1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Hi Mr. Utley, I'm Bianca and this is Anthony. 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:12,000 Hi, it's nice to meet you both. I understand from Mr. Utley that you want to learn more about the spacesuits that astronauts wear. 3 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:15,000 Wow, do astronauts really have to wear all this stuff? 4 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:19,000 Yes, they do. The spacesuit protects the astronauts from the extreme environment of space. 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:23,000 We know they need a spacesuit for oxygen, but what else does it protect them from? 6 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:29,000 It protects them from things like extreme temperatures, very small meteoroids, orbital debris, and radiation. 7 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:32,000 Wow, I didn't know space was so dangerous. 8 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,000 The spacesuit looks big. 9 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:38,000 It is big, and when an astronaut wears it, it inflates like a balloon to make it even larger. 10 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:40,000 Why does it inflate? 11 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:44,000 In space, there's no air pressure, and without air pressure, the astronauts' blood would boil. 12 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:45,000 That doesn't sound good. 13 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:50,000 No, it's not. So the spacesuit provides the air pressure the body needs to keep that from happening. 14 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:51,000 What are these? 15 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:55,000 These are the astronauts' long johns. They keep the astronaut cool while he or she works in space. 16 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,000 How does it do that? 17 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:01,000 They're little tubes woven into the long johns. Water flows through the tubes, keeping the astronauts cool. 18 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:04,000 There are some days I wish I had one of these. 19 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,000 Is that what I think it is? 20 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:10,000 Yes, it is. It's called a mag for maximum absorbency garment. 21 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,000 Do astronauts really have to wear that? 22 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:17,000 Yes, spacewalks can last up to eight hours, and that's a long time to go without a bathroom break. 23 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:19,000 That's for sure. I couldn't go that long. 24 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:23,000 Neither can the astronauts, and they are working with billions of dollars of equipment. 25 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:26,000 They need to be able to concentrate in order to do their job correctly. 26 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:29,000 And you can't concentrate if you have to go to the bathroom. 27 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:31,000 Do you make these spacesuits, Ms. Ross? 28 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:34,000 No, NASA hires a company to actually make the spacesuits. 29 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:38,000 My primary job is to test and evaluate the suits so that I can design better spacesuits. 30 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:42,000 We learned all about that from our invention contest. It's called the iterative process. 31 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:46,000 It sounds like you've tested, evaluated data, and redesigned yourselves. 32 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:49,000 Do astronauts have to wear different suits for different jobs? 33 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:55,000 Sometimes. For example, Joe Cosmo and I worked with a company called ILC to build a better spacesuit glove. 34 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:57,000 Why did they need a better glove? 35 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:01,000 To build the space station. The glove was a phase six, and I made sure it was ready to use in space. 36 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:02,000 Did it really work? 37 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:07,000 Yes, it did. The glove was used on the first American space station construction mission, STS-88. 38 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:12,000 That is so cool to know that you actually helped the astronauts build the space station. 39 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:13,000 I might do that someday. 40 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:15,000 Yes, you might. Keep up the hard work. 41 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,000 Thanks, Ms. Drives. We learned a lot. 42 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,000 You're welcome, and good luck on your Martian habitats. 43 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:21,000 Thanks. Bye. 44 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:22,000 Bye.