Flagsuit LLC Delivers
First Commercial Space Suit Gloves
(17 March 2008) Flagsuit LLC, a new
startup founded by NASA Astronaut Glove Challenge winner Peter Homer, shipped
their first commercially produced space suit gloves to Los Angeles-based
Orbital Outfitters last month under a joint development
agreement.
The gloves are designed to be used with the
Industrial Suborbital Space Suit-Crew (IS3C) which was unveiled by Orbital
Outfitters in October 2007. The gloves will be used for integrated suit testing
and evaluation, and feature a patent-pending joint design that makes the
fingers more flexible under pressure, increasing dexterity while reducing hand
fatigue. The gloves are manufactured using a new process that eliminates
time-consuming adjustments to adapt the fit to the wearer's hands, producing a
ready-to-wear garment that literally "fits like a glove." Flagsuit is currently
implementing a preliminary production capability with support from the Maine
Technology Institute.
Orbital Outfitters announced the collaboration
with Homer last November. "Orbital Outfitters is committed to making the best
performing and best looking commercial space suits available, without the
premium price tag," says CEO Jeff Feige. "Flagsuit is helping us realise that
goal." Orbital Outfitters has a contract to deliver emergency pressure suits
for a piloted suborbital vehicle being developed by XCOR Aerospace of Mojave,
CA, among others and will be conducting tests on the suit in a near vacuum this
summer.
The commercial space suit gloves delivered last month are direct
descendants of the design that won the 2007 NASA Challenge. "We haven't lost
sight of how we got started," said Flagsuit founder Peter Homer. "The goal of
the NASA Centennial Challenges is to spur development of needed technologies by
using prize competitions to encourage private investment. Through our work on
the commercial side of the market, Flagsuit is advancing innovations such as
'Made to Fit' up the technology readiness curve at no cost to NASA. Combined
with our flexible joint technology, this will bring tremendous value to NASA as
well as to our commercial partners." Flagsuit and Orbital Outfitters will
continue to work together to refine the design of gloves and other space suit
elements.
About Flagsuit LLC:
Flagsuit LLC was founded in 2007 to
commercialise technology developed for the winning entry in the 2007 NASA
Astronaut Space Suit Glove Competition. Based in coastal Maine, the company is
focused on streamlining the production of "Made to Fit" elements for suborbital
and future planetary space suits.
About Orbital Outfitters/XTreme Space,
Inc.:
Founded in 2006, headquartered in Washington, D.C., and with
additional operations in Los Angeles, Orbital Outfitters is an XTreme Space,
Inc. (a California Corporation) affiliated company that develops, designs and
produces spacesuits for the next generation of human Space flight. "Have
Spacesuit -- Will Travel," from the famous Robert Heinlein novel, is the
tagline of Orbital Outfitters, which is doing just that - making sure a new
generation of commercial civilian Space travelers, adventurers and explorers
will fly in style and safety in spacesuits like none ever designed
before.
(source: Flagsuit)
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