- Joined
- 21 January 2015
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Hello Felix!
- I am at SpaceX today for EVA suit testing. This is an evolution of the dev suits.
- Suit pics will be released in advance of mission but I don't know when.
- ~April is the goal to launch & the pace of training is accelerating.
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays.
https://x.com/rookisaacman/status/1733535996577517810
- Building and certifying new EVA suits for starters. There is a big difference between an IVA suit that is a last line of defense in the vehicle vs. suit engineered from the start to be exposed to vacuum outside the spaceship. That includes suit changes for mobility, life support redundancy, sun glare, some resiliency to MMOD.
- Similarly, the vehicle was designed to go to vacuum only in an emergency. There are changes to software and ECLSS hardware to make an EVA a nominal operation.
- Laser-based communication over the Starlink constellation is not an easy task either. Its not just turning the router switch to the ON position. Every draco firing could break a link.
- We are flying higher and closer to the Van Allen belts than anyone has gone since Apollo 17. The radiation exposure during those orbits over a few days is the equivalent to months on the ISS. Avionics don't like radiation which means there is a lot to analyze and sim to get right.
SpaceX engineers are doing an outstanding job tackling big problems very quickly.
https://x.com/rookisaacman/status/1733618196769284432