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SpaceX has unveiled its extravehicular activity (EVA) suit for spacewalks. It plans to use them during its upcoming Polaris Dawn mission, where four astronauts will spend up to five days orbiting Earth in a SpaceX Dragon capsule with the goal of testing Starlink in space and conducting research to prepare for a potential base on the Moon and the human colonization of Mars. The mission will be the first commercial spacewalk as well as the first time four astronauts from one crew enter space's vacuum simultaneously.
The low-profile suits have 3D-printed helmets with polycarbonate visors. There's a copper and indium tin oxide outer coating and an anti-fog and anti-glare treatment, as well as a built-in camera and heads-up display (HUD) that will show the astronaut's suit pressure, temperature, and humidity levels while tracking the amount of time they spend in space, according to a SpaceX video.
The EVA suits also use spiral zippers and are made of a flame-resistant material. The EVA suit's boots are made of the same material used on the Dragon capsule's trunk and Falcon's interstage, SpaceX says, meaning its material can handle a wide range of temperatures. No backpacks or peripherals with oxygen tanks are shown, however, but SpaceX says the suits have a dial that can provide additional oxygen.
"The suit’s ultimate destiny lies much farther from our home planet," SpaceX's website reads. "Building a base on the Moon and a city on Mars will require the development of a scalable design for the millions of spacesuits required to help make life multiplanetary."
"All of these enhancements to the EVA suit are part of a scalable design, allowing teams to produce and scale to different body types as SpaceX seeks to create greater accessibility to space for all of humanity," the Polaris program's site reads.
The first Polaris Dawn mission will attempt to enter the highest Earth orbit ever achieved. The mission will also research radiation's impact on the astronauts' health, such as decompression sickness and Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS). The astronauts will make their spacewalk in the EVA suits at about 435 miles away from Earth. The spacewalk itself is expected to last up to two hours. The astronauts will also test Starlink's laser-based communications systems while in space, with the eventual goal of using Starlink in future Moon and Mars missions.
"Polaris Dawn is the next major operation for the Dragon program. Right now the whole team is driving towards a launch date in early summer of this year," SpaceX said during a Twitter Space over the weekend.