A Mars suit or Mars space suit is a space suit for EVAs on the planet Mars.[2][3] Compared to a suit designed for space-walking in the near vacuum of low Earth orbit, Mars suits have a greater focus on actual walking and a need for abrasion resistance.[2] Mars' surface gravity is 37.8% of Earth's, approximately 2.3 times that of the Moon, so weight is a significant concern, but there are fewer thermal demands compared to open space.[4] At the surface the suits would contend with the atmosphere of Mars, which has a pressure of about 0.6 to 1 kilopascal (0.087 to 0.145 psi).[5] On the surface, radiation exposure is a concern, especially solar flare events, which can dramatically increase the amount of radiation over a short time.
Some of the issues a Mars suit for surface operations would face include having enough oxygen for the person as the air is mostly carbon dioxide; in addition the air is also at a much lower pressure than Earth's atmosphere at sea level.[6] Other issues include the Martian dust, low temperatures, and radiation.[6]
- ^ "New Mars space suit unveiled by NASA - Technology & Science - CBC News". cbc.ca. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
- ^ a b "This is NASA's latest space suit design for Mars". CBC News. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
- ^ "Mars Suit - The Technology - Mars One". Mars One. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
- ^ Genta, Giancarlo (2016). Next Stop Mars: The Why, How, and When of Human Missions. Springer. p. 211. ISBN 978-3-319-44311-9.
- ^ Mikulski, Lauren (2000). Elert, Glenn (ed.). "Pressure on the surface of Mars". The Physics Factbook. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
- ^ a b "Boiling Blood and Radiation: 5 Ways Mars Can Kill". Space.com. Retrieved 2018-09-11.