What do ISS spacesuits do? I know they provide an at atmosphere but do they have insulation? I’d guess not because there’s no atmosphere to cool you down, but what about depressurization?
In: Engineering
Their method of cooling is also interesting. It is cooled by sublimating ice. There is a container of water behind a porous metal barrier. If the water seeps through the barrier into the vacuum of space, where it evaporates. This draws heat through the barrier and cools the water. The cooling loops are passed through this water.
If the water is cold enough, the evaporating water cools the barrier and the water outside it freezes to a thin layer of ice. The ice continues to evaporate, (or, to give it the right name for solids evaporating straight to gas, “sublimate”), cooling the barrier and the water in its pores until it freezes too, completely blocking the barrier so no more water is released. The colder the ice gets, the less ice sublimates. If the water warms, it warms up the ice, more ice sublimates; and if it warms up further, it will melt the ice in the barrier, allowing the water to seep out to refresh the ice. The system allows more fresh water to enter the container as required.
Other systems have simply passed the cooling loops through metal tubes outside the suit, and releases a little water onto the outside of the tubes. This water evaporates, freezes and sublimates, cooling the water inside the tubes.
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