SpaceX to Launch Private Crew on Historic Spacewalk with New Spacesuit Design
SpaceX is gearing up for an exciting venture that will send a crew of private astronauts on a five-day journey through Earth’s orbit. This groundbreaking mission will mark the first time the company’s latest spacesuit design will be tested during a spacewalk.
In May, SpaceX unveiled the long-awaited extravehicular activity (EVA) suit design, which will be worn by the Polaris Dawn crew. These private astronaut missions, financially backed by billionaire Jared Isaacman, are set to launch in the coming summer months.
During this five-day mission aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, the crew will collect essential data and conduct various research and experiments while in an elliptical orbit around Earth. The highlight of this mission is undoubtedly the first-ever commercial astronaut spacewalk, marking yet another milestone for human space exploration.
Reports suggest that redesigning the EVA suits posed significant challenges for SpaceX, causing delays in launching Polaris Dawn initially scheduled for late 2022. Sources revealed that converting their pressurized suit design into an EVA suit required more work than anticipated.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk acknowledged these challenges in a presentation earlier this year. He stated, “We’ve got to redesign the suit so that you actually move around in it. It’s quite hard to still be mobile in an inflated suit.” However, it seems that the company has overcome these obstacles and arrived at an effective solution.
SpaceX’s new spacesuits represent an evolutionary design based on their existing astronaut suits worn by Dragon crews. However, they come with additional features specifically designed to support extravehicular activities (EVAs). These suits have been developed with mobility as a core principle, incorporating new materials, fabrication processes, and joint designs to provide enhanced flexibility for pressurized scenarios while ensuring comfort during unpressurized situations.
The 3D-printed helmet of the EVA suit now includes a visor to minimize glare from the sun when astronauts venture outside of their space station. Moreover, it boasts a Heads-Up Display (HUD) and camera to provide essential information such as pressure levels, temperature readings, and relative humidity within the suit itself. The design also incorporates seals and pressure valves for maintaining optimal pressurization throughout spacewalks.
Notably, these new spacesuits have a scalable design that can be adjusted to accommodate various body types, reflecting SpaceX’s commitment to increasing accessibility to space for a broader range of individuals. The company also envisions its suit designs being used in future missions, aligning with their ambitious goal of colonizing the Moon and Mars.
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SpaceX Prepares to Launch Private Crew on Historic Spacewalk, Showcasing New Spacesuit Design
Unraveling the Mystery of Asteroid Kamo’oalewa: A Potential Piece of the Moon
Asteroid 469219Freelance” (*1) is a planet that appears to rotate around the earth.quasi-satellite(Quasi-satellite)”. Observations of Kamo’oalewa’s orbit and surface material indicate that it is more similar to the moon than normal asteroids, leading to the search for evidence that it is a piece of the moon.
A research team led by Yifei Jiao of Tsinghua University used numerical simulations to analyze the conditions necessary for debris like Kamo’oalewa to fly off the lunar surface. the result,Millions of years ago, a celestial impact that created a crater 10-20 km in diameter ejected an asteroid with a near-satellite orbit like Kamoʻoalewa.I got the following analysis result.This condition is satisfiedCrater “Giordano Bruno”.It is possible that this crater is the origin of Kamoʻoalewa.
*1…The common Japanese notation is “kamo’oalewa”, but this is said to be inconsistent with the Hawaiian pronunciation and the official notation has not been determined. Proposed spellings closest to the original language include “Kamo-o-arewa” and “Kamo-orewa”. This article will be written in the original language.
[▲Figura1:un’immaginedisegnataconlapossibilitàcheKamoʻoalewaabbiaavutooriginedadetritiespulsidallaluna(Credito:AddyGraham(Universitàdell’Arizona))
■Kamoʻoalewa ha origine dalla luna?
Asteroide n. 469219 scoperto nel 2016Libero professionista” è uno strano asteroide che, se visto dalla Terra, sembra orbitare lentamente attorno alla Terra nel corso di un anno. Tuttavia, questo è un movimento apparente; come visto dal Sole, la Terra e Kamoʻoalewa ruotano ciascuno attorno al Sole in modo indipendente. In questo modo un corpo celeste che in realtà non è un satellite della Terra ma si comporta come tale in apparenza viene chiamato “quasi-satellitare” è chiamato.
[▲ Figura 2: orbita di Kamoʻoalewa (gialla). Dalla Terra sembra un satellite in orbita attorno alla Terra, ma in realtà ruota attorno al Sole. Gli asteroidi con tali orbite sono chiamati quasi-satelliti. (Credito: NASA e JPL-Caltech)]
Of the more than 30,000 near-Earth asteroids (*2) that have been discovered, only a few are quasi-satellites, making them rare, but Kamoʻoalewa is attracting attention among them. First, telescopic observations showed that the material making up Kamoʻoalewa’s surface is not similar to other asteroids, but rather resembles that of the moon. This suggests that Kamoʻoalewa could be one of the debris ejected from another object colliding with the Moon’s surface.
*2…The official definition is an asteroid with an orbit with a perihelion distance (the closest distance to the Sun) less than 1.3 AU (about 200 million km). More colloquially, an asteroid whose orbit approaches or intersects that of the Earth.
Furthermore, Kamoʻoalewa is estimated to have alternated between being a quasi-satellite and other periods several times. Kamoʻoalewa is currently in the quasi-satellite period;Its lifespan is approximately 300 yearsThis is the second longest lifespan after 2023 FW13, which is said to be stable for around 3800 years. Considering that other quasi-satellites last a few decades at most, its stability can be said to be quite high. Furthermore, while Kamoʻoalewa proved to be a stable quasi-satellite soon after its discovery, it was not until 2023, more than 10 years after its discovery, that 2023 FW13 proved to be a stable quasi-satellite. There are also differences.
However, there were pros and cons to the hypothesis that Kamoʻoalewa was a piece of the moon. Behind the negative opinion is the contradiction between its past flight from the Moon and its current status as a quasi-satellite. For an asteroid to be a quasi-satellite, its speed relative to the Moon or Earth must be quite slow. On the other hand, debris ejected from the Moon would need a large relative velocity relative to the Moon to overcome lunar gravity, so they appear to contradict each other.
Regarding this contradiction, a study was presented in 2023 showing the possibility that debris ejected from the Moon could reach a quasi-satellite orbit like Kamoʻoalewa, although the probability is low.
Related article
・Earth’s quasi-satellite “Kamooarewa” may be a piece of the moon (November 16, 2021)
・New research results show that Earth’s quasi-satellite “Kamo-o-Arewa” may be a piece of debris ejected from the moon (November 1, 2023)
・Earth’s new quasi-satellite “2023 FW13” discovered A “moon-like celestial body” that existed until 3700 AD (April 27, 2023)
■Did the impact crater originate from Giordano Bruno?
Jiao and his team used numerical simulations to analyze what type of celestial impact would be needed to knock debris like Kamo’oalewa flying off the Moon, and to determine whether craters exist on the Moon consistent with their findings. This research is conducted by the Lunar and Planetary Research Institute, affiliated with the University of Arizona. The Lunar and Planetary Research Institute also played a leading role in the two documents that form the premise of this research.
Kamoʻoalewa’s diameter is estimated to be between 40 and 100 meters, so the celestial impact would be quite large. Through repeated simulations, Jiao and his colleagues found that the object that collided with the Moon had a diameter of at least 1 km.The impact created a crater 10-20 km in diameter.I respected him. It was estimated that the debris that would become Kamoʻoalewa would have been ejected from deep beneath the lunar surface as a result of the impact.
Furthermore, the current orbital lifetime of Kamoʻoalewa, which sometimes becomes a quasi-satellite, is estimated to be between 0.1 and 100 million years, which is shorter than that of other near-Earth asteroids. Therefore, the celestial collision that created Kamoʻoalewa is predicted to have occurred several million years ago, a fairly recent event in astronomical terms.
[▲Figure3:AnoverviewoftheGiordanoBrunocratertakenfromtheNationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministration(NASA)LunarReconnaissanceOrbiterasatelliteinlunarorbit(Credit:NASAGSFCandArizonaStateUniversity)[▲Figura3:Unavistad’insiemedelcratereGiordanoBrunoripresadalLunarReconnaissanceOrbiterunsatelliteinorbitalunaredellaNationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministration(NASA)(Credito:NASAGSFCeArizonaStateUniversity)
Jiao and his colleagues believe that there is only one crater that meets these conditions. It is located almost on the eastern edge of the Moon as seen from Earth.Crater “Giordano Bruno”.AND. Giordano Bruno has a diameter of approximately 22 km and, according to the results of the observation of the lunar orbiting satellite “Kaguya” launched by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), it is estimated that it was formed between 1 and 10 million years ago
. 3).
*3…According to old records, there is a tale from a Canterbury monk that on June 18, 1178, “a flame erupted from the moon”, and there is also a theory that this was the collision that created Giordano Bruno . However, while an impact of this magnitude would also bring meteor showers to Earth due to lunar debris, there is no record of this. Combined with the results of Kaguya’s observation, the theory that Giordano Bruno was formed in 1178 AD is disproved.Giordano Bruno is the only crater of such diameter and youth shown in this study.Mr. Jiao et al. It is very likely that the origin of Kamoʻoalewa is Giordano Bruno.
We appreciate it.Research tracing Kamo’oalewa’s origin to the Moon will likely impact the origins of other near-Earth asteroids. Near-Earth asteroids are traditionally thought to come from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and that their orbits have changed due to the planet’s gravity. But,
A series of studies on Kamoʻoalewa suggest that a significant number of near-Earth asteroids may have come from the Moon.
In this simulation, it was estimated that tens of thousands of small fragments, about 10 meters in diameter, created by the collision would fly off the Moon and orbit the Sun. Most of them are thought to have collided again with the Moon on an astronomically instantaneous scale of less than 1 million years, but some, like Kamo’oalewa, are thought to maintain stable orbits for long periods of time. If this study is correct, the percentage of small near-Earth asteroids that come from the Moon could be even higher.
■Kamoʻoalewa can be compared to the already obtained moon stones
A return sample of Kamo’oalewa is expected on the explorer asteroid “Tianwen-2” (*4), scheduled for launch in 2025 by the China National Space Administration. Returning the sample to Earth will help determine whether Kamo’oalewa is indeed a piece of lunar debris. Additionally, near-Earth asteroid exploration missions like the NEO Surveyor, which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to launch in 2027, could discover more objects that come from the Moon.
*4…Temporary name: “Zheng He”
Interestingly, we may already have a champion equivalent to Kamoʻoalewa. Among the moon rocks collected by Luna 24, a lunar lander launched by the then-Soviet Union in 1976, are samples said to be Giordano Bruno fragments. If the sample returned by Kamoʻoalewa is made, comparison with the sample from Luna 24 will reveal whether this hypothesis is correct.
Source
Text/Riri Ayaka Edit/sorae Editorial Department
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Unraveling the Mystery of Asteroid Kamo’oalewa: A Potential Piece of the Moon
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II book reveals tons of details about the game
New Details Revealed for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II
In an exciting development for fans of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, a YouTube video has unveiled a wealth of new information about the upcoming game Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II. The video, lasting 24 minutes, showcases never-before-seen details from the highly-anticipated sequel.
The information was obtained from a yet-to-be-released book titled The Art and Making of Warhammer 40K: Space Marines II. The video provides a glimpse into the game’s multiplayer PvP mode, which will feature Marine vs. Marine combat. This mode has not been officially announced by Saber Interactive, the developer behind the game.
Additionally, the video showcases a range of weapons, vehicles, objects, and enemies that players can expect to encounter in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II. The Collector’s Edition of the game will include bonus content related to the art and production of the game, although it remains unclear how the YouTube channel obtained a copy of the book.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II was originally set for release last year but was delayed until September 9, 2024, as announced in early December. Fans are eagerly anticipating the chance to dive into the immersive world of Warhammer 40,000 once again, with new features and gameplay elements to enjoy.
Stay tuned for more updates on Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II as its release date approaches.
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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II book reveals tons of details about the game