Enhancements to the ISS Phase VI Glove Design

Abstract

This paper describes several technology advancements ILC Dover is developing to improve the current ISS EVA Phase VI glove design. As future missions require better mobility, material enhancements, and new technologies, glove design must be iterated to stay ahead of the curve. Over the span of several enhancement projects focused on improving the form, fit, and function of the Phase VI design, ILC has investigated state of the art technologies, explored new manufacturing techniques and built prototypes for the purpose of testing these new concepts. Building upon the heritage of the legacy Phase VI glove design, mobility improvements have been made in the following areas: metacarpophalangeal joint, carpometacarpo-phalangeal joint, segmentation of TMG palm pads, construction of TMG finger seams, palm pads, molded palm and TMG insulation and the development of a new light weight wrist restraint. Recently, MMOD impacts on the ISS have called for improvements to enhance the cut protection of the TMG portion of the glove. Enhancements in cut protection include: eliminating hard backing with the incorporation of soft keyhole brackets, a revision to the TMG Vectran Turtleskin®, and evaluating the addition of Vectran Turtleskin and RTV in the breakline of the TMG palm. Other improvements include a review of the heater system and recommendation for improving the overall thermal comfort of the hand, a palmbar adjustment mechanism that allows resizing of the glove restraint while pressurized and utilizing laser scanning for assessing the pressurized shape of the glove. Preliminary torque, range of motion and cycle testing has shown promise in these improvements. Further work will need to be conducted in order to iterate these concepts and combine them into the next generation EVA glove.