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Advanced projects envisage multiple EVAs on the planetary surface and great distances to be covered by EVA astronauts during manned Mars missions. Astronauts' egress with special Martian EVA space suits on can be provided only through the landing module/spacecraft airlock. To move over the planet, astronauts are expected both to walk and use a planetary rover (Martian rover). To make EVA activities on the planetary surface successful, an optimized concept for space suit attachment both to the airlock and Martian rover should be developed. The paper considers concept options of the planetary space suit (PSS)/airlock and PSS/Martian rover mechanical interfaces based on patent information study and analysis of development, test and operation data for the EVA space suits.

A cooperative program undertaken by Zvezda and Hamilton Standard to address the required walking mobility for future planetary missions has focussed on space suit foot and ankle mobility. It has included the evaluation of the performance of a boot sole metatarsal (toe) joint and two different ankle joint configurations. A field test with a highly mobile space suit prototype by NASA provides data that complement the results of the above study. Experience in traversing a variety of terrain similar to that expected on Mars provides confirmation of the value of pressure suit ankle and boot sole mobility in the field. Taken together, these studies provide useful data for the design of future planetary exploration spacesuits. Laboratory and field test results are presented and some of their implications for planetary space suit designs are discussed.