Building a better space suit
Photos by Evan Krape October 01, 2024
Interdisciplinary collaboration leads to innovative new fabric
When future astronauts head to the Moon, they may very well be wearing space suits created, in part, through a collaboration between two 91原创 academic departments, a new 91原创 alumnae and a company founded by 91原创 alumni.
This interdisciplinary project included Norm Wagner, the Unidel Robert L. Pigford Chair, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Huantian Cao, chair of the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies; Richard Dombrowski, former associate research scientist in 91原创鈥檚 Department of Chemical Engineering and co-founder of STF Technologies, and Michelle Yatvitskiy, who graduated this year with a master鈥檚 degree in fashion and apparel studies and a graduate certificate in sustainable apparel business.
The outcome of their collaboration is a new fabric for the outer layer of space suits, called the environmental protection garment (EPG) shell, that will prevent lunar dust particles from penetrating the material.
鈥淥ur fashion apparel studies program covers everything related to clothing, and space suits are a form of clothing,鈥 said Cao. 鈥淨uite a few of our alumni work with ILC Dover, a major space suit manufacturer.鈥
One may not immediately think of outer layers of clothing as having the potential to create a collaboration between chemical engineers and fashion designers, however, 鈥渃lothing provides the ultimate level of protection, and that requires science and engineering too,鈥 he said.
For lunar astronauts, the critical problem lies with the dust and soil on the moon鈥檚 surface called regolith. The regolith particles are fine and very sharp, like volcanic rocks and dust here on Earth. As the current EPG material is woven, the particles infiltrate the fabric through the tiny holes in the weave, damaging it.
鈥淭he Apollo astronauts spent only a few hours on the surface and their suits were basically destroyed,鈥 Wagner said.
On top of that, regolith dust is dangerous to inhale, and Martian regolith contains toxic perchlorates.
鈥淚t's not just an annoyance, it鈥檚 not just a problem from the dust getting into everything and destroying stuff. It's also potentially emitting gasses, so we really have to keep it off the suits. The fabric has to reject the particles,鈥 Wagner said.
In the beginning
The partnership began in 2022 when Wagner and Dombroski and their company STF Technologies received a grant from NASA to explore making an improved EPG shell. The pair had an idea for a hybrid woven/non-woven fabric but knew they couldn鈥檛 make it happen alone.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot more textile engineering and science built into meeting the challenges that NASA has for their astronauts now, for working and living on the surface of the moon and then ultimately Mars,鈥 Wagner said. 鈥淲e could do some things, but we needed real textile experts to do this.鈥
They partnered with Cao and Yatvitskiy to make their vision a reality. After a few trials, the team created a new material that takes the EPG shell鈥檚 original Vectran鈩 Orthofabric and embeds shear thickening fluid, a material co-developed by 91原创 and STF Technologies that has been used in other projects related to space suits, into and between the fibers. Fire-retardant and dust-resistant P84庐 fibers are felted onto the back. The combination gives the material strength and keeps out the dust.
鈥淥riginally, we were going to do a non-woven fabric, but that鈥檚 not strong enough,鈥 said Yatvitskiy. So we took the original EPG shell fabric and basically plugged the holes by felting on top of it, another word for needle punching.
鈥淲e used a felt loom in Alison West that we had been using for a recycled textile project,鈥 she explained. 鈥淲hen you run the fibers through the machine, hundreds of needles puncture the fabric, interlocking the fibers to create, in this case, a new stronger textile.鈥
Yatvitskiy tested the fabric for tensile strength using a machine that stretches it between two clamps, pulling it until it rips. She also ran a sun test where the fabric was placed in a machine that simulated the sun鈥檚 rays for two weeks. Further tests were done at STF Technologies. The new shell passed all of the tests with flying colors.
In her opinion, the next step in the testing process is to send fabric swatches into space as part of an International Space Station mission. 鈥淲e would do the same testing on the fabric after it has been exposed to the actual elements since you can鈥檛 simulate everything in the lab,鈥 she added.
Designing opportunities聽
Yatvitskiy got her start with the project through an internship with the Delaware Space Grant Consortium (DESGC) in which she did testing to get base numbers on the original EPG shell. She also received a graduate student fellowship from DESGC to work on this project. She was involved with all of the presentations and calls the team had with NASA throughout the process.
The Brooklyn, New York, native who received her undergraduate degrees in apparel design and fashion merchandising from 91原创 in 2022, said the work combined her love of 鈥渕ixing math and science鈥 with design, an opportunity that is the hallmark of the fashion program.
鈥淲hen I visited 91原创, they were talking about mushroom shoe research, creating soles of shoes from mushrooms, which I found fascinating,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t was the perfect school for me because of its research program.鈥
Cao said the department is working with more than half of 91原创鈥檚 colleges on projects that range from developing sustainable weed control mulch mats to functional fashion for people with disabilities.
鈥淲e want to find and fund the opportunities for our students to gain knowledge and get firsthand experience. For students to be competitive in their careers鈥攖his type of career鈥攚e need to provide opportunities for collaboration with other disciplines,鈥 he said.
The team has applied to NASA for the next phase of funding which would allow them to further develop the product. In the meantime, STF Technologies is using this research to work on other ideas, such as gear for firefighters, as the material is flame retardant and prevents soot and other contaminants from getting into suits. 聽
鈥淭his is the new science,鈥 Wagner said. 鈥淭he new technologies most often come at the interfaces between disciplines.鈥
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