[ad_1]
After nearly 10 years of work, these two aerospace companies could launch brand new spacecraft for NASA by the end of summer, but without boarding. If these test flights are going well, the first launches of astronauts on commercial spacecraft could follow by the end of the year.
The work is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, an approximately $ 8 billion competition for private companies to develop ships that can transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station by 150,000. billions of dollars.
In January 2017, Boeing unveiled his CST-100 Starliner suit for the first time. Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, followed with his own space revelation for the Crew Dragonvehicle in August.
"Five years ago, it would have been like," Not at all, what are we doing by asking commercial suppliers to be able to do that? "Said Williams Business Insider. "Now, it feels like a natural progression for space travel."
Here's what Williams, who spent 322 days in space, thinks about combinations.
The importance of a space suit
There is no single scuba. Some, such as the Extravehicular Mobility Unit, are large, bulky and used only when astronauts build or repair the International Space Station. The hypothetical space suits for Mars may someday have spider paws to crawl through the moons of the red planet.
One thing is constant in the world of space suits, however: Each crew launch vehicle has its own combination of light flight.
"They must all do the same thing," said Williams. "They must all be able to protect you."
This is because of bad things can happen quickly to a human. body when a spaceship leaks or is compromised.
Advertisement
A rapid loss of air and pressure – and exposure to the void of space – will cause the expansion of gases into the organs of one's body. person or its formation of bubbles in the blood and tissues. This will kill a person in about 15 seconds. It's too little time to understand the scope of a major problem, let alone take corrective action or make a correction.
Space suits protect against this catastrophe by matching astronauts in their own survival system.
"The spacecraft and its environmental control system dictate some of the capability of the space suit, and these two vendors have invented their own spaceship, and their own environmental control system," he said. Williams. "They created their own space suit that works with it, so we see some differences there."
However, there are some similarities between the two new costumes.
"We will have an umbilical for both," said Williams, referring to a pipe-like tube that connects a space suit to the airbag system. survival of a ship. "You'll have your visor open for a while, your visor will be closed for other parts of the time – and that's why you need air for
In this way, if a surprise leak or other problem occurs, the astronauts will have a chance to save a mission and themselves.
Williams stated that the combination of Russian flight Sokol, that she and other astronauts carry aboard the Soyuz spacecraft, "is an awesome suit." But she noted that the new SpaceX and Boeing designs "look a little better" and are more comfortable, thanks to new materials.
Boein Spacesuits g CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon
NASA abandoned its space shuttle program in July 2011, forcing the agency to rely solely on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to bring astronauts to and from the space station. The commercial crew program, however, will give NASA astronauts more recent, less expensive options, manufactured in the United States to get to the ISS.
SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Boeing's CST-100 Starliner capsules can each accommodate up to seven people, like the Space Shuttle. Williams said each space suit will fit an angled seat for added safety, similar to the Soyuz capsule.
Advertisement
"You're going to basically land on your back," Williams said. "You want to be able to make that impact."
Combinations of typical space shuttles weighed about 15 kilograms (33 pounds), while the new Boeing suit weighs about 12 pounds (5.4 kilograms).
"The blue suit that Boeing has, he has a zipper at the front that will allow a more upright posture," said Williams .
Standing upright in a suit is usually difficult because they are designed to adapt to a slanted posture in a seat. And when inflated, they become very tense – like a balloon made of hard and sometimes inflexible materials.
The SpaceX costume is also easier to move than any other space suit Williams has worn, she said.
"The SpaceX has like a motorcycle helmet coming down and in easy clips," she said. "A layer of outer cover makes the suit a bit thinner."
Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX and its chief designer, wrote about costume tests last year on Instagram. "Already tested to double the vacuum pressure, it has been incredibly difficult to balance the aesthetics [sic] and function," he said. "Easy to do either separately."
On the other hand, Williams is eager to wear one of the combinations on a real flight – although she does not know which spaceship and which combination she will use first.
Advertisement
"They are both different, and they are both better than the costumes we had in the past," she said. "It'll be fun to put on a new spacesuit."
When diving suits could be used for the first time
The Commercial Crew program will launch unmanned ships first. SpaceX aims to do this in August and Boeing in November. If successful, Boeing could launch its first crew in November 2018 and SpaceX in December 2018.
SpaceX will launch Dragon Crew spacecraft with its Falcon 9 rocket. Boeing will launch CST-100 Starliners on United Launch Atlas 5 rockets Alliance.
Both companies maintain optimistic target launch dates, but the Commercial Crew program is anything but certain. A site maintained by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory suggests that the crewed launch of SpaceX will take place in January 2019. And the Spaceflight's international Space Station schedule101.com suggests an attempted crew launch by Boeing or SpaceX on 31 December 2018 or January 17, 2019.
Advertisement
"All is not over yet, not yet," Williams said.
In fact, crewed launch dates could slip until mid-2019. Williams said she's expecting NASA to announce her official mission selection this summer, and from there, about a year of more deliberate training will follow.
Originally, NASA wanted crew launches in 2017, but delays have snowballed because of the agency's severe safety concerns. He wants the Boeing and SpaceX spacecraft to have less than 1 in every 200 chance of killing a crew in an accident – three times less than the Space Shuttle performance record.
Williams stated that she and the other members of the Commercial Crew team are aware of the risks they take.
"It's our job and that's what we're supposed to do, I think everyone will be up to it and ready to go when the spacecraft is ready," he said. she declared. "Everyone believes, or they would not be here, that what we are doing is for a bigger purpose."
