'Astronaut Glove Challenge' Takes Off

April 30, 2007 — In a quest to develop a more comfortable glove for spacewalking astronauts, NASA is hosting a hands-on competition this week, with cash prizes totaling $250,000 in the offing.

The Astronaut Glove Challenge is part of the agency's Centennial Challenges program, which is designed to lure nontraditional space companies and engineers into providing creative, low-cost solutions to some of the agency's technical problems.

In its latest contest, NASA is offering $200,000 for the team that can design and manufacture a spacesuit glove that is more comfortable, durable and flexible than those in use today.

Another $50,000 was earmarked for a new type of glove, called a mechanical counterpressure glove, that would fit like elastic directly around the hand. However, no teams took on that challenge this year, so the money will be banked for a future competition.

The goal of the program is to develop a glove that can be used by astronauts over long periods of time in space or on the surface of the moon, Mars or other planetary body. NASA wants a new glove that is easier for astronauts to work in, and lighter and stronger than gloves available today.

Spacewalks are hard on astronauts' hands, not only because their tools and tasks require manual dexterity, but also because astronauts rely on their hands to maneuver their bodies in space. The gloves are pressurized and difficult to work in.

"It's actually like a little balloon and it's quite stiff," astronaut Stephen Robinson said in an interview before his last shuttle mission. "Every time you want to move your hand, you have to overcome the stiffness of this balloon glove and when you come in after a spacewalk, your hands are sore."

For the competition, each team will provide two gloves for three key tests. First, the forces required to move the fingers and thumb on each glove will be measured. Gloves requiring the least force will be awarded more points.

Second, each team will perform standardized dexterity tasks in a depressurized glove box. Teams completing the most tasks within a specified time will win the most points.

Finally, one glove from each team will be subjected to a burst test. Glove designs that withstand greater internal pressures will be awarded more points.

The glove design with the most points, if it exceeds the performance of existing astronaut glove technologies, wins.

The competition will be held on Wednesday and Thursday at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Conn.