Constellation Space Suit System CSSS Overview Operational Assumptions Concepts

1
Constellation Space Suit SystemCSSS Overview
Operational Assumptions / Concepts

• XA / Jeff Dutton
• XA / Brian Johnson
• CSSS Industry Day

2
CSSS Overview

• Agenda
• EVA Systems Project Scope
• Constellation Program EVA Elements and
  Organization
• EVA Systems Mission Description
• EVA Operational Assumptions / Concepts
• General EVA Operational Concepts
• ISS Missions
• Lunar Sortie Mission
• Technology Development
• Schedule

3
EVA Systems Project Scope

• EVA Systems Project has the responsibility for
• Development, Certification, Production,
  Processing and Sustaining of flight and training
  hardware systems necessary to support EVA and
  Crew Survival
• Launch, Entry and Abort (LEA), zero-G EVA, and
  planetary suit systems to support all phases of
  Constellation missions
• Crew Survival Gear (integral to suits)
• EVA and Suit Tools Crew Aids
• EVA Unique Vehicle Interface/Support Hardware
• Associated Ground Support Equipment (GSE)

4
Constellation Program EVA Elements

• Constellation Program Office EVA elements are
  comprised of Level II and III organizations
• The EVA Systems Integration Group (SIG) (Level
  II)
• Responsible for development and technical
  baseline control of the Level II EVA requirements
  The Constellation Architecture shall and The
  EVA System shall
• Located at JSC
• The EVA Systems Project Office (Level III)
  matrixed from JSCs EVA Office
• Responsible for decomposition and allocation of
  Level II EVA requirements to the appropriate
  elements of the EVA System
• Responsible for development and technical
  baseline control of the Level III EVA
  requirements The EVA Suit System shall
• Located at JSC
• EVA Systems Hardware projects will be managed by
  JSC with support from GRC

5
Mission Description

• Mission Description
• ISS/CEV Provide LEA, limited duration
  pressurized survival, and contingency EVA
  (zero-G) capability for missions to ISS for up to
  6 crewmembers
• Lunar Sortie Provide LEA, extended duration
  pressurized survival (up to 120 hours), zero-G
  EVA capability, and surface (1/6-G) EVA
  capability for a lunar mission ( 2 weeks, 1 week
  on surface) for up to 4 crewmembers
• Lunar Outpost In addition to above, provide
  surface EVA capability for a lunar mission
  duration of up to 6 months
• Mars Surface operation EVA capability on Mars
  for extended duration

6
Mission Phases baseline launch dates/goal launch
dates
2018/15
2023
2030
2014/12
CEV to ISS
Lunar Sortie
Lunar Outpost
Mars
LEA capability for all crewed CEV missions
Zero-G capability for all crewed CEV missions
Surface EVA capability for planetary exploration
7
Space Suit System Architecture

• NASA perceives that a single suit system
  providing LEA, zero-G EVA and surface EVA
  capabilities is a feasible approach and
  potentially offers the following
• Reduced upmass
• Reduced logistics and sparing
• Reduced life cycle costs
• Technical and schedule challenges suggest that a
  phased or block approach may be required
• LEA and zero-G EVA capability to support by the
  first flight of CEV, NLT 2014 with a programmatic
  goal of 2012
• Surface EVA capability is required for first
  lunar sortie missions, NLT 2018 with a
  programmatic goal of 2015
• Soliciting Industry input on the above

8
Suit System Goals Outcomes

• Minimize life cycle cost
• Minimize system operational overhead and maximize
  work-efficiency over the entire suit use cycle
• Minimize system mass and volume and carry weight
• Maximize unpressurized mobility to allow
  crewmembers to operate vehicle systems and to
  perform in emergency situations
• Maximize EVA capability while limiting impact on
  unpressurized suit volume, weight, comfort, and
  other attributes necessary to fulfill the crew
  survival function
• Maximize quick donning capabilities
• Accommodate the full-range of flight crew
  anthropometries while minimizing the required
  suit logistics
• Maximize reliability and minimize maintenance
  requirements
• Minimize operational/design constraints for
  conducting lunar surface operations with respect
  to geographical location and solar/thermal
  conditions
• Incorporate, where appropriate, design
  flexibility and modularity to allow for efficient
  incorporation of upgrades

9
Operational Assumptions and Concepts

• The following several pages provide additional
  detail of the operations concepts as best known
  today
• These concepts and assumptions are preliminary
  and are based on the Constellation Operations
  Concepts Document (CxP70007)
• Current revision will be published to the
  procurement website
• May change as the Constellation Program
  progresses through various System Requirements
  Reviews
• Can be influenced by comments received in
  responses to the synopsis
• The information provided also includes draft
  information to be documented in the EVA Systems
  Operations Concept Document
• This information as well as that provided on the
  website should allow for a more detailed response
  to the synopsis

10
Assumptions Affecting EVA Suit System Hardware
for all Mission Phases

• General Assumptions
• No prebreathe before launch
• Crewmembers will be able to self don and doff the
  suit while in vehicle(s)
• The CEV cabin has the capability of being
  pressurized at 10.2 14.7 psi
• All crewmembers are suited and connected to
  vehicle life support system during majority of
  flight phases
• There can be water-egress scenarios (in water
  duration TBD)
• Contingency EVAs will not be used as an immediate
  emergency response
• Biomedical instrumentation / suit system feed
  back to the ground via other vehicles will be
  required
• Hardline and/or wireless voice/data
  infrastructure will be available on all vehicles
• CEV and LSAM can provide basic life support
  capability to suits if vehicle(s) become
  unpressurized
• Conditioned Air
• Water cooling
• Oxygen
• Power / Communication
• Depressurization of vehicles and operation of
  hatches may be accomplished from either side by a
  single member of the crew without tools
• Suited pad emergency egress in addition to Launch
  Abort System will be available

11
Crew to ISS Design Reference Mission (DRM)
12
CEV/ISS PhaseOperational Assumptions

• ISS Phase Assumptions
• Up to 6 crewmembers in CEV per mission
• The nominal CEV cabin pressure is 14.7 psi
• Two crewed missions to ISS per year
• ISS EVA/Pressure Suit Related Unknowns
• Suit use for Bends Treatment
• The suit may be required to provide a treatment
  capability for Decompression Sickness (DCS) by
  providing to the crewmember a minimum of habitat
  suit operating pressure 4 psi
• Amount of crew survival gear operationally driven
  to be attached and/or integral to suit
• Seat interface to suit
• Maximum time to survive a vehicle depressurization

13
ISS EVA Option

• Primary goal is to procure a suit system to meet
  Constellation mission requirements
• The Government would like to evaluate the
  feasibility of utilizing this system to support
  ISS EVA requirements, without degradation to
  Constellation mission performance
• Potential cost savings to NASA to sustain a
  single suit system
• Reduced logistics to ISS
• Opportunity to demonstrate performance prior to
  sortie missions
• Information pertaining to current ISS Suit (EMU)
  and related environments will be posted on the
  procurement website

14
Crewed Lunar Sortie DRM
15
Lunar Sortie PhaseOperational Assumptions

• Lunar Sortie Phase Assumptions
• Up to 4 crewmembers in CEV / LSAM per mission
• All 4 crewmembers can descend to surface in LSAM
• Up to 4 crewmembers can go EVA simultaneously
• The LSAM cabin has the capability of being
  pressurized at 8-10.2 psi
• LSAM airlock remains on the lunar surface, if
  there is an airlock
• Surface suit components can be stowed in the LSAM
• No pre-positioning of hardware on surface for
  sortie flights
• Need capability to perform a contingency EVA
  transfer between LSAM and CEV
• LSAM and CEV side hatches will be sized
  appropriately for pressurized suits to pass
  through. Assume both vehicles have identical
  umbilical connections
• The crew can be safely returned to earth within
  120 hours from any point in a lunar mission
  (including from the lunar surface), even if the
  CEV is depressurized
• Surface stays are restricted to lunar daylight
  (however suit should not constrain timeline)
• LSAM will have capability to land on majority of
  lunar surface including polar regions
• Flight rates of up to 2 per year
• Lunar Sortie EVA Operational Unknowns
• Traverse distance required for planned lunar EVAs
• Quantity duration of EVAs planned for sortie
  missions
• Which if any surface suit components will be left
  on lunar surface or in LSAM ascent module
  (disposability)

16
Lunar Sortie PhaseChallenges

• Team is currently defining detailed EVA
  operations concept
• Below are few examples of scenarios under review
  that present significant challenges to
  multi-capability suit system design
• Crew survival during CEV vehicle depressurization
• Return scenarios from the lunar surface could
  require up to 120 hours of unpressurized survival
• Nutrition, waste management, and other life
  support functions must be maintained
• Crew survival during LSAM depressurization (while
  separated from CEV)
• Suit system must accommodate vehicle transfers
• Suit system must be able to accommodate various
  functions (i.e. reconfiguration) without
  necessarily requiring doffing of entire system
• Suit operations during post lunar sortie
  missions after exposure to lunar regolith
• Minimize dust in crew habitable space
• Maintaining suit system performance

17
Suit Technology Development

• Technology development is required prior to
  design of a Portable Life Support System for
  lunar surface EVA
• Apollo and EMU era technology would have several
  key performance, system mass/volume, and
  reliability drawbacks
• Although the Apollo suits were successful in
  supporting the mission goals for that program,
  the designs would not be acceptable from a
  performance, reliability, and safety perspective
  if todays standards and mission requirements
  were applied
• Contemplated approach
• Target development of EVA lunar sortie
  technologies to address key performance, system
  mass/volume, and reliability capabilities
  necessary to support the Constellation Programs
  long-term goals
• Starting in FY06 thru FY07 the Government has
  begun and will continue to pursue various
  technology development activities in the areas of
  
• Life Support Systems (including power)
• Pressure Garment
• Communications, Avionics, and Information (CAI)
  Systems
• Analog Testing

18
Schedule

• No later than (NLT) and goal dates were provided
  in the pre-solicitation synopsis
• NASA would like the contractor community to
  comment on whether the schedule is overly
  conservative or aggressive and specifically
  address
• The feasibility of meeting goal dates and
  resulting impact to overall design concept
• How early can the capabilities requested be
  provided?
• What can NASA do to decrease schedule risk?
• In order to maintain schedule NASA has initiated
  technical trades and some aspects of preliminary
  design
• Based on responses to the synopsis, NASA will
  determine the most efficient method to transition
  design responsibility

19
Constellation Space Suit SystemGovernment
Capabilities and Facilities

• Raul A. Blanco
• Crew and Thermal Systems Division