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Sunday, January 12, 2014

ISS Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU)


Here are some more images of Bandai's 1/10 scale ISS Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU).
Being the patriotic Canadian that I am I decided to base this suit off of one of the ones worn by astronaut/physician Dafydd Rhys Williams on STS mission 118. With the addition of little glasses I tried to kinda sorta to make it in a indirect way to look like him. Kinda :-/
This kit is the usual Bandai high quality and a great addition to any space model collection, and yes it even comes with a lighting pack.
My only complaints are that for an expensive model it only took a day to build. Plus they failed to supply a waste belt which is clearly a part of the space suit. They do show it on the box top but as to why it wasn't supplied is anyone's guess. I will have to scratch one in the future when I get some proper material to work with.

From Wikipedia"
The Space Shuttle/International Space Station Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) is an independent anthropomorphic system that provides environmental protection, mobility, life support, and communications for a Space Shuttle or International Space Station (ISS) crew member to perform extra-vehicular activity (EVA) in earth orbit. Introduced in 1982, it is a two-piece semi-rigid suit, and is currently one of two spacesuits used by crew members on the ISS, the other being the Russian Orlan space suit.
The EMU, like the Apollo/Skylab A7L spacesuit, was the result of years of research and development. It consists of a Hard Upper Torso (HUT) assembly, a Primary Life Support System (PLSS) which incorporates the life support and electrical systems, arm sections, gloves, an Apollo-style "bubble" helmet, the Extravehicular Visor Assembly (EVVA), and a soft Lower Torso Assembly (LTA), incorporating the Body Seal Closure (BSC), waist bearing, brief, legs, and boots. Prior to donning the pressure garment, the crew member puts on a Maximum Absorbency Garment (MAG) (basically a modified incontinence diaper – Urine Collection Devices (UCDs) are no longer used), and possibly a Thermal Control Undergarment (long johns). The final item donned before putting on the pressure suit is the "Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment" (LCVG), which incorporates clear plastic tubing through which chilled liquid water flows for body temperature control, as well as ventilation tubes for waste gas removal.
After donning the LCVG, the astronaut then puts on the LTA, before entering the airlock. The astronaut then dons the HUT, connects the LCVG umbilical to the umbilical in the HUT, and then locks the two parts of the suit together using the Body Seal Closure. Once the suit is turned on and checked out, the astronaut dons a "Snoopy cap," a brown and white fabric communications cap dating back to the Apollo days, which incorporates a pair of earphones and microphones, allowing the EVA astronaut to communicate with both the crew members in the orbiter and ground controllers in Houston. After donning the "Snoopy cap," the gloves and helmet are then locked on, pressurizing the suit. The suit's regulator and fans activate when the servicing umbilicals are removed and the suit reaches an internal pressure of 4.3 psi (30 kPa). A typical EMU can support an astronaut for 8.5 hours, with 30 minutes of reserves in the case of primary life support failure. To perform an EVA from the shuttle, the cabin pressure is reduced from 14.7 psi to 10.2 psi for 24 hours, after which an astronaut must pre-breathe for 45 minutes. For EVAs onboard the ISS, the astronaut must pre-breathe for about four hours.
The EMU hardware and accessories (PLSS, helmet, communications cap, and locking rings for the helmet and gloves), is manufactured by the Hamilton Sundstrand division of United Technologies out of Windsor Locks, Connecticut, while the suit's soft components (the arms of the HUT and the entire LTU) are produced by ILC Dover out of Frederica, Delaware. The two companies, who were rivals during the early days of Apollo for the contract to build the "Block II" (moonwalking) space suit, teamed up in 1974 against the David Clark Company and Garrett AiResearch for the EMU development and construction. During Apollo, the ILC Dover-produced A7L used the life support backpack, helmet, and locking rings supplied by Hamilton United, but originally, ILC Dover was to just supply the arms and legs of the suit, a similar process that is still going on today.
Dafydd Rhys "Dave" Williams (born May 16, 1954) is a Canadian physician and a retired CSA astronaut. He had two spaceflights, both of which were Space Shuttle missions. His first spaceflight, STS-90 in 1998, was a 16-day mission aboard Space Shuttle Columbia dedicated to neuroscience research. His second flight, STS-118 in August 2007, was flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station. During that mission he performed three spacewalks, becoming the second Canadian to perform a spacewalk and setting a Canadian record for total number of spacewalks. These spacewalks combined for a total duration of 17 hours and 47 minutes.
In 1998, Williams became the first non-American to hold a senior management position within NASA, when he held the position of Director of the Space and Life Sciences Directorate at the Johnson Space Center.

STS-118

Williams was assigned to the crew of STS-118 (August 8 to 21, 2007), an assembly mission to the International Space Station. He completed three spacewalks during this mission, and set two new records during his final EVA on Saturday, 18 August: he is the Canadian with the most spacewalks (3); and he passed Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield in total EVA time. Williams ended Saturday's EVA with a total of 17 hours, 47 minutes of extravehicular time. He was the second Canadian to lead an EVA, after Chris Hadfield, who led an EVA during STS-100.

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