Johnson Space Center Engineering is the world leader in human spaceflight for space suits, extravehicular activity, environmental control, and regenerations systems. Space suits are unique because they are miniature, customized spacecraft. Providing protection, mobility, and life support to the crew during spacewalks is a requirement that all space suits must meet.

Experience has given us unique knowledge in the areas of air quality, potable water, urine monitoring, regenerative fluids, and hygiene activities. This knowledge supports human spacecraft design, space-system hardware design, flight-like simulation and testing of extravehicular activity hardware and operations, thermal systems hardware, environmental control systems, and integrated systems testing in pressures ranging from vacuum to one atmosphere.

Extravehicular Activity Systems

Johnson Space Center (JSC) is the world leader in design, development, testing and verification, and implementation of space suits. Space suits are unique in that they are miniature, customized spacecraft. They must provide environmental protection, mobility, and life support to the crewmember during spacewalks. JSC personnel have a vast knowledge of the technical challenges associated with space suit technology, ranging from mobility, sizing, life support, ventilation, hydration, and waste management. JSC experience covers the full life cycle, starting from basic design through development, testing, and operational support.

Extravehicular Activity Services Provided:

• Space suit design and development
  • Pressure garment design
  • Glove design
  • Mobility and sizing
  • Helmet and visor design
  • Life support umbilical design
• Suit maintenance and operations
• Portable life support technologies
  • Thermal control
  • Ventilation
  • Oxygen systems
  • Contaminant control
  • Hydration
  • Waste control
• Space suit testing, verification, and training
  • Suit checkout
  • Altitude testing
  • Thermal-vacuum testing
  • Flight crew training
• Advanced Suit Development

JSC personnel have a vast knowledge of the technical challenges associated with space suit technology, ranging from mobility, sizing, life support, ventilation, hydration, and waste management.  JSC experience covers the full life cycle, starting from basic design through development, testing, and operational support.

Advanced Suit Services include the following:

• Space suit requirements development
• Pressure garment design
• Ground support system considerations
• Glove design
• Mobility and sizing
• Suit checkout
• Helmet/visor design
• Life support umbilical design
• Suit maintenance and operations
• Portable life support technologies – thermal control, ventilation, oxygen systems, hydration and food management, and waste control.

• Extravehicular Activity System Testing:
  • Materials Laboratory – provides capability for measurement of thermal properties, strength, fiber bond, wear, hardness, and stress of fabric and insulation materials.
  • Extravehicular Activity Life Support Systems testing – Capabilities for space suit life support components and sub-systems.  A canned-man bench included to simulate the loads imposed by a human on the water and ventilation loops of the life support subsystems.
  • Extravehicular Maneuvering Unit Laboratory – The facility is configured to service and test the majority of Life Support Subsystem and Space Suit Assembly components and systems of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU). Capabilities include development and life extension testing, testing of EMU components and systems, fit checks, and anomaly and failure investigation.

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Environmental Control and Life Support Systems services provided:

• Environmental control and life support system testing
  • Metabolic loading to life support systems
  • Parametric testing
•  Air Revitalization System testing
  •  CO2 removal/reduction
  • O2 generation
  • Trace contaminant control
• Water systems test, analysis, and development
  • Wastewater Collection and Transportation System (WWCTS)
  • Biosafety level 2 microbiology laboratory
• Microbiology and wastewater test and analysis

 Environmental Control and Life Support Systems Facilities available:

• Air Revitalization Technology Evaluation Facility

The facility provides the capability to accommodate several independent test articles simultaneously, as well as integrated hardware evaluations of multiple components. The facility can accommodate end-to-end operation and long-term testing of integrated Air Revitalization (AR) subsystems. The facility provides gaseous CO2, nitrogen (N2), and O2. Multiple vent lines and a deionized water source are available.
 

• Gas Analysis Laboratory

The Gas Analysis Laboratory provides analytical capabilities in support of air revitalization. Analyses performed include qualitative and quantitative analyses of trace components, moisture measurements, chemical identification, and contamination analysis. Additionally, facility personnel have the capability to analyze many liquids, polymers, and other solid substances.
 

• Advanced Water Recovery Systems Development Facility (AWRSDF)

The AWRSDF provides a test area for all facets of spacecraft water recovery systems, including:
 

• Wastewater pretreatment
• Primary Processor Technologies
• Brine Water recovery
• Post processors
• Water filtration
• Personal hygiene studies
   

• Water Analysis Laboratory

The Water Analysis Laboratory provides water sample analysis including examination of physical properties, quantification of metal content, and quantification of organic and inorganic content.  Analyses include:
 

• Ph and conductivity
• Total organic carbon and total inorganic carbon
• Total nitrogen, iodine, chlorine, phosphates, ammonium, and many other ions
• Turbidity, surface tension
• Absolute color, alkalinity, metals
• Dissolved oxygen and chemical oxygen demand
   

• Altitude Chamber Testing

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