Cosmic Queries – Space Suits with Ana Diaz Artiles

About This Episode

What’s the future of space suits? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Matt Kirshen explore innovation in space suit technology with aerospace engineer Ana Diaz Artiles.

What would happen to a human who goes into space without a space suit? Learn about the importance of air pressure, aerospace engineering, and how going into space is like scuba diving. How do you even get into space suit design? What is the main flaw in current space suit design? Find out differences between EVA and IVE space suits. Is there a difference between a suit made for Mars versus a suit made for the Moon?

What do we do about ionizing radiation from the sun? We discuss space weather, the need for wormholes, and micrometeorites. Can micrometeorites puncture a space suit? Is there anything we can do about it? Find out about self healing membranes and technology being developed for a new Smart Suit. What if you had an exoskeleton that anticipated your movements? What advances in material science have been made?

What’s the smartest thing they’re putting in the Smart Suit? When is Neil going to get to try one on? Will all this technology work in the extreme environment of outer space? Discover how other bio-suit ideas use mechanical counterpressure to regulate suit pressure. Finally…could technology being developed for the space suit be useful outside of space?

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