{"id":7601,"date":"2014-05-02T02:03:35","date_gmt":"2014-05-02T06:03:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=7601"},"modified":"2014-05-02T02:18:33","modified_gmt":"2014-05-02T06:18:33","slug":"nasa-announces-z-2-eva-spacesuit-design-style-contest-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=7601","title":{"rendered":"NASA announces Z-2 EVA spacesuit design style contest winner"},"content":{"rendered":"

I wrote a post\u00a0here at the end of March about NASA’s\u00a0Z-2 Spacesuit contest<\/a>. They announced the winner on Thursday:<\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s Next Prototype Spacesuit has a Brand New Look,
\nand it\u2019s All Thanks to You<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

With 233,431 votes, the “Technology” option has won NASA’s Z-2 Spacesuit design challenge with just over 63% of the total vote. This design now will be incorporated into the final version of the suit, which is expected to be ready for testing by November 2014.<\/p>\n

\"z2_final_0\"<\/a><\/p>\n

NASA’s Z-2 suit is the newest prototype in its next-generation spacesuit platform, the Z-series. With the agency laser focused on a path to Mars, work to develop the technologies astronauts one day will use to live and work on Mars has already begun. Each iteration of the Z-series will advance new technologies that one day will be used in a suit worn by the first humans to step foot on the Red Planet.<\/p>\n

There are many key advances to be found in the Z-2 suit when compared to the previous Z-1. The most significant is that the Z-1 had a soft upper torso and the Z-2 has a hard composite upper torso. This composite hard upper torso provides the much-needed long-term durability that a planetary Extravehicular Activity (EVA) suit will require. The shoulder and hip joints differ significantly based on extensive evaluations performed during the last two years with the Z-1 to look at different ways of optimizing mobility of these complex joints. Lastly, the boots are much closer in nature to those that would be found on a suit ready for space, and the materials used on the Z-2 are compatible with a full-vacuum environment.<\/p>\n

Besides the typical fit checks and mobility evaluations, NASA currently is planning a very comprehensive test campaign for the Z-2 suit. Engineers will conduct multiple\u00a0vacuum chamber<\/a>\u00a0tests, including one series at full vacuum, mimicking the lack of atmosphere found in space. The suit will be tested at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in the\u00a0Neutral Buoyancy Lab<\/a>, the huge indoor pool used to train astronauts to spacewalk. Further testing at a site at Johnson that imitates the\u00a0rocky Martian surface\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0will help evaluate the suit’s mobility, comfort and performance. Ultimately, all of these tests will guide engineers in designing the Z-3.<\/p>\n

With the Z-2, NASA will employ cover layer design elements, like electroluminescent wiring, never used before in a spacesuit. The designs that were available for voting were produced in collaboration with ILC Dover, the primary suit vendor, and Philadelphia University. The intent of the designs was to highlight certain mobility features for testing. To take it a step further, NASA offered the public the opportunity to decide which of three candidates will be built.<\/p>\n

Because the Z-series is still in the prototype, or non-flight, phase, the design won\u2019t be making a trip to space. The cover layer of a non-flight suit still performs an important function in ground-based testing. The cover protects the lower layers and technical details from abrasion and snags during testing. It also serves to provide the suit with an aesthetic appeal. The cover layer on flight suits used for spacewalks performs many other important functions like protecting the spacewalker from micrometeorite strikes, the extreme temperatures in space and the harmful effects of radiation. These requirements drive selection of specific high-performance materials and design details that aren\u2019t necessary at this stage in a prototype suit.<\/p>\n

NASA’s Z-2 Spacesuit\u00a0is a project under the Advanced Exploration Systems Division\u00a0which\u00a0pioneers the development and demonstration of new technologies for future human missions beyond Earth orbit as part\u00a0of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate.<\/p>\n

Engineers and scientists around the country are working hard to develop the technologies astronauts will use one day to live and work on Mars and safely return home from the next giant leap for humanity. Follow our progress at www.nasa.gov\/exploration<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mars<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I wrote a post\u00a0here at the end of March about NASA’s\u00a0Z-2 Spacesuit contest. They announced the winner on Thursday: NASA\u2019s Next Prototype Spacesuit has a Brand New Look, and it\u2019s All Thanks to You With 233,431 votes, the “Technology” option has won NASA’s Z-2 Spacesuit design challenge with just over 63% of the total vote. … Continue reading NASA announces Z-2 EVA spacesuit design style contest winner<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,17,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-contests-and-games","category-living-in-space","category-space-systems"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-1YB","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7165,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=7165","url_meta":{"origin":7601,"position":0},"title":"Z-2 Spacesuit contest: Vote for best cover layer design","author":"TopSpacer","date":"March 31, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The NASA Z-2 EVA spacesuit development group is asking the public to vote on which of three exterior styles they like best:\u00a0Z-2 Spacesuit Design Vote - NASA JSC After the positive response to the Z-1 suit's visual design we received, we wanted to take the opportunity to provide this new\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Contests and Games"","block_context":{"text":"Contests and Games","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=16"},"img":{"alt_text":"bio_spaceCenter_scaled","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/bio_spaceCenter_scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14804,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14804","url_meta":{"origin":7601,"position":1},"title":"Video: ISS astronaut dons spacesuit created from paintings by children with cancer","author":"TopSpacer","date":"August 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The\u00a0Spacesuit Art Project\u00a0gives children battling cancer an opportunity to express themselves in art and then see that art taken to space. As described in a recent issue of the NASA JSC Roundup newsletter (pdf): Using simple paintbrushes and paint, pediatric cancer patients employed whorls of color to form creations that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Education"","block_context":{"text":"Education","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/JSCCover-SpacesuitArt.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3606,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=3606","url_meta":{"origin":7601,"position":2},"title":"Suited for Space – new exhibition of space suit history at Air & Space","author":"TopSpacer","date":"July 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The National Air and Space Museum in D.C. will open a new exhibition this Saturday called Suited for Space : Suited for Space reveals the remarkable creativity and ingenuity of nearly a century of flight and spacesuit design and development. Through rare and original photography, including unique new x-ray images\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=37"},"img":{"alt_text":"deliveryService[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/deliveryService1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3723,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=3723","url_meta":{"origin":7601,"position":3},"title":"Copenhagen Suborbitals: DIY spacesuit design and testing","author":"TopSpacer","date":"July 31, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The Copenhagen Suborbitals team will work in August with \"DIY spacesuit guys Cameron Smith and John Haslett from Oregon in the US\" on spacesuit and related capsule design issues in August: DIY Spacesuit Testing and Planning - Wired Science.","rel":"","context":"In "DIY space"","block_context":{"text":"DIY space","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11928,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=11928","url_meta":{"origin":7601,"position":4},"title":"Video: New spacesuit designs","author":"TopSpacer","date":"December 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's a NASA video about new\u00a0spacesuit designs that the agency is developing: https:\/\/youtu.be\/P32j17Fl5L0 --- Elon Musk\u00a0talks in this interview about the spacesuits that\u00a0SpaceX is designing for the company's astronauts who\u00a0will fly in the Crew Dragon vehicle:\u00a0How Elon Musk Plans on Reinventing the World (and Mars) - GQ .. And so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Living in Space"","block_context":{"text":"Living in Space","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/P32j17Fl5L0\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4340,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=4340","url_meta":{"origin":7601,"position":5},"title":"Copenhagen Suborbitals: Spacesuit testing in high altitude chamber","author":"TopSpacer","date":"September 6, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Copenhagen Suborbitals posts this video about testing a prototype space suit in a pressure chamber: High altitude chamber test of the Copenhagen Suborbitals \/ Project Alpha DIY space suit at the main hospital of Copenhagen, Denmark. The test was performed to validate the stability of internal suit pressure and working\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DIY space"","block_context":{"text":"DIY space","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/T4JCItzUMsY\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7601"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7604,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7601\/revisions\/7604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}