Abrasion Resistant and Flame-Resistant Textile Materials for Lunar Environments

Abrasion and flame-resistant yarn and textiles will be developed to protect the ortho layer of spacesuits against the extreme lunar surface environments. Flexible, nanocomposite fibers will be produced using a novel fluoroelastomer siloxane material with demonstrated flame resistance in 36% oxygen environment. Siloxane segments with low glass transition temperatures are incorporated into copolymer to afford low temperature flexibility at the cryogenic lunar temperatures and added flame resistance. Functionalized nanoparticles will be introduced to fortify the yarns and textiles against lacerations by the aggressive lunar regolith to afford repeated extravehicular missions. This textile technology will protect the wearer and extend the service life of spacesuits for repeatednbsp; missions and be applicable to other NASA applications requiring protection from extreme conditions.