Human-Spacesuit Interaction: Understanding Astronaut Shoulder Injury in the Spacesuit
Alexandra Hilbert, MVL
Extravehicular activity (EVA) is a critical and complex aspect of human spaceflight missions. To prepare for safe and successful execution of the required tasks, astronauts undergo extensive training in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL), which involves many hours of performing repetitive motions at various orientations, all while wearing a pressurized spacesuit. The pressurization of the suit limits human mobility, causes discomfort, and leads to a variety of contact and strain injuries. Shoulder injuries are one of the most severe injuries that astronauts contend with, and are mainly attributed to the EMU’s hard upper torso (HUT). While suit-related injuries have been observed for many years and some countermeasures have been implemented, there is still a lack of understanding of how humans move within the spacesuit. The objective of this research is therefore to gain a greater understanding of human-spacesuit interaction and the potential for shoulder injury by 1) analyzing the suit-induced pressures that arise in the shoulder region for a number of motions, and 2) using an upper-extremity musculoskeletal model to analyze the difference in muscle forces between unsuited and suited conditions.