Astronauts working in space must wear protective, pressurized suits that also allow them to easily maneuver, so to repair satellites or add solar panels to the space station without constraints. One of the most essential elements of the suit is the glove.
As part of its Centennial Challenge Program, a prize program for the “citizen inventor,” NASA is challenging inventors to develop a new astronaut glove. According to NASA:
Like an inflated balloon, the fingers of the gloves resist the effort to bend them. Astronauts must fight that pressure with every movement of their hand, which is exhausting and sometimes results in injury. Furthermore, the joints of the glove are subject to wear that can lead to life-threatening leaks. The Astronaut Glove Challenge seeks improvements to glove design that reduce the effort needed to perform tasks in space and improve the durability of the glove. In this challenge, competitors demonstrate their glove design by performing a range of tasks with the glove in an evacuated chamber. The gloves are also tested to ensure that they do not leak.
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