NASA's High Performance EVA Glove: Project Element Summary

摘要

The High Performance EVA (Extravehicular Activity) Glove (HPEG) is an element of the Next Generation Life Support (NGLS) project funded by the Space Technology and Mission Directorate through the Game Changing Development program. Managed and executed at Johnson Space Center, HPEG leveraged the experience of the Crew and Thermal Systems Division’s Space Suit and Crew Survival Systems branch to push space suit glove technology beyond what is currently flown at the International Space Station, while planning for future exploration-class missions to planetary surfaces. The main overall goals of HPEG were to improve performance, increase durability, and reduce hand injury as compared to the current state-of-the-art Phase VI glove design. With these goals in mind, the HPEG element of NGLS began formulation in fiscal year 2012, with full implementation funding in fiscal years 2014- 2017. Through this time, more than a dozen tasks were undertaken to improve, evaluate, and enhance current glove technology. Collectively, HPEG represents the single largest glove development effort at NASA since the 1990s. This paper serves as documentation of HPEG the various facets of it, what was learned, and identifies potential next steps for the future.