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This answer to the question Which specifications should a tablet computer have in order to work in outer space? points out that capacitive-sensitive touch pads, mouse pads and touch-sensitive screens could be difficult to use if you are wearing the glove of a pressure suit in space.

Can the laptops seen in various locations on the ISS be used when wearing spacesuits? Can the cursor be moved (if the software needs it)? Actually can one even reliably push individual keys and buttons on the laptops while wearing any of the possible suits one might be wearing in an emergency in various scenarios?

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uhoh
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  • Stylus should work the same way it does on a tablet and you can push small keys with it too. – jkavalik Dec 03 '16 at 07:14
  • @jkavalik thanks, but the question is about the actual laptop computers seen in various locations on the ISS. – uhoh Dec 03 '16 at 07:47
  • Yes, and you can use a stylus on your laptop touchpad (I just tested on mine) so one way to assure it works would be to put a stylus (or a pen with a capacitive-compatible cap) in the suit tool box. That would be much simpler than redesigning the gloves for touch support (if they were not already, no idea about that) and solves the "thick fingers" problem at the same time. – jkavalik Dec 03 '16 at 08:06
  • @jkavalik OK That's interesting but let's see if there is information about the laptops on ISS and if each is equipped with an Emergency Stylus that' has been tested and easily located, grasped and manipulated when wearigh gloves in a space emergency, or not. I'm looking for a definitve answer, not hypotheticals. – uhoh Dec 03 '16 at 09:25
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    Sure, that's why I am not answering. Just noting that a simple technological solution might be possible. – jkavalik Dec 03 '16 at 09:58
  • @jkavalik Oh no! Now I can't stop thinking about styluses (stylii?) I watched this video and at 01:30 it shows that the key to making a stylus work on a capacitive sensitive touchpad or screen is an electrical connection from the slightly conducting tip material to the users body. Can you try your test again without touching the stylus directly with your hand? As if you were wearing a thick, insulating glove? Does your stylus have a metal barrel? This is probably why fingernails don't work. – uhoh Dec 03 '16 at 11:03
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    This would never happen. There is no contingency situation that involves the crew wearing EVA suits in a depressurized ISS. If the station leaks down, the crew abandons it in the Soyuz. If a single module leaked down, it would be isolated and powered off (too much equipment is air cooled) – Organic Marble Dec 03 '16 at 16:31
  • Also, the ISS laptops do not have touch screens. – Organic Marble Dec 03 '16 at 16:32
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    The ISS laptops are Thinkpads with trackpoints, though I imagine those would still be difficult to use with the fat fingers of a suit glove. – pericynthion Dec 03 '16 at 20:57
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    @uhoh sorry for a late response, just tried it with a very cheap plastic stylus on my touchpad, using skiing glove and piece of plastic foil and then pliers with a rubber handle (with and without the glove) and the cursor moved when I put a bit of pressure on it which is how it behaves with my bare hand too (it was really a "gift" to some chinese phone cover so the quality is quite low). – jkavalik Dec 03 '16 at 21:09
  • @jkavalik OK that's good to know. I think many touch pads don't respond that way (mine computer doesn't) so it seems it needs to be checked on a case-by-case basis. – uhoh Dec 03 '16 at 23:18
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    Given @OrganicMarble's comment about lack of situations prompting the scenario, plus the fact that the laptops are supposedly only used for non-(time)-critical tasks, I very much suspect that this has never even been considered. Besides, a standard laptop (even with certain adaptations to work in a freefall environment) would have very serious heat dissipation problems without an atmosphere. You think it's bad running a computer without any fans? Hint: most will hit hard thermal shutdown limits very quickly. Try without even convective cooling. It might work for a few minutes, if you're lucky. – user Dec 04 '16 at 19:03
  • @OrganicMarble thanks. I was thinking about the trackpads we normally use to move the cursor on laptops, not touch screens. It's not a likely scenario to end up in the ISS in a suit for sure, perhaps after an event the ISS atmosphere is contaminated with ammonia (rather than loss of atmosphere) a recovery crew arriving at the ISS would like to enter without having to vent and shut off power - there are unlikely scenarios. I think the most salient point is that use of the laptops would not be needed, and if their data is useful, could be recovered later. – uhoh Dec 04 '16 at 23:42
  • @pericynthion the little red button indeed! You are probably right - it wouldn't be easy to manipulate in a glove without an extension, which is not an option in such situations. – uhoh Dec 04 '16 at 23:45
  • @OrganicMarble see comment above - not necessarily loss of pressure. Your other points are well taken, thanks! – uhoh Dec 04 '16 at 23:46

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I'll "amalgamate" the comments below the question. The scenario is highly unlikely, but either through loss of pressure or contamination of the atmosphere, either ISS crew or an arriving crew could possibly need to be in the ISS while wearing a pressure or EVA suit. The OP asks if the laptops could be operated by someone wearing said suit, pointing out that the ThinkPads seen on the ISS are equipped with built-in capacitive track pads but no external mouse.

It was pointed out that the ThinkPads also have the little red Trackpoint - a sort of nano-joystick, but probably those would be fairly hard to use with a gloved hand as well.

It was then pointed out that the laptops are for non-essential tasks, so there may be little need to use them, unless of course Commodore Decker left his final log entries on one of the laptops.

It was then pointed out that in the case of a substantial or complete pressure loss, if they worked at all, they would overheat quickly. (Oh yeah, fans). Of course if the issue were a contaminant (e.g. ammonia, or CO2, or smoke) or biohazard in the atmosphere, the laptops might still work fine.

Enter 21st century touch-screen controls, possibly touch-screen everything. While voice command might possibly help in some cases, like they say, in space, Siri can't hear you say OK Google.

Thus, enter Boeing's new suit, including gloves with sausages er... cheese sticks, ok advanced materials for fingertips that will work on capacitive touch sensitive screens:

uhoh
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    ISS EVA suits use sublimator cooling. They cannot work in any kind of atmosphere so would be useless in a contamination situation. I believe the Boeing suits are similar to the Shuttle ACES suit in function and are intended for survival/escape situations only (I could be wrong on that) – Organic Marble Jan 29 '17 at 02:46
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    @OrganicMarble that's a really good point! You are welcome to edit this "amalgam" answer in any way you like, or post an improved version. My goal is to increase the fraction of my unanswered questions that receive good answers, not necessarily to answer them myself. – uhoh Jan 29 '17 at 02:59
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    Also, the PCS laptops are safety-critical, they are the crew's only interface with the ISS onboard computers. – Organic Marble Apr 21 '20 at 02:34
  • @OrganicMarble since nobody posted an answer I've amalgamated comments by others here so that there would be at least some permanent record. Please feel free to post another answer or to edit this one, thanks! – uhoh Apr 21 '20 at 03:22