Skinsuits may become a reality soon
Skinsuits/slimsuits, as they are variously called in the science fiction literature, may soon become a reality. It’s about time. The problem with current spacesuits is that they are bulky, heavy (as measured in units of mass), and restrict free movement. Spacesuits being heavy isn’t so much of a problem in space (though momentum remains unaffected by zero gravity, so heavy spacesuits are still unwieldy and hard to accelerate, i.e., move), but it is a real problem on surfaces that have appreciable gravity, like Luna and Mars. You’ve seen the Lunar videos of astronauts bunny-hopping around. Wonder why they weren’t covering so much more ground in the weak Lunar gravitational field, which is one-sixth the strength of Earth’s? It’s because their spacesuits are so darn heavy! Put them in something more reasonable and they’ll be able to move across the landscape in great leaps and bounds.
Thankfully, researchers at MIT are making progress in the development of skinsuits. They’re using mechanical counter-pressure, generated by tightly wrapped bands of material, rather than gas pressurization, to protect the astronaut from vacuum. Pressure on the body only needs to be about one-third of Earth’s atmosphere to prevent injury (and obviously pressure must be one atmosphere in the helmet to allow proper breathing). Researchers have nearly achieved the necessary 30 psi body pressures. And what a breakthrough it will be when they do.
No longer will astronauts have to endure bulky, movement-restricting suits that weigh hundreds of pounds. And it’s not just an issue of comfort, it’s an issue of efficiency. The right equipment can make the difference between a mission that takes one hour and one that takes ten hours. Or it can make the difference between an excursion from a Mars landing base taking one hour or three, all depending on how much extra weight the astronauts need to lug along with them just to keep them alive. Skinsuits are the next evolution in spacesuits. There’s no need to bring along an atmosphere with you to cover your entire body. You just need it on your head, and all of the savings in airtight material, pumps, and tanks really do add up. Science fiction has been writing about skinsuits for a long time now and it’s great that they’re coming close to being reality.
