Developers: | Roscosmos (Federal Space Agency) |
Branches: | Space industry, Education and science |
A series of experiments to test human actions on the moon began in the summer of 2016 at Roscosmos. As it became known from the specialists of RSC Energia, consultations are also underway with the developers of the spacesuit in order to adapt it to work on the surface of the moon.
The Economics Today[1].
According to Ivan Moiseev, head of the Institute of Space Policy, one should not seriously hope that the lunar base will appear earlier than in the 50s if the United States does this, whose financial capabilities are currently noticeably superior to Russian ones. Thus, the children of those who are testing these spacesuits will be able to really fly to the moon . Unfortunately, only a scientific program is working in Russia, and then it is constantly under threat of reduction. As for working out actions on the moon, now they are doing only what is enough for. If we talk about flying to the moon in earnest, then it takes a lot of money to make a spacecraft to direct it to the moon, to think through a strategy for work. In fact, for flights to the moon you can no longer do with old, well-worked technologies that are involved in flights to the ISS. These are other ships, and a completely different training of astronauts.
To fly to the moon, you need sponsors
who are ready to give a lot of money,
realizing that they will not return
Of course, in the current conditions, not just big money is needed, but people who are ready to give this big money without demanding anything in return, just a desire to move on. It is not yet possible to expect any quick commercial impact from such projects. But in 10-20 years, hopefully, there will be some serious reason to fly to the moon, "commented Ivan Moiseev.
Recall that only the United States has real experience in using lunar spacesuits, however, the Soviet lunar program also developed spacesuits that were largely structurally different from American counterparts. In particular, the Crechet spacesuit, like its later modification of Orlan, had a door on its back that closed from the inside. On this "door" there was a life support system, which significantly simplified the design compared to the American counterpart.
The fundamental difference between the lunar spacesuit and the one used for open space is primarily due to the fact that the astronaut will have to move in a diverse relief, get on his own in the event of a fall, and the temperature of the lunar soil ranges from − 130 ° C to + 160 ° C. At the same time, it will also be necessary to work.
The cost of one lunar-type spacesuit for astronauts is estimated at 12-15 million dollars. The price is primarily explained by the need to use unique technologies and rare and expensive materials and components.