The Science of Spacesuits

How does the study of spacesuits fit into the curriculum? If you’re pondering that question, here are a few pointers that might help you integrate the science of spacesuits into your lesson plans.

Earth Science Topics

  • Atmosphere: Contrast the atmosphere of Earth to the vacuum of space.

  • Air and atmospheric pressure: Discuss the need for pressure.

Physical Science Topics

  • Vacuum: Discuss what happens to objects in a vacuum.

  • Radiation: Identify what type of radiation is present in space.

  • Temperature: Explain what causes the extreme differences in temperature.

  • High-speed micrometeoroids: Discuss the effect of an impact of energy.

Life Science Topics

  • How would the human body react to the space environment without a spacesuit?
    •    Effects of radiation.
    •    Effects of no oxygen.
    •    Effects of low atmospheric pressure.  


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One thought on “The Science of Spacesuits”

  1. I work with the space environments effects on the space suit. You might be interested in electrical safety of the suit … it turns out that the EMU is in an electrically active environment and doesn’t protect against shock.

    There are multiple metallic penetrations that connect the astronaut’s body to the outside. The International Space Station has two plasma contactor units that operate in order to reduce the vehicle charge with astronaut’s are working outside. We operate those contactors to mitigate risk of arcing of metallic materials on the suit with a resulting current flow through the astronaut’s body.

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