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The first ever Astronaut - Rover (ASRO) Interaction Field Test was conducted successfully on February 22-27, 1999, in Silver Lake, Mojave Desert, California in a representative surface terrain. This test was a joint effort between the NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California and the NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas to investigate the interaction between humans and robotic rovers for potential future planetary surface exploration. As prototype advanced planetary surface space suit and rover technologies are being developed for human planetary surface exploration, it is desirable to better understand the interaction and potential benefits of an Extravehiclar Activity (EVA) crewmember interacting with a robotic rover. This interaction between an EVA astronaut and a robotic rover is seen as complementary and can greatly enhance the productivity and safety of surface excursions.

ILC Dover successfully designed and developed an advanced high pressure (8.3 psia) Spacesuit Glove for use on the space station. As an aide to fabrication of this glove, a feasibility study has been performed to use laser or photo optical, non contact scanning, CAD and CAM technologies. The current process for fabrication of spacesuit gloves starts by taking hand casts of a crewman's hands in one or more positions. The castings are subsequently measured by hand in critical areas, and a manual system of defining the glove bladder and glove restraint patterns follows. The proposed process will involve collecting dimensional data on hands using laser or photo optical scanning techniques. Key dimensions will be identified on a CAD system. Algorithms pre-programmed in the CAD system along with some CAD modeling will be used to manipulate the scanned data to define the glove bladder and glove restraint.

The NASA-developed space-suit configurations for Project Mercury and the Gemini Program originated from high-altitude-aircraft full-pressure-suit technology. These early suits lacked sophisticated mobility systems, since the suit served primarily as a backup system against the loss of cabin pressure and required limited pressurized intravehicular mobility functions for a return capability. Beginning with the Gemini Program, enhanced mobility systems were developed to enable crewmembers to perform useful tasks outside the spacecraft. The zero-prebreathe Hark III (ZPS Mk III) model of a higher operating pressure (57.2 kN/m2 (8.3 psi)) space-suit assembly represents a significant phase in the evolutionary development of a candidate operational space-suit system for the Space Station Program. The various design features and planned testing activities for the ZPS Mk III 57.2-kN/m2 (8.3 psi) space suit are described and identified.

During the early period of space-suit glove development, heavy reliance was placed on military high-altitude-aircraft full-pressure-suit technology. This status was typical of Project Mercury and early in the Gemini Program. Longer space flights and the advent of extravehicular (EV) operations required drastic improvements in the areas of comfort and mobility, and the incorporation of an EV-hazards protective coverlayer. The current advanced glove designs represent a series of evolutionary engineering efforts aimed at systematically improving higher operating pressure EV glove performance capabilities. The key glove performance issue becomes one of finding the proper balance between the basic protective requirements (i.e., EV environmental hazards) and the performance requirements of the functional glove assembly. Glove design complexity increases with the differential pressure between the glove and the vacuum of space and with the EV activity mobility task requirements.

This paper presents the results of a program to develop an improved high pressure (zero-pre-breathe) spacesuit utilizing the latest joint technology as well as materials and processes which are consistent with the space environment and suit production techniques. Other development objectives include: longer life, lower joint torques with increased ranges, improved reproducibility and reliability, facilitated resizing ability and increased overall performance capability when compared to the present Shuttle Orbiter Spacesuit at the higher pressures.