Project number
27054
Organization
NASA
Offering
ENGR498-F2026-S2027
As human spaceflight expands toward longer duration missions on the Moon and eventually Mars, the need for reliable in-situ suit maintenance becomes increasingly important. EVA suits are complex and costly systems, relying on multiple spare suits is not a practical solution for sustained exploration. Instead, extending the usable life of each suit through effective repair and maintenance strategies offers a more efficient and reliable approach. Developing methods that allow astronauts to address damage and wear as it occurs will help reduce mission risk while also lowering overall system cost.
By focusing on practical repair techniques and preventative maintenance, the work supports a shift toward suits that are not only high-performing but also maintainable by the crew using limited resources. The ability to restore structural integrity during EVA and address material degradation between EVAs contributes to mission resilience, especially in harsh lunar conditions where abrasion and wear are persistent challenges.
The team will be ask to develop project concepts, but one initial concept (included in the proposal funded by NASA) is the development of a structured post-EVA suit inspection and repair decision system intended to streamline and take guesswork out of evaluation of suit condition following mission use. The focus would be on creating a practical visual inspection framework—such as a checklist or decision tree—that guides users through identifying damage types, assessing severity, and determining whether a suit is repairable or requires replacement. The intent is to reduce reliance on expert judgment and improve repeatability and clarity in post-mission decision-making, particularly for users with limited suit maintenance experience.
This system could be tested during realistic post-EVA scenarios conducted at the Biosphere 2 Space Analog for Moon and Mars Laboratory (SAM) where crew members evaluate suits after field use. Because SAM operates as a hermetically sealed and mission-simulated habitat, it provides a realistic setting to assess how well users can apply the decision framework under conditions such as fatigue, time pressure, and environmental contamination. Performance would be evaluated in terms of decision accuracy, time required for assessment, and overall usability of the inspection process.
Following that, or a different direction altogether, could focus on the development of a repair kit and associated procedures for EVA suit refurbishment following use. This kit would be designed for IVA application using pressurized gloves and would include a limited, standardized set of validated repair methods such as adhesive patching, mechanical reinforcement, and protective surface coverings. The emphasis is not on providing every possible repair solution, but rather on enabling reliable, repeatable repairs for the most common types of outer-layer damage including abrasion, punctures, and seam degradation. Along with the outer layer you should develop a refurbishment process for IVA suit bladders aimed at extending operational life and maintaining pressure integrity after repeated use. This approach would focus on controlled-environment repair techniques such as localized patching, heat or adhesive sealing, and the application of rubberized coatings or restoration materials. Unlike EVA outer-layer repairs, this concept assumes a more controlled intra-vehicular setting where precision and repeatability can be prioritized over field-speed execution.
Testing these concepts within the SAM facility would allow evaluation of how the kit performs under realistic operational constraints. This includes working with reduced dexterity due to gloves, managing potential contamination from simulated environmental conditions, and completing repairs under time-limited, mission-like scenarios. Additional focus would be placed on consistency of repair outcomes across different users, as well as the overall practicality and efficiency of performing repairs within a confined habitat environment.
By focusing on practical repair techniques and preventative maintenance, the work supports a shift toward suits that are not only high-performing but also maintainable by the crew using limited resources. The ability to restore structural integrity during EVA and address material degradation between EVAs contributes to mission resilience, especially in harsh lunar conditions where abrasion and wear are persistent challenges.
The team will be ask to develop project concepts, but one initial concept (included in the proposal funded by NASA) is the development of a structured post-EVA suit inspection and repair decision system intended to streamline and take guesswork out of evaluation of suit condition following mission use. The focus would be on creating a practical visual inspection framework—such as a checklist or decision tree—that guides users through identifying damage types, assessing severity, and determining whether a suit is repairable or requires replacement. The intent is to reduce reliance on expert judgment and improve repeatability and clarity in post-mission decision-making, particularly for users with limited suit maintenance experience.
This system could be tested during realistic post-EVA scenarios conducted at the Biosphere 2 Space Analog for Moon and Mars Laboratory (SAM) where crew members evaluate suits after field use. Because SAM operates as a hermetically sealed and mission-simulated habitat, it provides a realistic setting to assess how well users can apply the decision framework under conditions such as fatigue, time pressure, and environmental contamination. Performance would be evaluated in terms of decision accuracy, time required for assessment, and overall usability of the inspection process.
Following that, or a different direction altogether, could focus on the development of a repair kit and associated procedures for EVA suit refurbishment following use. This kit would be designed for IVA application using pressurized gloves and would include a limited, standardized set of validated repair methods such as adhesive patching, mechanical reinforcement, and protective surface coverings. The emphasis is not on providing every possible repair solution, but rather on enabling reliable, repeatable repairs for the most common types of outer-layer damage including abrasion, punctures, and seam degradation. Along with the outer layer you should develop a refurbishment process for IVA suit bladders aimed at extending operational life and maintaining pressure integrity after repeated use. This approach would focus on controlled-environment repair techniques such as localized patching, heat or adhesive sealing, and the application of rubberized coatings or restoration materials. Unlike EVA outer-layer repairs, this concept assumes a more controlled intra-vehicular setting where precision and repeatability can be prioritized over field-speed execution.
Testing these concepts within the SAM facility would allow evaluation of how the kit performs under realistic operational constraints. This includes working with reduced dexterity due to gloves, managing potential contamination from simulated environmental conditions, and completing repairs under time-limited, mission-like scenarios. Additional focus would be placed on consistency of repair outcomes across different users, as well as the overall practicality and efficiency of performing repairs within a confined habitat environment.