Hybrid Space Suit Simulator (HS3): Development, Characterization, Construction, and Usage

As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) transitions to exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO), a plethora of Human Health and Performance (HH&P) risks and knowledge gaps must be addressed to ensure safe and successful execution of extravehicular activities (EVA) during missions to the Moon and Mars. Some studies, such as those focused on understanding injury mechanisms in the suit, require access to high-fidelity, pressurized space suits and/or mockups; however, many EVA objectives related to HH&P do not necessarily require a full pressurized and/or gravity-offloaded space suit. Examples of these types of studies may include developing and testing novel EVA informatics and decision support systems, biomedical monitoring systems, and assessment of physical and cognitive responses to EVA tasks, timelines and training. Additionally, access to NASA space suits and/or mockup space suits can be limited and costly. Thus, the NASA EVA and Environmental Physiology Laboratory (EEPL) developed the Hybrid Space Suit Simulator (HS3). The primary goal of the HS3 project was to create a low-cost, unpressurized space suit simulator for use as an EVA research tool with modular capabilities to provide physical and cognitive workload approximations as required by specific study aims during EVA simulations. A space suit simulator like HS3 significantly simplifies and reduces overhead for EVA analog testing while providing consistent, quantifiable simulation quality and fidelity. This report describes the design, development and characterization of the HS3 during simulated EVA as a modular, customizable research tool with integrated human physiological sensors to address human health and performance EVA knowledge and technology gaps.