Gap EVA 11: How do suit fit and suit-human biomechanical interactions affect the likelihood of crew injury?
Description

Working in an EVA suit, whether during pre-flight training or during space flight, can cause crew injury.  Historically, hand injuries are the most common, but shoulders and feet are also frequently affected.  In some cases, these are acute injuries such as skin irritations or pressure points.  In other cases, long-term injuries may develop due to limited suit joint mobility or performance of repetitive tasks.  While astronauts have historically worked through these irritations and injuries for short duration missions with few EVAs, this may not be possible during exploration missions that have significantly more EVAs and require every crewmember to be available for EVA.  Studies to address this gap will determine how suit components contribute to crew injury and investigate potential countermeasures to mitigate suit-induced trauma.  Models will also be developed to predict the probability and severity of crew injury during impacts, such as vehicle landing.  Data collected in these studies will be used to update NASA standards (SFHSS and HIDH) and requirements (HSIR) documents.  These inputs will provide standards and design guidance to ensure that future EVA suit systems are designed to minimize the likelihood of crew injury.

Mappings
Risk Risk of Compromised EVA Performance and Crew Health Due to Inadequate EVA Suit Systems
Gap Gap EVA 11: How do suit fit and suit-human biomechanical interactions affect the likelihood of crew injury?