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A transient model of the Minimum Consumables Portable Life Support System (MPLSS) Advanced Space Suit design has been developed and implemented using MAT-LAB/Simulink. The purpose of the model is to help with sizing and evaluation of the MPLSS design and aid development of an automatic thermal comfort control strategy. The MPLSS model is described, a basic thermal comfort control strategy implemented, and the thermal characteristics of the MPLSS Advanced Space Suit are investigated.

The duration and frequency of extravehicular activity (EVA) is expected to increase with the anticipation of challenging missions ahead. This necessitates the development of an automatic controller for astronaut thermal comfort regulation. A reliable human thermal model is essential in order to predict the thermal response of subjects under various conditions to aid in automatic controller development. This paper examines thermal response sensitivity to several parameters and input modifications using a popular human thermal model. These parameter and input variations are based either on values reported in the literature or realistic estimates.

The NASA JSC Shuttle EMU computer model (SINDA EMU) is presently used to analyze the thermal behavior of the Space Shuttle EMU. This paper uses the SINDA EMU model along with EMU experimental and flight data to investigate and define several performance characteristics of the Space Shuttle EMU related to thermal comfort control.