On the Job: ILC Dover

Taking a trip to the moon is a pretty big deal. There’s a lot to think about before you explore the galaxies, including what you’re going to wear. ILC Dover knows a thing or two about space suits. They make and test them for NASA astronauts.

Bill Ayrey is the manager at the quality test lab and he says these suits are far from simple. It takes about 8 to 9 months to make one of these 700 pound suits and they’re tested once every few years.

Before testing a suit, there are many steps that are required before you get in it. The first step, putting on long johns and socks. Next, you have to put on something called a liquid cooling garment. This is a stretchy suit made up of small tubes that fill with cool water to help keep you cool. After the cooling garment is all zipped up comes the heavy part. Putting on the space suit pants which weigh about 60 pounds.

Next step, actually walking over to the space suit, which is mounted on a wall because it’s so heavy. Once in the suit, you have to put on the caps that go under the helmet, which also have a communications device attached so you can communicate with people that are in the same room as you.

Next step, the suit has to be pressurized. Bill says in order to test the suits and break them in, they do various exercises including shoulder rotations, arm bends and hand squeezes. And they do them for at least an hour.

The suit is not the only thing that has to be broken in. ILC Dover also must ensure that they gloves are broken in as well. One exercise they have to do is finger flexes. 2118 of them. Once your suit and gloves are all broken in, its ready for space!

Next week on the job 47 ABC heads to Robinsons in Salisbury.