Paper Number
DA6 

Session
Design of Applied Materials

Title
Development of a shear-thickening fluid for use in space suits for low-Earth orbit and the lunar and Martian surfaces

Presentation Date and Time
October 16, 2018 (Tuesday) 1:30

Track / Room
Track 5 / San Felipe Room

Authors (Click on name to view author profile)

  1. Katzarova, Maria (University of Delaware)
  2. Dombrowski, Richard D. (STF Technologies LLC)
  3. Wagner, Norman J. (University of Delaware)

Author and Affiliation Lines (in printed abstract book)
Maria Katzarova1, Richard D. Dombrowski2, and Norman J. Wagner1
1University of Delaware, Newark, DE; 2STF Technologies LLC, Newark, DE

Speaker / Presenter 
Katzarova, Maria

Text of Abstract
The low-Earth orbit (LEO) environment exposes astronauts performing extravehicular activity (EVA) to potential threats from micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) traveling at nominal speeds of 10 km/s. STF-Armor™ is a nanocomposite material comprised of shear-thickening fluid (STF) intercalated into a high-strength textile. It has been shown that STF-Armor™ offers superior, flexible, multi-functional protection against physical hazards making them a novel candidate material component of environmental protection garments (EPGs). We have been working to improve the absorber layers of the current thermal micrometeoroid garment (TMG), soft goods portion of the EVA space suit, with STF-treated layers. The resulting STF-treated layers prevent hypervelocity impacts from piercing the life essential bladder layer of the TMG. In order to adapt STF-Armor™ to LEO, low-volatility hydrocarbon oils are used for the STF formulation. The aim of these investigations is the incorporation of the LEO-STF technology to improve the protection of astronaut EPGs capable of withstanding extended exposure to the space environment during multiple EVAs. LEO-STF-imbibed TMG layups will be tested for puncture, abrasion and hypervelocity impact resistance. It will be shown that a LEO-STF-treated TMG offers roughly two times greater energy dissipation than the current TMG, without sacrificing weight and thickness of the space suit. Prototype LEO-STF-containing TMG layups are currently flying on the exterior of the international space station (ISS) on the Materials ISS Experiments, MISSE-9. The samples are being exposed to extreme levels of solar- and charged-particle radiation, atomic oxygen, hard vacuum, and temperature cycling over the course of a year. High-resolution images of the samples throughout the experiment are being collected and analyzed.