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The prototype Z-2 space suit has different light-emitting patches to make it easier to identify specific crew members during a spacewalk. NASA has released these three designs.

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Have other design of patches been discussed in any NASA documentation?

Bob516
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2 Answers2

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There is this image below, but there's no way to tell if they are still intending on using it. Via Wikipedia.

A newer prototype

There is also a paper from 2016 that may be useful, as it explores the process behind these design choices, and mentions the above 4th design. I can't tell if it answers your question or not.

Justin W
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    It's better to include information from the links in your answer. – Organic Marble Mar 26 '20 at 16:16
  • it's not so much a 4th design as the implementation of the 1st design -- but nice update –  Mar 26 '20 at 16:28
  • As @JCRM said, this is informative but doesn't address my question. – Bob516 Apr 01 '20 at 00:26
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    @OrganicMarble: Thanks for the prompting, I didn't realize one could include inline images in answers. Hopefully it's a bit more helpful now. It's hard to tell what of the PDF is useful, so I'm keeping it as a reference link only, rather than attempting to interpret it. – Justin W Apr 02 '20 at 04:45
  • @JCRM: The color, proportions and spacing are entirely different, but I do agree that they are very similar, and you would probably not use that design with the original #1 design and expect people to tell them apart 100% from far away. It's hard to tell without an understanding of the purpose behind the original question. – Justin W Apr 02 '20 at 04:45
  • different colours is part of the specification, @JustinW and it is the implementation of the first design (as this was the design selected by the public). Concept designs rarely have exactly the same proportions as their implementations –  Apr 02 '20 at 07:11
  • @JCRM: The topology of the shape is the same, though the way it is employed in the suit is incredibly different. I'm struggling to figure out what the point of the red symbol is when it's so small. The bounding box of the original symbol seems to take up about 25% of the front of the suit, whereas on the new one it's maybe a tenth of that. If I were in a low-visibility environment and was looking for someone in the blue-decorated suit, but saw the person in the image I posted, I would believe them different unless they were so close that I could make out all of the details. – Justin W Apr 02 '20 at 20:46
  • @JCRM: But, as I expect was your point, you would likely not want to use both designs together as they do have too much similarity compared to the other designs.

    Given how much searching people have done here, I'm beginning to think that the answer to OP's question is "no", but there's obviously no way to prove that.

     – Justin W Apr 02 '20 at 20:48
  • no. My point is that is the practical realisation of the first design. –  Apr 03 '20 at 08:22
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The Z-1 suit has colored patches, but I don't think they Luminex glowing patches.

It appears the patches for the Z-2 suit were the only ones made for consideration:

  • The first option, “Biomimicry,” is inspired by the oceans of Earth and mimics some of the bioluminescent qualities of fish and reptiles. Its signature feature is electroluminescent wire that stretches across the upper torso and becomes visible in low light.
  • The second design is called “Technology” and uses Luminex wire and light-emitting patches that can help crew members easily identify each other on spacewalks.
  • The third option is called “Trends in Society,” and with a bright color scheme mimicking athletic training gear, it’s supposed to reflect what everyday clothes might look like in the future.

NASA has since chosen the Technology design.

One website states that,

Luminex is a complex system involving a combination of optical fibre fabric and electronics. Light emitting diodes illuminate the optical fibres, which distribute the light over the surface of the fabric. The energy required by the LEDs is obtained from a rechargeable battery.

Luminex has mainly been applied in theatres, interiors, accessories, upholstery and in the motor industry.

I'm inferring from this that Luminex could be applied to other designs for the space suit if NASA wanted it.

Fred
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  • Agreed that it could be applied to other designs. It is what the other designs might be that is of interest to me. – Bob516 Apr 01 '20 at 00:24