#spacesuit design

[magentapink-art]

Another redone/ updated sci fi spacesuit design of a design I drew around 2 years ago although this one is a more realistic take with mostly currently plausible technologies.

I haven’t named this one but it’s intended to be for use in very low gravity vacuum environments such as moons and asteroids, leading to features such as weighted crampons to shift the astronaut’s centre of gravity lower.

Concept-wise it’s largely based on NASA’s xEMU suit in general but with more aesthetic considerations put in while trying to keep some of the functional features where they are. Technically speaking Adam Savage did this in his spacesuit costume series but this is my take on this.

More in-depth explanation below, note of warning it’s very long and technical as usual.

This spacesuit, as I said above is intended for use in low gravity vacuum. It is a rugged, highly resistant design meant for first human expeditions to new or previously less explored locations so accounts for unexpected conditions, although at the cost of being fairly more bulky.

First of all it is back entry, but unlike the Orlan suit the hatch/back panel doesn’t hinge, instead it entirely comes off when removed. The hatch panel includes the life support system and the helmet, although the helmet can be detached from it. The fact that such a large portion makes up the hatch makes the opening for entry larger and thus easier to get into. Lights are attached to either side of the head on the hatch panel. The life support part of the hatch has handles on the sides to assist with attaching and removal of the panel. The panel has a raised ridge/collar around the base of the helmet to protect the connector rings from impact.

The helmet has a gold coated sun visor that can be manually lowered, and the helmet visor itself is also openable. Comms are integrated into areas around the neck in the hatch panel, instead of being a separate headset which helps with reducing points of failure and also reduces strain on the neck.

The arms are mounted slightly forward to help allow more motions in front. Constant volume convolutes are used in the shoulders and elbows to allow motion. The wrists have a rotating connector ring. A wrist mirror on either side allows the astronaut to read labels on their own suit controls. The gloves have rubber fingertips and a fingernail-esque wedge attached to the tip for better grip of small objects. A seal located inside the arm of the suit allows the gloves to be separated into a their own pressure zone, and dials on the gloves allow this area to be put into a lower pressure for more hand flexibility (you don’t breathe with your hands so technically speaking you don’t need as much pressure there), although there is an automatic timer that will fully pressurise the gloves after a set amount of time to prevent swelling or bruising.

The torso segment of the suit is a hard shell, and because the entry point is not located here it allows for convolutes to be added for waist flexibility. The chest of the suit holds the control panel which can control temperature, lights, the crampons and other features. A sample collection case can be worn over the hip area, or it can also be used to attach a belt for tools. A tab on either side of the hip joint helps keep this in place. Tethers or safety lines can also be attached here.

The legs of the suits rotate at the hip and have knee convolutes. A guard over the knee allows astronauts to kneel and to prevent abrasion. A pair of dust covers over the calves of the suit help to keep dust off the boot connectors.

The boots have a pair of weighted crampons worn over them to help anchor astronauts to the surface in low gravity. The spikes are retractable to prevent damage to the spacecraft floor. The crampon also has a metal plate to protect the top of the foot. It isn’t visible here but the crampons attach with a similar sort of mechanism to snowboard bindings. The suit can also be used without the crampons like if it were to be used in higher gravity locations or in microgravity where they do not need to anchor themselves down.

Inside the suit, it has the typical internal components such as a drinking water supply, sweat wicking and cooling layers, and a liquid waste collection system.

The fact that this is somewhat based on an existing suit design means this explanation isn’t as egregiously long as I anticipated.

Also the OC wearing the suit here is Teira. Basically the astronaut OC I draw whenever I need an astronaut most of the time unless I have a specific reason to use someone else.

This is the older version of the design, not much has changed aside from the colour distribution (I got rid of the large areas of red), the crampon mounting is visible, the latching systems are more exposed (which is a bad idea they don’t look very stable), there is a comm headset, and the anatomy in the drawing is not as great as I thought it was at the time. SPACEMILK is the name of the short story I wrote where this suit was used since I don’t have a name for the suit. Suggestions are welcome.

[seraphont]

sketchdump!

[d3epfriedangels]

hows this for a first pass? im going to add 2 'commander' type outfits and formal jedi robes + underblacks - any suggestions for other outfits welcomed too!!

[outersyourwilds]

At some point in my playthrough of the game, it dawned on me that Feldspar is Old

[eqos-blog]

Pucker up J

[sersh]

CAILEE SPAENY Rain Carradine spacesuit design by Carlos Rosario for Alien: Romulus

[flonion]

The bubbly spec op sharpshooter, Moonracer!

[pradaldi]

A new character for Lost Pages a xenoarchaeologist.

[kovvskii]

hocotate freight space suit if it was awesome

[loftyanchor]

[magentapink-art]

Further explanation for how I explained the workings of the old version

Supposedly this suit is made of a sort of fluid/liquid-esque material that has two modes. When in the first mode it stretches enough that the person can get in through the basically turtleneck sized neck hole… the helmet connects with a flexible lip inside of the helmet that attaches onto three layers of seal over the neck/shoulder area of the suit. Once the helmet and life support are attached the second mode activates which makes it stop stretching, and as a fluid material it maintains the same thickness so when a limb bends it does not stretch or wrinkle, the material automatically flows from the compressed side to the expanded side.

Also at the time I didn’t know mechanical counterpressure was a thing at all so I said it’s gas pressurised but it’s made from a 3d scan of the astronaut’s body and a close enough fit that it looks the exact same pressurised and unpressurised.

I don’t really buy this whole explanation anymore which is why I made the redesign.

Other flaws in this design include:

- High heels for no apparent reason

- Helmet too large it’s a waste of air (it was even egregiously bigger in the old drawings because I didn’t sketch before inking at the time, those were on paper)

- Exposed air hose between helmet and backpack is vulnerable to damage, putting the connection inside the suit is a better option

- Even if the suit was perfectly moulded to the body, the human body has concave parts so the suit wouldn’t look the exact same pressurised

- Why is the control panel an ipad

[arobotjester]

I love that she just rode in on J's back and then LUNGED HERSELF DOWN AT DOLL

[seraphont]

hehe … comm for @kylelily123abc4 

[jazznoisehere]

Mort Garson: Journey To The Moon And Beyond (Sacred Bones, 2023)

Artwork & Design by Robert Beatty

[humanoidhistory]

NASA designer Vic Vykukal demonstrates the AX-3 hard-shell spacesuit, 1977.

[rubiks3ube]

One Gijinka/Humanised Design is Here! (BFDI and XFOHV)

One won the votes in the previous poll so she was done! I wasn’t surprised.

I have done both XFOHV One and TPOT One!

Now for my Ted Talk for how I came up with the design:

Firstly, as you see in the note above the designs, XFOHV is dressed as an American Astronaut (Influences taken from the EMU and Apollo spacesuits) whilst the TPOT is a cosmonaut, a Soviet astronaut (influence taken from Orlan and Sokol spacesuits). A reference to the Cold War and the Space Race. Symbolic of how she has switched sides, from an ally to a powerful and threatening enemy.

Interestingly, the American suits are softer and made up of more than one component, but a Soviet suit are harder, made up of one component and is a one-size-fits-all. There is your fact of the day.

Other influences for spacesuits would come from ‘A Space Odyssey’.

You also would have noticed the weird robotic arms. These too have an influence, I used the arms of Vontra from the movie ‘The Wild Robot’ references. Like Vontra, One can retract and extend her arms at will, which she’ll use to grab anyone far and trying to run from her. This also means like Vontra when she touches someone with her arms it is snake-like so uncomfortable as it feels like that person’s space is invaded, meaning she can use them to trap a contestant or make them uncomfortable so they’ll be more likely to agree to her deal.

Additionally, I made TPOT One’s pupils extremely dilated, as if she is trying to look friendly like a kitten but is actually off-putting as it appears more like a predator. I added a bit of a shine, like what happens when you shine a torch at cats’ eyes.

One is thinner in TPOT since she has been inside the moon for so long, yet due to this can now fit in her new spacesuit. Another thing she has been doing whilst inside the moon is sharping her robotic fingers.

Throughout the entire thing I listened to Kiltro, especially ’The Drunk’, it reminds me of One:

Overall, I think I did well, the colouring process was the hardest part because One’s colour palette is diabolical simple. Thank you for listening to my Ted Talk, here is some close ups for your troubles.

The next poll is coming so make sure to vote!