Mock Mars Mission: Are the Spacesuits Really Accurate?

Mars Desert Research Station Spacesuit
Unlike a real spacesuit, the ones used at the Mars Desert Research Station (such as this one worn by journalist Elizabeth Howell) are not pressurized. (Image credit: Matthieu Komorowski)

Editor's Note: In the Utah desert, scientists are attempting to recreate what a real-life mission to Mars might be like, and SPACE.com contributor Elizabeth Howell is along for the ride. She sends this dispatch on the spacesuits used to simulate walks on the Red Planet.

HANKSVILLE, Utah – About four miles into a canyon walk near the Mars Desert Research Station here, my shoulders started to hurt. The straps of my spacesuit backpack had been digging into the blades for the past two hours.

In other respects, though, I was very lucky on the Jan. 10 excursion. Some of my crewmembers experienced severe fogging in their helmets during past "Marswalks" in the Utah desert, but the ventilation in my helmet was keeping at least the front of my visor clear. The footing was also hard, unlike the mud other members of my Crew 133 team experienced in a late afternoon walk a few days before.

The spacesuits used by the Mars Society facility are not fully representative of real ones. The most notable difference is the suits aren't pressurized. We're required to wear jumpsuits and gloves, which cuts down on our mobility slightly, but we don't have the sensation of fighting against balloon-stiff joints that astronauts experience on space missions. [Mock Mars Mission in Pictures: Life on a Simulated Red Planet]

Once the jumpsuits are on, we strap on a pair of our own hiking boots on to our feet. (A few years ago, the Mars Society made the decision not to have shared boots due to hygiene concerns.) Mud can be a large problem at our location near Hanksville, so we also put on gaiters to keep out the worst of the dirt and dampness.

Next comes the backpack. Under the fabric cover, each backpack is essentially a large plastic tub with a 12-volt battery and a fan inside of it. The fan drives air circulation into our helmets, which is important as it can get hot when you're working outside for two to four hours, the typical length of a Marswalk. Attached to each backpack is a collar on which the helmet sits.

Each crew member soaps the front of their helmet to cut down on fogging, then a crew member latches it on to the collar. Our helmets vary depending on if they're the older style of the newer style. The newer style "fishbowl" helmet has 360-degree visibility, while the older-style ones have a black piece at the back and sides that cuts down on lines of sight. Once the sun gets high enough in the sky, a mini-greenhouse effect takes place in the helmet (old or new, my Crew 133 members say) and makes you feel hot.

Spacesuit backpacks used at the Mars Desert Research Station essentially consist of a large plastic container with a battery inside, plus a fan for ventilation. (Image credit: Elizabeth Howell)

If ventilation becomes a huge concern, there's enough room under the collar to push up the helmet and get some extra air in the helmet. The fans and ventilation system are not powerful enough to fully seal the helmet, which of course would be a bad idea under real Mars conditions. While wandering around Utah, however, the helmet sure feels real enough.

Elizabeth Howell is on a two-week simulation at the Mars Society's Mars Desert Research Station from Jan. 4 to 19. Have a burning question about the mission or a picture you really would like to see from the site? E-mail contact@elizabethhowell.ca for the chance to get your question answered in a future story.

Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace, or SPACE.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+. Original article on SPACE.com.

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Elizabeth Howell
Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace