using them in space. This is a challenge, because, for example, the materials used in the suit cannot be flammable. In addition, in a vacuum, the materials lose their elasticity, so there are no elastic elements on the outside of the suit. Almost every layer of the suit contains natural materials, mainly wool, but we use them carefully. We have to make sure that they do not leave fluff - in a closed air circulation, astronauts would inhale them.

PAP : What element of AxEMU poses the greatest challenge to scientists and engineers?

MS : The number one problem is lunar dust. During the Apollo missions, sharp particles of regolith were a real pain for astronauts. The dust scratched the helmet visors, making it difficult to see, got into the camera equipment, and damaged the seals of vacuum sample containers. So we are looking for solutions that will protect against dust. Among other things, we need to find a way to clean the suits after returning to the lander, rover or base so that the dust does not get inside.

Another issue is electrostatic discharge – that is, electrification of fabrics and surfaces. When an astronaut in an electrified spacesuit grabs the door handle while returning to the vehicle, a discharge may occur. And the spacesuit is filled with pure oxygen and a spark can ignite it. So we are working on effective grounding of AxEMU.

PAP : Astronauts are already testing the lunar suit in laboratories. Among them was Peggy Whitson, commander of the Ax-4 mission. What did she think of the suit?

MS : She really liked it. She was most pleased that it fit her, even though she is small. Peggy always had problems moving in other ones, not designed for short, slim people, but she felt great in ours. The opinions and comments of such an experienced astronaut, as well as her colleagues, are invaluable help for us. After all, it is for them that we create AxEMU.

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The Ax-4 mission , whose crew consists of: Peggy Whitson (USA) – commander; Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland/ESA) – specialist; Shubhanshu Shukla (India) – pilot and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) – specialist, is scheduled to launch on June 10 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida (USA).

From Cocoa Beach Anna Bugajska (PAP)

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