Space Suit Materials for Use in Cryogenic Cold

One of the greatest challenges to conducting exploration and long-duration missions on Mars or the lunar surface is the development of space suit materials that can operate in these austere environments such as the Permanently Shaded Regions (PSRs) of the Moon. Operating in extreme cold without fracture is particularly challenging for polymeric materials, especially when experiencing strain from flexing. Several crosscutting materials solutions will be studied in this program to identify materials that meet the required performance metrics for application in boot outsoles, glove TMG palm pads and knee/elbow pads. Moonprint will leverage materials knowledge from previous flexible cryogenic container programs to develop materials that meet the space suit need. Proposed material solutions are able to support high strain without cracking, survive thermal shock and abrasion, resist puncture, and are readily adaptable to space suit component configurations and manufacturing technologies at commercial space suit manufacturing companies. Materials will be tested at the coupon level and component level to generate materials property data and performance data of articles tested in representative environments. Component design and manufacturing modifications will also be studied to reduce mass, improve penetration resistance, and improve space suit mobility. Materials solutions will be applicable to Mars space suits, lunar space suits, and other flexible structure technology intended for use in extreme cold.