A defining attribute of Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) is the hindrance the pressurized space suit places on physical mobility and dexterity, especially in the gloves. The effort required to repeatedly flex and extend the fingers while fighting the pressure of the suit is a key driver for the design of any system a crewmember may physically interact with in spaceflight during operations in a pressurized suit. To simulate the experience of manipulating crew systems, tools, and mechanical user interfaces from within a pressurized suit, negative pressure glove boxes are an indispensable asset. However, typical glove boxes come with significant limitations, including that: 1) the systems are not easily portable, 2) the volume of the chamber is internal-only and limits the size of objects or systems that can be inserted, and 3) because the location of the upper arms is fixed, users cannot manipulate objects or systems within the box with the additional dexterity they would have in a full space suit that includes shoulder joints. These challenges are overcome by fully suited testing, but due to the high overhead to do so, an in-between solution that can enable the pressurized arm and glove experience in a mobile approach is appealing. We present an approach and initial test results to internally seal the arms of a space suit directly against suited wearer's skin to effectively turn the glove box inside-out, enabling mobile operations in either shirt sleeves or in space suit mockups that include the added realism of pressurized gloves and lower arms.
Ball et al. (2024) studied this question.