The following is from the February 14, 2018 edition of Scientia

Professor Karen Feigh and Dr Matthew Miller examine what support will be required when astronauts need to work outside in deep space, where communication with Earth takes tens of minutes. Software engineer, Cameron Pittman, also joined the team to help develop functional prototypes so they can be tested in the lab and beyond.

Extravehicular Activity (or EVA) describes any work carried out by an astronaut outside a spacecraft, with common tasks including construction, inspecting payloads and making repairs. This work is carefully managed and controlled by NASA, and is one of the most prescriptive types of activity that astronauts carry out. Collectively, NASA astronauts have performed nearly 400 EVAs to date, over a quarter of which have encountered significant incidents such as crew injury, early termination or operational issues. Currently, astronauts and ground support personnel work closely together to ensure crew and vehicle safety, and where careful planning and execution minimises unnecessary risks. read more