You will only find out whats inside a space suit – real or simulated – if you look under its skin. This was the reason behind a cooperation between the Aouda.X development team and the University Clinic for Radiology at the medical University of Innsbruck and the TILAK (Tiroler Landeskrankenanstalten GmbH, the association of tyrolean county hospitals): to be able to see whats inside of our “indian princess”. With Martin Knoflach who works for both the Aouda.X development team and the TILAK it was only a question of time until this collaboration happened.

5 team members of the Austrian Space Forum plus Auda.X visited him where usually high tech medical science takes place, to gain an insight into the space suit simulator using a worldclass CT (only 5 comparable machines exist worldwide). “The first images, which we got from the computer, where simply awesome.” says project leader Gernot Grömer, “all together we got 3714 images – some real Eye-Candy, especially the nearly realtime 3D images.”

With the help of these pictures it was possible to see the mechanically stressed parts of the suit without having to take it apart. “I really hope that this investigation hasn’t been the last of its kind.” is Gernot Grömer already looking forward to the next measurements, which could even be done with the new exosceleton. Also Dosimetre measurements will be done with the help of X-ray machinery. All together, a perfect preparation for the Rio-Tinto expedition in April 2011.

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