Shear Thickening Fluid Treated Space Suit Layups—MISSE-9, -10, and -13 Low-Earth Orbit Studies Overview

The durability in low-Earth orbit (LEO) of the soft-goods portion of extra-vehicular activity space suit layups treated with a specially formulated, low-volatility, shear thickening fluid is investigated on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Materials on the International Space Station Experiment (MISSE), missions MISSE-9, -10, and -13. Performance of a control layup and a shear thickening fluid treated layup exposed to LEO for nearly one year in the Ram-orbiting direction of the ISS on MISSE-9, informed the next iteration of materials tested on MISSE-10, Nadir-oriented, which in turn led to a design of materials tested on MISSE-13, Ram-oriented. The effect from exposure to atomic oxygen, space radiation, large temperature variations, and potential threat from micrometeoroid and orbital debris impact was assessed post-flight using a suite of techniques including spectroscopy, puncture resistance, and optical properties. Ground controls are used to compare both mechanical and optical properties to the flown samples and discussed relative to monitoring data from the MISSE experiments, including photographs, temperature data, UV intensity, and particle contamination. The cumulative data obtained from this multi-mission study of these state-of-the-art soft composite materials can inform their further development and possibly future crewed exploration efforts, including the Artemis program, Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, and subsequent Lunar and Martian surface missions.