Mars Portable Life Support System Status and Plan

To get from Moon to Mars, development of a Mars-centered spacesuit to support extravehicular activity (EVA) must begin now. In an effort toward this goal, setup of a Mars Portable Life Support System (PLSS) team to evaluate schematics for a Mars Extravehicular Exploration Mobility Unit (MxEMU) is underway. As part of a previous study, a wide range of potential architectures were evaluated and compared to determine leading options for a Martian PLSS. Going forward, these schematics will inform technology development, testing, detailed sizing analysis, and feasibility studies. A Mars PLSS Test Bed will be developed and used to assess the schematics on a breadboard style configuration of components. Following results of the test bed, a packaged Design Verification and Testing (DVT) unit will be designed to fully test the Mars PLSS with a Pressure Garment System (PGS), forming a prototype MxEMU. This paper will discuss the roadmap to Mars PLSS maturation and its integration into a prototype DVT unit. Technical considerations for Mars and high-level requirements will be compared to the Lunar exploration EMU (xEMU), and forward work to answer technology and knowledge gaps will be addressed.