The Collins Aerospace EMU is NASA's primary spacewalking suit, providing environmental protection, mobility, life support, communications, and power for ISS EVAs.
Extra Vehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Spacesuit
The Collins Aerospace EMU is NASA's primary spacewalking suit, providing environmental protection, mobility, life support, communications, and power for ISS EVAs.
Description
The Extra Vehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), developed and supported by Collins Aerospace, is NASA's primary spacesuit for extravehicular activity (EVA) aboard the International Space Station. Collins has been the leading spacesuit provider since the inception of NASA spacewalking operations, beginning with the Apollo EVA suit for the Moon landings. The EMU integrates multiple complex systems: environmental protection from the space vacuum, active mobility for crew movement, a Primary Life Support System (PLSS) providing oxygen, temperature control, and CO2 removal, communications equipment, and integrated power. Over its service life, the EMU has supported more than 110 missions with hundreds of unique EVA crew members and more than 280 spacewalks, including the longest EVA in history at 8 hours and 29 minutes. The suit enables operations in the harsh LEO environment with temperatures ranging from -250°F to +250°F and exposure to micrometeoroids, orbital debris, and radiation.
Specifications
| Type | Extravehicular Activity (EVA) suit |
|---|---|
| Program | NASA International Space Station (ISS) |
| Flight heritage | 280+ spacewalks, 110+ missions |
| Systems | Life support, communications, power, mobility, thermal control |
| Longest eva enabled | 8 hours 29 minutes |
| Operating environment | LEO, -250°F to +250°F |
