[ MUSIC ]
>> SO WE ARE STANDING IN
THE QUEST AIRLOCK, WHICH IS
DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS.
WE HAVE THE EQUIPMENT LOCK
AND WE HAVE THE CREW LOCK.
THIS EQUIPMENT LOCK HAS
A HATCH RIGHT HERE THAT CLOSES,
AND THE CREW LOCK HAS
ANOTHER HATCH.
THE EMU, OR THE EXTRAVEHICULAR
MOBILITY UNIT, IS OUR SPACESUIT.
AND IT'S DIVIDED ROUGHLY
INTO TWO PARTS.
WE HAVE THE HARD UPPER TORSO
WHICH IS ALMOST LIKE
A TURTLE SHELL-- UM,
IT'S A HARD FIBERGLASS SHELL.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE
THE LOWER TORSO ASSEMBLY.
THESE SPACESUITS ARE
OUR OWN LITTLE SPACECRAFT,
AND THEY HAVE
EVERYTHING YOU NEED
TO KEEP YOU ALIVE OUT IN SPACE
FOR SEVEN TO EIGHT HOURS,
UM, MAYBE EVEN LONGER,
UH, DEPENDING ON
HOW HARD YOU'RE WORKING.
THE ONLY THING THAT
THEY DO NOT HAVE-- AND THEY HAVE
RADIOS, IT HAS OXYGEN,
IT HAS CARBON DIOXIDE SCRUBBING,
IT HAS TEMPERATURE CONTROL--
IT HAS EVERYTHING YOU NEED
EXCEPT FOR ONE THING:
A RESTROOM.
AND SO WHEN WE GET READY FOR
OUR EVA, THE FIRST THING
WE PUT ON THE MORNING--
IN THE MORNING IS A-A DIAPER.
AND, UM, THAT'S OUR FIRST LAYER.
THEN OVER THE DIAPER, WE PUT ON
A PAIR OF LONG JOHNS,
AND THAT'S TO KEEP
OUR ARMS AND LEGS FROM GETTING
SCRAPED UP.
IT ALSO PROVIDES
A LITTLE BIT OF WICKING
IN CASE YOU'RE GETTING
REALLY HOT AND SWEATY.
THE NEXT LAYER IS
OUR LIQUID COOLING GARMENT.
AND THE LCVG HAS LITTLE TUBES
RUNNING THROUGH IT
WHICH ALLOW WATER TO CIRCULATE
WITHINSIDE THE LCVG TO, UH,
TO PROVIDE COOLING
WHEN WE'RE OUTSIDE
WORKIN' REALLY HARD.
SO WE'VE GOT THE DIAPER,
WE'VE GOT LONG JOHNS, WE'VE GOT
THE LCVG, AND THEN
WE'RE GONNA WEAR OUR SPACESUIT.
SEVEN LAYERS FROM THE BLADDER
ON THE INSIDE WHICH
MAINTAINS-MAINTAINS PRESSURE,
AND THAT'S A RUBBERIZED BLADDER,
ALL THE WAY OUT TO THE WHITE
LAYER ON THE OUTSIDE.
THE CREW MEMBER INSIDE OF
THIS SPACESUIT IS ALSO WEARING
THIS-- WHAT WE CALL
A SNOOPY CAP.
UM, IT'S A COMMUNICATIONS CAP.
WE HAVE A RADIO SO WE CAN
TALK TO NOT ONLY HOUSTON,
BUT WE CAN TALK TO
PEOPLE ON THE SPACE STATION
AND TO EACH OTHER.
SO WE WEAR THIS
COMMUNICATION CAP INSIDE
THE-- INSIDE THE HELMET.
ALSO A PAR-- ANOTHER COMPO--
KEY COMPONENT OF THE, UH,
OF THE EMU OR OUR SPACESUIT
IS THE HELMET.
UH, YOU CAN SEE THE HELMET HAS
A GOLD VISOR, UH, WHICH
PRO-PROTECTS US FROM
THE-THE RAYS OF THE SUN
THAT WE CAN BRING DOWN.
UH, IT'S PRETTY BRIGHT
OUT THERE, AND THIS GOLD VISOR,
UH, HELPS REFLECT
THE RAYS OF THE SUN
SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE
AND OPERATE, UH, IN-IN DAYLIGHT.
AT NIGHTTIME, WE CAN
RAISE THIS VISOR UP.
IT GIVES US A CLEARER VIEW.
AND ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE
HELMET LIGHTS BUILT INTO
THE HELMET.
ON TOP OF THE HELMET,
WE ALSO HAVE A TELEVISION CAMERA
SO THAT GROUND IS ABLE TO
WATCH US WHILE WE WORK
THROUGH THESE TV CAMERAS.
THE WORK IS REALLY ALL DONE
WITH HANDS.
AND, UM, SO OUR GLOVES ARE
REALLY OUR MOST IMPORTANT
PIECE OF EQUIPMENT
IN ORDER FOR US TO WORK OUTSIDE.
AND ONE OF THE REAL CHALLENGES
OF A SPACEWALK IS YOU HAVE
THIS HEAVY GLOVED HAND
WHICH IS INFLATED,
SO IT WANTS TO STAY LIKE
IT'S BLOWN UP LIKE A BALLOON.
BUT WE WALK BY GRABBING ONTO
HANDRAILS AND MAKING OUR WAY
ALONG THE ISS.
SO EVERY TIME YOU MOVE
YOUR HAND, YOU'RE FIGHTING
AGAINST A BALLOON THAT
WANTS TO INFLATE.
AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT,
ALL OF OUR EQUIPMENT IS
BASED ON USING YOUR HANDS, TOO.
SO AFTER SIX AND A HALF,
SEVEN HOURS OF KIND OF
FIGHTING AGAINST THIS GLOVE,
IT'S A REALLY LONG DAY,
AND YOUR HANDS ARE PROBABLY
THE THING THAT ARE
MOST EXHAUSTED AFTER-AFTER
SEVEN HOURS OUT ON AN EVA.
WELL, WE'RE GOIN' OUT TO WORK.
YOU PROBABLY SAW ME MOVE, UH,
THIS MINI WORKSTATION.
THE WAY WE CARRY OUR TOOLS
IS ON A MINI WORKSTATION,
WHICH IS CARRIED
ON THE FRONT.
EVERY SINGLE TOOL WE USE
IS TETHERED TO US.
WE DO NOT WANNA ACCIDENTALLY
CREATE SATELLITES.
OUR PRIMARY WAY OF
REMAINING ATTACHED TO THE ISS,
IF WE'RE NOT USING OUR HANDS,
ARE THESE WEIGHT TETHERS.
AND YOU CAN SEE,
THEY JUST HAVE A BIG HOOK,
THEY GO AROUND A RAIL
OR, UH, TH-- ANYTHING ELSE
ON THE ISS, AND LATCH ON,
AND IT ACTUALLY HAS
A LOCKING MECHANISM AS WELL
TO HOLD US NICE AND TIGHT.
SO WE ALWAYS-ALWAYS WANNA HAVE
ONE OF THESE ATTACHED
IF WE'RE NOT HOLDING ON
WITH OUR HANDS AS WELL.
THE BACK OF THE EMU HAS
OUR LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM.
THE LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM, UH,
CONTAINS ALL THE EQUIPMENT
WE NEED, FROM A-- FROM
A UHF RADIO DOWN TO
THE OXYGEN TANKS THAT PROVIDE
PRIMARY OXYGEN.
AND ONE OF THE CHALLENGES
INSIDE THIS SEALED ENVIRONMENT--
IT'S VERY EASY TO CARRY
OUR OWN OXYGEN WITH US,
BUT WE GENERATE A LOT OF
CARBON DIOXIDE, PARTICULARLY
WHEN WE'RE OUT THERE WORKING
VERY HARD.
SO TO COMBAT THAT, TO DEAL WITH
THAT, WE HAVE THESE CANISTERS
CALLED, UH, MED OX CANISTERS,
WHICH ARE JUST SILVER OXIDE.
THEY'RE CARRIED IN THE BACKPACK,
UH, ALONG WITH A VERY LARGE
BATTERY WHICH PROVIDES
ALL THE ELECTRICITY FOR US.
I DON'T HAVE A BATTERY HERE
TO SHOW YOU TODAY BECAUSE
WE'RE IN THE PROCESS
OF CHARGING 'EM.
WE'RE ABOUT A MONTH OUT
FROM DOIN' A SPACEWALK,
AND WE'VE ALREADY STARTED
GETTING READY FOR THAT.
SO THIS MED OX CANISTER IS
ABOUT ABLE TO-- IS ABLE TO
REMOVE ABOUT, UH,
SEVEN TO EIGHT HOURS
OF CARBON DIOXIDE THAT
A HUMAN CAN GENERATE
INSIDE THE SPACESUIT.
EVAs HAVE ALLOWED US TO BUILD
AND MAINTAIN THE ISS, REPAIR
MISSION-CRITICAL HARDWARE,
INVESTIGATE MALFUNCTIONS,
INSTALL NEW HARDWARE--
AND THE VIEW, UNBELIEVABLE.
SEE YOU NEXT TIME.
[ MUSIC ]