The present state-of-the-art in extravehicular protective garments and possible new approaches and ideas suitable for development have been investigated. Recommendations are made for exploratory development programs which can achieve major advancements in extravehicular protective technology in the time period 10 to 15 years hence. The study includes a brief look at the possible missions and tasks, a definition of the problems of protecting man in earth-orbital space, an analysis of the bending torques of joints in present space suit constructions, a discussion of total encapsulation and remote handling techniques and a discussion of proposed advanced concepts, some of which may contribute to advancement of EV protective technology. The next generation of EV protective garments, for activity on or near the surface of a space station in a 300 n.m. earth orbit, will probably be anthropomorphic and consist of (1) hard-suit construction for the torso and the shoulder, waist and elbow joints, (2) soft-suit construction below the waist, (3) portable life support components which are integrated into the hard shell, (4) life support components which can be replenished while the astronaut is outside of the space station, (5) a liquid-cooled undergarment for removal of excess metabolic heat, and (6) an emergency sealing and pressurization system which is automatically actuated in the event of garment failure. (Author).

Advanced Technology for Human Support in Space was written in response to a request from NASA's Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications (OLMSA) to evaluate its Advanced Human Support Technology Program. This report reviews the four major areas of the program: advanced life support (ALS), environmental monitoring and control (EMC), extravehicular activities (EVA), and space human factors (SHF). The focus of this program is on long-term technology development applicable to future human long-duration space missions, such as for a hypothetical new mission to the Moon or Mars.