- Hard Upper Torso
A Hard Upper Torso Assembly, or HUT, is a central component of many
space suit s, notablyNASA 'sExtravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU). Thefiberglass HUT forms a rigid enclosure about the upper body of the occupant, providing pressure containment for this part of the body. The HUT incorporates structural attachment points for the arms, Lower Torso Assembly (LTA), helmet, chest-mounted Display and Controls Module (DCM), and Primary Life Support Subsystem (PLSS) backpack. [cite web
title = Hard Upper Torso
url = http://www.ssoar.org/research/space-suits/history/torso.htm
accessdate = 2007-02-03 ]The original HUT design for the EMU, first used in 1980, included bellowed shoulder bearings, which allowed for variation in the angle of the shoulder bearings. This allowed for one configuration to ease donning of the suit, and a different configuration to allow maximum mobility during EVA. However, the limited life of the bellows prompted a redesign in 1990 to a fixed shoulder bearing angle and position, referred to as the Planar HUT, resulting in reduced mobility and more difficult donning and doffing.cite paper
author = David Graziosi, Jinny Ferl and Keith Splawn
title = Development of a Space Suit Soft Upper Torso Mobility/Sizing Actuation System
version =
publisher =ILC Dover LP
date = January2004
url = http://www.ilcdover.com/products/aerospace_defense/pdfs/2004_Power_SUT_ICES.pdf
format = PDF
accessdate = 2007-02-03 ]Because of the high cost of manufacturing, only three sizes of HUTs are produced for the EMU. This has the effect of limiting the number of people who can be properly fit for the suit. The three HUT sizes are supposed to accommodate occupants from the 5th to the 95th
percentile . [cite web
last = Schaefer
first = Ryan
title = Hard upper torso
work = Extra Vehicular Activity – From Its Past to Its Future
publisher = Massachusetts Institute of Technology
url = http://paperairplane.mit.edu/16.423J/Space/SBE/eva/EVA/hut.htm
accessdate = 2007-02-03 ]The HUT also includes an In-Suit Drink Bag, with a plastic tube extending into the helmet, to allow the astronaut to stay hydrated.
References
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