Mobility performance capability of Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) space suits will be critical for future planetary exploration missions. Paragon Space Development Corporation (Paragon) has developed a commercial EVA space suit prototype. The Human Spaceflight Laboratory of University of North Dakota (UND) conducted kinematic motion research of Paragon's EVA space suit. Thirteen test subjects, seven females and six males, participated in UND kinematic research of the Paragon EVA space suit. Test subjects volunteered for the study with an average age of 23.5 years, height of 172.3 cm, and weight of 71.8 kg. Each participant performed a series of movements in unsuited condition and then in the space suit under differential pressure. The movements involved flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction at the shoulders, elbows, wrists, and index and middle fingers. Work envelopes were defined for the Paragon EVA space suit upper limbs. Kinematic data was measured using a 58-point reflective marker set. Test subjects' movements were recorded with a ten-camera Vicon Motion Capture System. Data were processed using Vicon Nexus 2.16 and Procalc 1.6 software. Joint center locations were determined using the Score and Sara geometric sphere method. Specialized MATLAB scripts were employed for calculating work envelopes. During the research it was found that the work envelope at the suit shoulder was equal to or superior to previously examined suits. Paragon's EVA suit range of motion was equal to or superior to previous examinations of pressurized EVA suits. This study presented the first work envelope measurements for wrist and thumb joints. UND offers novel methods for gathering space suit kinematic motion data.
Rhoades et al. (Sun,) studied this question.