Part 1:

Astronautical engineering focuses on the manufacturing, design, testing, and developing of spacecrafts. The future of space travel is the long and exhaustive journey to Mars. The length of the trip introduces problems of its own, including the physical harm zero gravity has on the human body. The journey to Mars will be approximately 14 months long, causing human bone and muscle to deteriorate at immense rates. I plan on proposing a space suit that would diminish the negative effects of the lack of gravity on the human body. My goal is to develop a modified version of the current Penguin or Adeli suit which recreates the effects of gravity in space. Unfortunately, the penguin suit applies pressure and weight to the shoulders and other joints of the astronauts making it uncomfortable for astronauts. Additionally, that is not how humans experience gravity on Earth, so it does not effectively translate or recreate Earth’s gravity in space. I will combine the technology found in the penguin suit with newer synthetic materials and weights in order to evaluate different space suits to determine which one most effectively recreates gravity on Earth, allowing astronauts to spend more time in space, a necessity of the Mars journey.

 

Part 2:

First off, I need to thoroughly research the materials that make up the Penguin suit. It uses a bungee cord like material that attaches to each one of the joint pads, increasing compression, weighing the astronauts down. It also forces increased exercise because even simple activities became muscularly rigorous. This increased exercise is essential for astronauts to retain muscle and bone mass. I must interview astronauts or even physical therapists who work with children suffering with cerebral palsy or any brain or spinal cord injuries because the occupational therapy sector has created a modified “Earth” version of the suit to help with these physical conditions. Interviews with either professionals would allow me to hear a first hand perspective on the complications and frustrations arising from the penguin suit. Additionally, an interview with a physical therapist would allow me to examine their toned down version of the penguin suit. This hands on investigation is necessary for me to formulate my own space suit design. I also need to talk to materials engineers and chemical engineers to see what their insight into space suit design is. They specialize in increasing efficiency of current materials and would have access to newer synthetic prototype materials.

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I am not sure how long this project will take. The research itself will take time and I would like to pursue this for the entire school year, having my original work be a halfway point. I do not know what kind of problems I will run into while synthesizing the space suit. A lot of the technology is very old and from the Soviet era, so getting access to that research will be difficult and because technology has definitively advanced it introduces problems of its own. I also need to talk to John Harkins because he has many contacts from his International Space Station days. More importantly, continued contact with Corrie Hunt will be necessary for me to develop this topic. Her husband currently works at the Johnson Space Center and she has a friend in the EDA (Electronic Circuit Design) world who specializes in space suit design.

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I need to use higher level thinking skills to analyze and assess the penguin suit and the current space suit materials and design. I then need to formulate my own space suit that is a combination of previous technology reimagined in a modern way that will yield the most benefits to astronauts.

 

Part 3:

As R.S. Grey stated, “she believed she could, so she did.” I believe I can, so I move to make this proposal a reality. Although the creation of a new and improved prototype for a space suit is a very difficult endeavor, all the potential benefits outweigh the challenges I will face. It will greatly benefit the space field, allowing astronauts to retain more bone and muscle mass, preventing degenerative diseases from ravaging their internal systems. Furthermore, this will allow astronauts to spend increased time in space, a necessity for the shift in space travel to Mars, a prolonged journey. The scale of this proposal means that extensive research and collaboration with credited professionals is necessary to develop an improved version of past suits. I plan on learning more about the astronautical field and being able to participate in the new discoveries and direction space exploration is headed.