How does NASA’s perseverance help prepare Mars astronauts?

NASA’s patient rover landed on Mars in 2021, searching for signs of ancient microbes and helping scientists understand the planet’s climate and geography. However, another important objective is to pave the way for human quest on Mars, and as part of that effort, the Rover carries a set of five spacesuit material samples. Now, after these samples endure four years of exposure on the dusty radiation-immersed surfaces of Mars, scientists are beginning to study them the next stage.

The ultimate goal is to accurately predict the usable lifespan of Mars spacesuits. What agents learn about how materials work on Mars will inform future space designs of the Red Planet’s first astronaut.

“This is one of the positive aspects of the Rover mission. We don’t think about the current science, nor what’s coming next,” said Mark Fries, planetary scientist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, who helped provide space materials. “We’re preparing people to ultimately explore Mars.”

Each quarter of a 1-inch square (20 mm square) is part of the calibration target used to test shelllock settings (scanning habitable environments with Raman and emission of organic matter and chemicals).

The sample includes a polycarbonate helmet visor. Vectran, a resistant material used in the palm of astronaut gloves. Two types of Teflon. This has the characteristic of non-sticks that repeat dust. And it is the material of commonly used space equipment called orthofabrics. This final fabric features multiple layers of layers, including Nomex, the inflammatory material found in firefighter costumes. Gore-Tex is waterproof but breathable. Kevlar is a powerful material used in bulletproof vests that make spaceships more unbearable.

Mars wear and tear

Mars is not kind. There are freezing temperatures, thin dust that can stick to solar panels and spacecraft (which causes wear on the latter), and surfaces, which are a type of corrosive salt that is toxic to humans.

There is also a lot of solar radiation. Unlike Earth, which has a magnetic field that diverts most of the solar radiation, Mars lost its magnetic field billions of years ago, and most of its subsequent atmosphere. Its surface is hardly protected from the sun’s ultraviolet rays (thus, researchers are considering how rock formations and caves can provide shields to astronauts).

“Mars is a really tough, tough place,” said Jokey Ratzel Hollis, a member of the Shelllock Science Team at the Museum of Natural History in London. “Don’t underestimate that, radiation is especially troublesome.”

Razzell Hollis was a postdoctoral researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California from 2018 to 2021, where she helped Sherloc prepare for her arrival on Mars and took part in a scientific operation once the rover landed. Materials scientist Razzell Hollis has previously studied the chemical effects of sunlight on new types of solar panels made from plastic and plastic pollution floating in Earth’s oceans.

He compared these effects to how white plastic lawn chairs become yellow and brittle years later in sunlight. Almost the same thing happens on Mars, but weathering can occur faster due to high exposure to ultraviolet rays.

The key to developing safer space suit materials is to understand how quickly it wears on the surface of Mars. Approximately 50% of the changes Sherloc witnessed in the sample took place in the first 200 days on Mars of Patience, with Vectran appearing to change first.

Another nuance is to understand the amount of solar radiation that must withstand different parts of the spacesuit. For example, an astronaut’s shoulders may be exposed more exposed and may encounter more radiation than the palm of his hand.

Next Steps

The Sherloc team is working on a scientific paper detailing initial data on how the samples occurred on Mars. Meanwhile, NASA Johnson scientists want to simulate weathering in special chambers that mimic carbon dioxide atmosphere, air pressure and ultraviolet rays on the surface of Mars. The material is then placed in the tests and what you see in the shelllock data, comparing the results generated on Earth. For example, researchers can stretch the material until it breaks to see if it becomes brittle over time.

“The fabric material is designed to be strong and flexible, which protects astronauts, but allows them to bend freely,” Fry said. “We want to know how much the fabric loses strength and flexibility over time. As the fabric gets weaker, they can fray or tear, allowing the spacesuit to leak both heat and air.”

More on Patience

The key purpose of the mission of perseverance on Mars is astrobiology, including the quest for signs of ancient microbes. The Rover is the first mission to characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, helping to pave the way for human quests on the Red Planet, collecting and cache Mars rocks and Regoliths.

NASA’s Mars Sample Return Program is designed to work with the ESA (European Space Agency) to send spacecraft to Mars, collecting these sealed samples from the surface and returning them to Earth for detailed analysis.

MARS 2020 Perseverance Mission is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program (MEP) portfolio and is part of the agency’s Moon-to-Mars Exploration Approach.