By Ludovica Valentini and Olivia Drayson

When you picture an astronaut, chances are you imagine them wearing a spacesuit. But have you ever wondered what lies behind this sophisticated equipment?

Since the beginning of human spaceflight, spacesuits have been developed to protect astronauts from the hostile space environment. During extravehicular activities (EVAs), also known as spacewalks, they supply oxygen, regulate body temperature, enable communication, and provide shielding, making them essential for survival.

Yet a spacesuit also presents unique challenges. Have you ever tried picking up a small object or tightening a screw while wearing thick, bulky gloves? A spacesuit restricts mobility and dexterity, requiring adapted movements and tools. This is why spacesuits are essential in analog missions to realistically test instruments and procedures for future crewed planetary missions.

The OeWF developed the Aouda spacesuit prototype which mimics the essential limitations of a Mars spacesuit, like weight, pressure, and perception capabilities. The OeWF analog astronauts wear the Aouda suit during EVAs, but not without first learning how to operate it! That is why as part of the OeWF new analog astronaut class we regularly practice donning and doffing of the suit (i.e. the process to wear and remove it) and EVA-like operations.

The donning of the Aouda is a long process and follows a precise step-by-step procedure. Can you imagine it takes around three hours to “just” don the Aouda suit? We have been practicing this process during our training to make it more efficient, repeatable, and safe. The donning relies on teamwork and trust between the analog astronauts in the suits and the suit techs who are helping them to wear the Aouda and checking that all its subsystems are functioning as expected. Every strap, connector, cable, and suit component must be correctly fitted. Small mistakes during the preparation can become major issues once outside on an EVA.

Once you are inside the suit, you realise instantly that it truly is a one-person spacecraft. Around your chest is the hard-upper torso (HUT), designed after medieval suits of armour and it feels indeed like a shell protecting you from the dangers of the environment outside. Your arms and legs are restricted in their movement by an exoskeleton, mimicking the pressure on your joints of moving within a pressurised suit. Each bend of the elbow or step forward requires more effort and more intention. This extends to the tips of your fingers, where underneath three layers of gloves, fine motor control is inhibited and tasks that would be trivial ordinarily suddenly require intense concentration. And lastly, the final step, the moment your helmet is on and the fans are whirring, you become separated from the world around you. You cannot hear the words of the suit-tech team in front of you. You are dependent on your headset for communication and you and the suit become two parts of one system, one machine.

Now the EVA can begin. You’ve checked all your systems are working, a display above your line of sight shows your heart rate and temperature. You stand up, feeling the weight of 50kg upon you, yet despite the restrictions of the suit, you feel remarkably in control, as if the suit is an extension of yourself.

Once you’ve tested the limits of your dexterity, collected geological samples, maybe even driven an ATV (all-terrain vehicle), you return to the habitat for removal of the suit – the “doffing”. The same tasks as before for donning are conducted in reverse. Then the suit is assessed for wear and tear, the batteries are put to charge and Aouda is neatly packed away, ready for her next venture outside the hab.