![NASA Z-2 spacesuit prototype](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/NASA_Z-2_spacesuit_prototype.jpg)
A Mars suit or Mars space suit is a
space suit
A space suit or spacesuit is a garment worn to keep a human alive in the harsh environment of outer space, vacuum and temperature extremes. Space suits are often worn inside spacecraft as a safety precaution in case of loss of cabin pressure, ...
for
EVA
Eva or EVA may refer to:
* Eva (name), a feminine given name
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
* Eva (Dynamite Entertainment), a comic book character by Dynamite Entertainment
* Eva (''Devil May Cry''), Dante's mother in t ...
s on the planet
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...
.
Compared to a suit designed for space-walking in the near vacuum of low Earth orbit, Mars suits have a greater focus on actual walking and a need for abrasion resistance.
Mars' surface gravity is 37.8% of Earth's, approximately 2.3 times that of the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
, so weight is a significant concern, but there are fewer thermal demands compared to open space.
At the surface the suits would contend with the
atmosphere of Mars
The atmosphere of Mars is the layer of gases surrounding Mars. It is primarily composed of carbon dioxide (95%), molecular nitrogen (2.8%), and argon (2%). It also contains trace levels of water vapor, oxygen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and no ...
, which has a pressure of about . On the surface, radiation exposure is a concern, especially solar flare events, which can dramatically increase the amount of radiation over a short time.
Some of the issues a Mars suit for surface operations would face include having enough oxygen for the person as the air is mostly carbon dioxide; in addition the air is also at a much lower pressure than Earth's atmosphere at sea level.
Other issues include the Martian dust, low temperatures, and radiation.
Overview
![PIA22928-MarsOpportunityRover-BackTrackView-20100804](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/PIA22928-MarsOpportunityRover-BackTrackView-20100804.jpg)
One design for a
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...
suit from the 2010s, the NASA Z-2 suit, would have
electroluminescent
Electroluminescence (EL) is an optical and electrical phenomenon, in which a material emits light in response to the passage of an electric current or to a strong electric field. This is distinct from black body light emission resulting from h ...
patches to help crew members identify one another. Three types of tests planned for the Z-2 include tests in a vacuum chamber, tests in NASA's
Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory
The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) is an astronaut training facility and neutral buoyancy pool operated by NASA and located at the Sonny Carter Training Facility, near the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The NBL's main feature is a la ...
(a large pool for mimicking zero-g), and tests in a rocky desert area. (See also:
Z series space suits
The Z series is a series of prototype extra-vehicular activity (EVA) space suits being developed in the Advanced Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AEMU) project under NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) program. The suits are being designed to ...
.)
The
Mars 2020
Mars 2020 is a Mars rover mission forming part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program that includes the rover ''Perseverance'', the small robotic, coaxial helicopter '' Ingenuity'', and associated delivery vehicles. Mars 2020 was launched from Ear ...
Perseverance rover has a materials test that is hoped will aid Mars suit development, the
SHERLOC
Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) is an ultraviolet Raman spectrometer that uses fine-scale imaging and an ultraviolet (UV) laser to determine fine-scale mineralogy, and detect organ ...
experiment; it includes a test target with space suit materials.
The test will measure how these suit materials are affected by the Martian environment.
Six materials have been chosen for testing: Orthofabric,
Teflon
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that has numerous applications. It is one of the best-known and widely applied PFAS. The commonly known brand name of PTFE-based composition is Teflon by Chemou ...
, nGimat-coated Teflon,
Dacron
Polyethylene terephthalate (or poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in fibres for clothing, containers for liquids and foods ...
,
Vectran
Vectran is a manufactured fiber, spun from a liquid-crystal polymer (LCP) created by Celanese Corporation and now manufactured by Kuraray. Chemically it is an aromatic polyester produced by the polycondensation of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and 6-hydr ...
, and
Polycarbonate
Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, tough materials, and some grades are optically transparent. They are easily work ...
.
The test will help select the best materials for future Mars space suits.
Orthofabric is a polymeric material composed of a weave of
GORE-TEX
Gore-Tex is a waterproof, breathable fabric membrane and registered trademark of W. L. Gore & Associates. Invented in 1969, Gore-Tex can repel liquid water while allowing water vapor to pass through and is designed to be a lightweight, waterpr ...
fibers,
Nomex
Nomex is a flame-resistant meta-aramid material developed in the early 1960s by DuPont and first marketed in 1967.
Properties
Nomex and related aramid polymers are related to nylon, but have aromatic backbones, and hence are more rigid and mo ...
, and
Kevlar
Kevlar (para-aramid) is a strong, heat-resistant synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed by Stephanie Kwolek at DuPont in 1965, the high-strength material was first used commercially in the early 1970s a ...
-29.
NASA tested possible Mars space suit materials by exposing them to Mars-equivalent
ultraviolet
Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nanometer, nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 Hertz, PHz) to 400 nm (750 Hertz, THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than ...
(UV) radiation for 2500 hours, and then studied how the materials were affected. One of the concerns for the Mars suits is how materials respond to chemically reactive Mars dust and exposure to ultraviolet, especially over the lengths of time and amount of use the suits are expected to function.
One researcher working on a design for Mars surface EVA suits was inspired in part by
Medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...
armor suits.
Some ideas for a Mars suits are a
Heads-up display
A head-up display, or heads-up display, also known as a HUD (), is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a pilot being able to view informa ...
projected in the visor, built-in communications equipment, life support, and a
voice-recognition assistant.
Examples of design concerns:
* High-speed winds filled with abrasive Mars dust.
* Radiation such as
cosmic rays
Cosmic rays are high-energy particles or clusters of particles (primarily represented by protons or atomic nuclei) that move through space at nearly the speed of light. They originate from the Sun, from outside of the Solar System in our own ...
.
* Low temperatures down to .
* Exposure to ultraviolet light.
One Mars mission design aspect is whether the Mars suits should also be made to work in space, or should be for the surface only.
Designs
![NASA Ames-X5 hard space suit](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/NASA_Ames-X5_hard_space_suit.jpg)
The Biosuit is a
mechanical counterpressure suit, resulting in a body hugging form. In this type of suit, the pressure would come from the structure and elasticity of the material, whereas with prior space-worn suits the pressure comes from pressurized gas, like a filled balloon.
The gas pressure can make a flexible suit very rigid, like an inflated balloon.
The Aoudo suit by the Austrian Space Forum is a space suit simulator for planetary surfaces. The suit ventilates with ambient air, but has a host of features to help simulate a space suit as well as tests enhancing technologies like a
heads-up display
A head-up display, or heads-up display, also known as a HUD (), is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a pilot being able to view informa ...
inside the helmet.
The AX-5 was part of a line of hard-suits developed at NASA Ames. Current suits are either soft or hybrid suits and use a lower-pressure pure oxygen atmosphere, which means people going on EVA must pre-breathe oxygen to avoid getting decompression sickness. A hard-suit can use a high-pressure atmosphere, eliminating the need to pre-breathe, but without being too hard to move like a high pressure soft suit would be.
A simulated Mars suit was used for the
HI-SEAS
The Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) is an analog habitat for human spaceflight to Mars currently operated by the International MoonBase Alliance. HI-SEAS is located in an isolated position on the slopes of the Mauna L ...
Earth-based spaceflight analog tests of the 2010s in Hawaii, USA.
Mars suit design has been used as a topic for
technology education Technology education is the study of technology, in which students "learn about the processes and knowledge related to technology". As a field of study, it covers the human's ability to shape and change the physical world to meet needs, by manipulat ...
.
Comparison to Apollo lunar suit
![Apollo 17 Cernan on moon cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Apollo_17_Cernan_on_moon_cropped.jpg)
The
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
lunar EVA suit was called the
Extravehicular Mobility Unit
The Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) is an independent anthropomorphic spacesuit that provides environmental protection, mobility, life support, and communications for astronauts performing extravehicular activity (EVA) in Earth orbit. Introduc ...
(EMU). Besides the pressure suit, this included the
Portable Life Support System
A primary (or portable or personal) life support system (or subsystem) (PLSS), is a device connected to an astronaut or cosmonaut's spacesuit, which allows extra-vehicular activity with maximum freedom, independent of a spacecraft's life support ...
(backpack) and an emergency Oxygen Purge System (OPS) which provided 30 minutes of oxygen for emergency. The combined system weighed 212 pounds on Earth, but only 35.1 pounds on the Moon.
[History of Space Suits](_blank)
/ref>
Environmental design requirements
The most critical factors for immediate survivability and comfort on the Martian surface are to provide: sufficient pressure to prevent the boiling of body fluids; supply of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide and water vapor for breathing; temperature control; and protection from cosmic radiation
Cosmic rays are high-energy particles or clusters of particles (primarily represented by protons or atomic nuclei) that move through space at nearly the speed of light. They originate from the Sun, from outside of the Solar System in our own ...
.
Pressure
The atmospheric pressure on Mars varies with elevation and seasons, but there is not enough pressure to sustain life without a pressure suit. The lowest pressure the human body can tolerate, known as the Armstrong limit
The Armstrong limit or Armstrong's line is a measure of altitude above which atmospheric pressure is sufficiently low that water boils at the normal temperature of the human body. Exposure to pressure below this limit results in a rapid loss of ...
, is the pressure at which water boils
A boil, also called a furuncle, is a deep folliculitis, which is an infection of the hair follicle. It is most commonly caused by infection by the bacterium ''Staphylococcus aureus'', resulting in a painful swollen area on the skin caused by an ...
(vaporizes) at the temperature of a human body, which is about . The average surface pressure on Mars has been measured to be only about one-tenth of this, . The highest pressure, at the lowest surface elevation, the bottom of Hellas Basin
Hellas Planitia is a plain located within the huge, roughly circular impact basin Hellas located in the southern hemisphere of the planet Mars. Hellas is the third- or fourth-largest known impact crater in the Solar System. The basin floor is ...
, is , about twice the average. There is a seasonal variation over the Martian year (about two Earth years) as carbon dioxide (95.9% of the atmosphere) is sequentially frozen out, then sublimated back into the atmosphere when it is warmer, causing a global rise and fall in pressure.
But the Martian atmosphere contains only 0.13–0.14% oxygen, compared to 20.9% of Earth's atmosphere. Thus breathing the Martian atmosphere is impossible for almost any organism; oxygen must be supplied, at a pressure in excess of the Armstrong limit.
Breathing
Humans take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...
and water vapor
(99.9839 °C)
, -
, Boiling point
,
, -
, specific gas constant
, 461.5 J/( kg·K)
, -
, Heat of vaporization
, 2.27 MJ/kg
, -
, Heat capacity
, 1.864 kJ/(kg·K)
Water vapor, water vapour or aqueous vapor is the gaseous pha ...
when they breathe, and typically breathe between 12 and 20 times per minute at rest and up to 45 times per minute under high activity. At standard sea level conditions on Earth of , humans are breathing in 20.9% oxygen, at a partial pressure
In a mixture of gases, each constituent gas has a partial pressure which is the notional pressure of that constituent gas as if it alone occupied the entire volume of the original mixture at the same temperature. The total pressure of an ideal gas ...
of . This is the required oxygen supply corresponding to normal Earth conditions. Humans generally require supplemental oxygen at altitudes above , so the absolute minimum safe oxygen requirement is a partial pressure of For reference, the Apollo EMU used an operating pressure of on the Moon.
Exhaled breath on Earth normally contains about 4% carbon dioxide and 16% oxygen, along with 78% nitrogen, plus about 0.2 to 0.3 liters of water.[Respiratory Humidification: Basics] Carbon dioxide slowly becomes increasingly toxic in high concentrations, and must be scrubbed from the breathing gas. A concept to scrub carbon dioxide from breathing air is to use re-usable amine
In chemistry, amines (, ) are compounds and functional groups that contain a basic nitrogen atom with a lone pair. Amines are formally derivatives of ammonia (), wherein one or more hydrogen atoms have been replaced by a substituen ...
bead carbon dioxide scrubber
A carbon dioxide scrubber is a piece of equipment that absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2). It is used to treat exhaust gases from industrial plants or from exhaled air in life support systems such as rebreathers or in spacecraft, submersible craft or a ...
s. While one carbon dioxide scrubber filters the astronaut's air, the other can vent scrubbed carbon dioxide to the Mars atmosphere. Once that process is completed, another scrubber can be used, and the one that was used can take a break. Another more traditional way to remove carbon dioxide from air is by a lithium hydroxide
Lithium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula LiOH. It can exist as anhydrous or hydrated, and both forms are white hygroscopic solids. They are soluble in water and slightly soluble in ethanol. Both are available commercially. While ...
canister, however these need to be replaced periodically. Carbon dioxide removal systems are a standard part of habitable spacecraft designs, although their specifics vary. One idea to remove carbon dioxide is to use a zeolite molecular sieve, and then later the carbon dioxide can be removed from the material.
If nitrogen is used to increase pressure as on the ISS, it is inert to humans, but can cause decompression sickness. Space suits typically operate at low pressure to make their balloon-like structure easier to move, so astronauts must spend a long time getting the nitrogen out of their system. The Apollo missions used a pure oxygen atmosphere in space except on the ground, to reduce risk of fire. There is also interest in hard suits that can handle higher internal pressures but are more flexible, so astronauts do not have to get the nitrogen out of their system before going on a spacewalk.
Temperature
There can be large temperature swings on Mars; for example, at the equator, daytime temperature may reach in the Martian summer, and drop down to at night. According to a 1958 NASA report, long-term human comfort requires temperatures in the range at 50% humidity.
Radiation
On Earth, in developed nations, humans are exposed to about 0.6 rads (6 mGy) per year, and aboard the International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...
about 8 rads (80 mGy) per year. Humans can tolerate up to about 200 rads (2 Gy) of radiation without incurring permanent damage, however any radiation exposure carries risk so there is a focus on keeping exposure as low as possible. On the surface of Mars there are two main types of radiation: A steady dose from a variety of sources and solar proton events that can cause a dramatic increase in the amount of radiation for a short time. Solar flare events can cause a lethal dose to be delivered in hours if astronauts are caught unprotected, and this is a concern of NASA for human operations in space and on the surface of Mars. Mars does not have a large magnetic field in the same way as Earth, which shields the Earth from radiation, especially from solar flares.[ For example, the solar event which occurred on , just 5 months after ]Apollo 16
Apollo 16 (April 1627, 1972) was the tenth crewed mission in the United States Apollo space program, administered by NASA, and the fifth and penultimate to land on the Moon. It was the second of Apollo's " J missions", with an extended sta ...
, produced so much radiation, including a wave of accelerated particles like protons, that NASA became concerned what would happen if such an event were to occur while astronauts were in space.[ If the astronauts get too much radiation, it increases their lifetime cancer risk and they can get radiation poisoning. Exposure to ionizing radiation can also cause cataracts, a problem with the eye.
The atmosphere of Mars is much thinner than Earth's, so it does not stop as much radiation.][
The effect of radiation on medications taken on the mission is also of concern, especially if it alters their medical qualities.]
Additional design requirements
Operating in Mars suit on the surface creates a series of concerns for the human body, including an altered gravitational environment, a confined and isolated situation, a hostile exterior environment and closed environment inside, radiation, and extreme distance from Earth.
An important consideration for the breathing air inside the suit, is that toxic gases do not get into the air supply. Reduced gravity environments can alter the distribution of fluids inside the body. One point of concern is changes in fine motor skill, especially if it interferes with the ability to use computer interfaces.
Visors and UV
A thin layer of gold on the visor plastic bubble of current space helmets, shields the face from harmful parts of the Sun's spectrum. Visor designs, in general, have a design goal of allowing the astronaut to see, but block ultraviolet and heat, besides the pressure requirements.
It has been detected that ultraviolet light does reach the surface of Mars. Martian carbon dioxide tends to block ultraviolet light of wavelengths shorter than about 190 nm, however above that there is less blocking depending on the amount of dust and Rayleigh scattering
Rayleigh scattering ( ), named after the 19th-century British physicist Lord Rayleigh (John William Strutt), is the predominantly elastic scattering of light or other electromagnetic radiation by particles much smaller than the wavelength of the ...
. Significant amounts of UVB and UVC light are noted to reach the surface of Mars.
Toilet and vomiting
A human consideration for suits is the need to go the bathroom. Various methods have been employed in suits, and in the Shuttle-era NASA used maximum absorbency garments to enable stays of 10 hours in space and partial pressure suits.
Another concern is vomiting, which has increased occurrence in spaceflight.
Martian dust
Another consideration is what would happen if astronauts somehow breathe in Mars dust. The health effect of Mars dust is a concern, based on known information about it which includes that it may be abrasive and/or reactive. Studies have been done with quartz dust and also compared it to lunar dust
Lunar soil is the grain size, fine fraction of the regolith found on the selenography, surface of the Moon. Its properties can differ significantly from those of Soil, terrestrial soil. The physical properties of lunar soil are primarily the r ...
exposure. An Apollo 17
Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972) was the final mission of NASA's Apollo program, the most recent time humans have set foot on the Moon or traveled beyond low Earth orbit. Commander Gene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt walked on ...
astronaut complained of hay fever like symptoms after his Moon walk. The lunar dust was known to cling to the space suits and be taken in with the astronauts when they came in to the Apollo Lunar Module
The Apollo Lunar Module (LM ), originally designated the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), was the lunar lander spacecraft that was flown between lunar orbit and the Moon's surface during the United States' Apollo program. It was the first crewed ...
.
Use
An article in the magazine ''Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...
'' noted that due to the reduced gravity, the dynamics of walking on Mars would be different than on Earth. This is because people fall forward as part of their gait when moving, the motion of the center of body mass resembling that of an inverted pendulum
An inverted pendulum is a pendulum that has its center of mass above its pivot point. It is unstable and without additional help will fall over. It can be suspended stably in this inverted position by using a control system to monitor the angle ...
. Compared to the Earth, all else being equal it would be half the amount of work to move, however a walking speed on Mars would be 3.4 km per hour rather than 5.5 km per hour on Earth. This data was produced by simulating Martian gravity for the duration of an aircraft following a flight profile that causes this type of acceleration. The acceleration of gravity at the surface of Mars is calculated to be about 3.7 meters per second2. It is not known if this reduced gravity causes the same kind of reduced muscle mass and biological effects as seen when living in microgravity
The term micro-g environment (also μg, often referred to by the term microgravity) is more or less synonymous with the terms ''weightlessness'' and ''zero-g'', but emphasising that g-forces are never exactly zero—just very small (on the I ...
aboard the ISS for several months. The gravity is about 38% of Earth's gravity at the surface.
Rock climbing tests with a low-pressure IVA (intra vehicle activity) suit were conducted in Oregon, USA. The difficulty of grasping rock with gloves including moving fingers and gaining friction with rocks was noted, and ice climbing axes were helpful for climbing surfaces. Mountaineering on Mars may be needed when the terrain environments exceeds the abilities of a rover vehicle, or to access a target of interest, or simply to get home to a base. One common mountaineering need is a highly mobile short-stay shelter to use for overnight stays when climbing, such as a tent, and an equivalent for Mars might support the ability to get out of a space suit. Suit design for climbing would likely be impacted by the needs for climbing including suit flexibility, especially in the hands and also in terms of durability.
Another issue is the expected amount of use for the suits in probably human mission designs. For example, as of the late 2010s there had been over 500 EVA's from the start of spaceflight, whereas a single mission to Mars is expected to need 1000 EVAs.
Typical Mars mission plans note that a person wearing a Mars suit would need to enter a pressurized rover through an airlock. Alternatively, a Mars suit would need to be worn on crewed unpressurized rovers to provide life support. There are several different options for an egress and entry airlock for a space suit, and one of these is to repressurize the entire compartment as on the Apollo lunar lander. Some other ideas are suitport, crewlock, and transit airlock.
Need
The NASA Authorization Act of 2017 directed NASA to get humans near or on the surface of Mars by the early 2030s.
Suitport for Mars
Mars space suits have been explored for integration with airlock design that combines an airlock and suit entry and egress with another vehicle, and is commonly known as a suitport
A suitport or suitlock is an alternative technology to an airlock, designed for use in hazardous environments and in human spaceflight, especially planetary surface exploration. Suitports present advantages over traditional airlocks in terms of m ...
. This has been considered as a way to integrate a crewed pressurized Mars rover with Mars space suit EVAs.
The idea is that a person would slide into the suit through an airlock opening while the exterior of suit is outside the vehicle and exposed to the Martian environment. Then, the hatch would be closed, sealing off the interior of the vehicle, and the person would be supported by the suit's life support system. NASA tested the Z-1 space suit for extraterrestrial surface EVA with a suitport design in the 2010s. In the NASA Z-1 design there is a hatch at the rear of the space suit that can be docked with a suitable vehicle or structure.
Gallery
''Visions of Mars EVA''
File:Humans on Mars.jpg, Human Mars mission designs usually include Mars EVA suits, in this vision people in suits in combination with crewed rovers and other equipment maneuver on the Martian surface. Mission enhancing technologies to give astronauts an edge are often explored, such as a wrist mounted video display of some kind in this case.
File:Mars Excursion Module.jpg, Artist's conception of a crew going on surface EVA on Mars, circa early 1960s. In the background is a Mars Excursion Module
The Mars Excursion Module (MEM) was a spacecraft proposed by NASA in the 1960s for use in a human mission to Mars, and this can refer to any number of studies by corporations and spaceflight centers for Mars landers. However, primarily a MEM ref ...
(MEM)
File:Astronaut working on Mars.jpg, Staged photosimulation art of martian space suit on EVA (NASA, 2010s)
File:Page-de-garde-rapport-NASA-.jpg, Rock climbing on Mars
File:Jsc2004e18859.jpg, NASA concept of Mars-crew analyzing a sample (2004).
File:S90 47890.jpg, The first human Mars explorers survey Valles Marineris at sunrise (1989)
File:Manned mission to Mars (artist's concept).jpg, Concept art by NASA of two people in suits on Mars setting up weather equipment.
File:Astronauts approach Viking 2.jpg, Space art showing astronauts in Mars space suits approach the Viking 2 Mars lander
See also
* Crewed Mars rover
Crewed Mars rovers (also called manned Mars rovers) are Mars rovers for transporting people on the planet Mars, and have been conceptualized as part of human missions to that planet.
Two types of crewed Mars rovers are unpressurized for a crew i ...
* Mars habitat
A Mars habitat is a hypothetical place where humans could live on Mars. Mars habitats would have to contend with surface conditions that include almost no oxygen in the air, extreme cold, low pressure, and high radiation. Alternatively, the habi ...
* List of missions to Mars
This is a list of the 50 spacecraft missions (including unsuccessful ones) relating to the planet Mars, such as orbiters and rovers.
Missions
;Mission Type Legend:
Mars landing locations
There are a number of derelict orbiters around ...
* Locomotion in space
Locomotion in space includes all actions or methods used to move one's body in microgravity conditions through the outer space environment. Locomotion in these conditions is different from locomotion in a gravitational field. There are many facto ...
External links
Activities–Designing Spacesuits for Mars
(Education lesson)
Mass Loss of Shuttle Space Suit Orthofabric Under Simulated Ionospheric Atomic Oxygen Bombardment
Ultraviolet Testing of Space Suit Materials for Mars, 2017
Racked - What Will We Wear on Mars?
(Jun 18, 2018)
Further reading
History of Space Suits
(1994, NASA)
Suiting Up for the Red Planet - IEEE
(September 2015)
References
{{Human missions to Mars
Spacesuits
Mars