Astronauts with wider hands are more likely to have their fingernails fall off after working or training in space suit gloves, according to a new study. And NASA isn't hiring is manicurists.
Fingernail trauma and other hand injuries (no matter your hand size) are collectively the number one nuisance for spaceworkers. The number two? Not enough sexy crewmembers to make them want to be involved in zero-g procreation studies. The trouble with the gloves, like the entire space suit, is the need to simulate the pressure of Earth's atmosphere in the space environment. The gas-pressurized gloves, by their own nature, make fine motor control a challenge.
A previous study of astronaut injuries sustained during spacewalks found that about 47% reported between 2002 and 2004 were hand related, and more than half of these were due to fingertips and nails making contact with the hard "thimbles" inside the glove fingertips. The sustained pressure on the fingertips caused intense pain and led to the astronauts' nails detaching from their nailbeds. Aside from the loose nails getting snagged inside the glove, moisture inside can lead to secondary bacterial infections in the exposed nailbeds.
In the current glove design, astronauts wear a pressurized inner layer under a thick outer layer that offers protection. On Earth, wearing the gloves would a bit restrictive but not too uncomfortable, but when the glove pressurizes, the flexible fabric surface becomes stiff. The materials tend to be rubberized to make the gloves airtight, but that creates a lot of friction against the skin, and that can cause blisters.
While expensive, one of the solutions would be to make all parts of a glove custom fitted for each astronaut. Another option is robotic amplification inside the glove. There are design trade-offs, but there have been recent experiments with skintight space suits that rely on mechanical counterpressure - that means instead of working in a gas-pressurized bubble, astronauts would effectively get shrink-wrapped in a suit made of flexible material.
Fingernail trauma and other hand injuries (no matter your hand size) are collectively the number one nuisance for spaceworkers. The number two? Not enough sexy crewmembers to make them want to be involved in zero-g procreation studies. The trouble with the gloves, like the entire space suit, is the need to simulate the pressure of Earth's atmosphere in the space environment. The gas-pressurized gloves, by their own nature, make fine motor control a challenge.A previous study of astronaut injuries sustained during spacewalks found that about 47% reported between 2002 and 2004 were hand related, and more than half of these were due to fingertips and nails making contact with the hard "thimbles" inside the glove fingertips. The sustained pressure on the fingertips caused intense pain and led to the astronauts' nails detaching from their nailbeds. Aside from the loose nails getting snagged inside the glove, moisture inside can lead to secondary bacterial infections in the exposed nailbeds.
In the current glove design, astronauts wear a pressurized inner layer under a thick outer layer that offers protection. On Earth, wearing the gloves would a bit restrictive but not too uncomfortable, but when the glove pressurizes, the flexible fabric surface becomes stiff. The materials tend to be rubberized to make the gloves airtight, but that creates a lot of friction against the skin, and that can cause blisters.
While expensive, one of the solutions would be to make all parts of a glove custom fitted for each astronaut. Another option is robotic amplification inside the glove. There are design trade-offs, but there have been recent experiments with skintight space suits that rely on mechanical counterpressure - that means instead of working in a gas-pressurized bubble, astronauts would effectively get shrink-wrapped in a suit made of flexible material.
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