Flagsuit LLC

EVERYDAY ASTRONAUT on YouTube - A tour of SpaceX’s spacesuit!

NEWSPACE Journal, vol 5, no 2 - Genesis of a Commercial Space Suit from Dining
Room Table to Revolutionary Space Company

Barron Associates
NASA/TM—2013-216546 - Glove-Enabled Computer Operations (GECO): Design and Testing of an Extravehicular Activity Glove Adapted for Human-Computer Interface

Maine Technology Institute

NASA Centennial Challenges Website

Rand Simberg'S original blog that got NASA thinking about new astronaut gloves (02.18.2004)

"In fact, the glove is the biggest problem in designing the high-pressure space suits necessary to avoid the bends (the same problem a diver has when she surfaces too quickly) when an astronaut goes out into the vacuum of space. Larger joints like shoulders and knees have special designs that are zero-volume change, but no one has yet miniaturized such a design to finger joints.

Because this is a critical technology, and one that has great leverage in influencing launch system trades, I would propose the following:

Build a vacuum glove box with a task box inside (perhaps an automobile engine that has to be dissassembled and reassembled). Put up a purse of a million dollars to the first person who can achieve the task working through gloves under a pressure differential of half an atmosphere, without a break.

Unlike many space activities, it's a project that can be literally done in someone's garage, and it may spur a great amount of innovation for very low cost. Accordingly, it would make an excellent candidate for the Office of Exploration's new prize fund, and I hope they'll strongly consider it. At very low cost to the taxpayers, one or more successful concepts could lay to rest myths about the intrinsic difficulty of working in space, opening up the options for how we will get to the planets beyond redoing Apollo, perhaps saving billions in dollars, and constituting a major step toward becoming a truly spacefaring nation."

Posted by Rand Simberg at February 18, 2004 07:31 AM

Date

Publisher

Title

URL

12/21/10

Island Astronomy Institute

Flagsuit & The Astronaut Glove Challenge

http://www.islandastro.org/Hands%20In%20Space/flagsuit.html

09/21/10

Maine Technology Institute

MTI Awards $98,625 to Seed New Innovations in Maine

http://www.mainetechnology.org/news-events/mti-news/post/mti-awards-98-625-to-seed-new-innovations-in-maine

06/16/10

Maine Technology Institute

Innovative Entrepreneurs win Maine Technology Institute’s Latest Round of Seed Grant Awards

http://www.mainetechnology.org/news-events/mti-news/post/innovative-entrepreneurs-across-maine-are-big-winners-of-maine-technology-institute-s-latest-round-of-seed-grant-awards

05/17/10

NASA

Astronaut Glove Prizewinners Demonstrate their Innovations to NASA Spacesuit Engineers

http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ipp/innovation_incubator/centennial_challenges/2010_ag_engineers_feature.html

04/13/10

SpaceFuture.com

Flagsuit Makes Pret-a-Porter Space Gloves

http://www.spacefuture.com/journal/journal.cgi?art=2010.04.13.space_gloves

03/19/10

The Space Show

The Space Show: guest appearance

http://www.thespaceshow.com/detail.asp?q=1328

02/26/10

NASA

2009 Prizewinners Recognition Ceremony

http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ipp/innovation_incubator/centennial_challenges/cc_2009_awards_ceremony_feature.html

02/22/10

Bangor Daily News

Eaton Peabody’s Innovative Enterprise Program: A year later

http://www.eatonpeabody.com/news/item/eaton-peabody-s-innovative-enterprise-program-a-year-later

02/01/10

Inc. Magazine

Innovation: The Ultimate Travel Accessory

http://www.inc.com/magazine/20100201/innovation-the-ultimate-travel-accessory.html

11/20/09

Universe Today

Astronaut Glove Challenge Winners Announced

http://www.universetoday.com/45670/astronaut-glove-challenge-winners-announced/

11/20/09

Mass High Tech

Flagsuit wins another NASA Astronaut Glove Challenge

http://www.masshightech.com/blog/2009/11/20/flagsuit-wins-another-nasa-astronaut-glove-challenge/

11/20/09

NASA

NASA Awards $350,000 to Winning Astronaut Glove Designers

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/nov/HQ_09-277_glove_challenge.html

09/09/09

Mass High Tech

The Pitch: Flagsuit transforms NASA gloves into pressure suit business

http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2009/09/07/weekly4-Flagsuit-transforms-NASA-gloves-into-pressure-suit-business.html

08/14/09

Mass High Tech

Spacesuit maker Flagsuit wins Heinlein Biz Plan Competition

http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2009/08/10/daily44-Spacesuit-maker-Flagsuit-wins-Heinlein-Biz-Plan-Competition.html

08/12/09

Parabolic Arc

Flagsuit Wins Space Frontier Foundation Business Competition

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2009/08/12/flagsuit-wins-space-frontier-foundation-business-competition/

07/03/09

Space Fellowship

Finalists Selected for the Heinlein NewSpace Business Plan Competition

http://spacefellowship.com/news/art9632/finalists-selected-for-the-heinlein-newspace-business-plan-competition-.html

03/31/09

Mass High Tech

Startup Watch: Five you should follow

http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2009/03/30/daily26-Startup-Watch-Five-you-should-follow.html

10/21/08

Orbital Outfitters

Orbital Outfitters Selected for NASA Space Suit Work

http://www.orbitaloutfitters.com/PR102108nasaspacesuitwork.html

06/30/08

The Space Review

Review: Space on the Mall

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1157/1

06/17/08

Space-Travel.com

Hands In Space Experience To Debut This Month

http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Hands_In_Space_Experience_To_Debut_This_Month_999.html

03/17/08

PRWeb.com

Flagsuit LLC Delivers First Commercial Space Suit Gloves

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/03/prweb776454.htm

01/20/08

Wired magazine

Geeky Dad Wins NASA Challenge

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2008/01/geeky-dad-wins/

11/16/07

Space.com

Commercial Spacesuit Tailors Hire NASA Contest Winner

http://www.space.com/4652-commercial-spacesuit-tailors-hire-nasa-contest-winner.html

09/17/07

NASA

NASA 'Wired' at NextFest

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/Features/2007/nextfest.html

09/11/07

Wired magazine

NextFest - The Future of Interactive Displays and Space Robots

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/multimedia/2007/09/gallery_nextfest1?slide=6&slideView=3

07/01/07

New York Times Magazine

The Amateur Future of Space Travel

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/01/magazine/01nasa-t.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&oref=slogin

05/04/07

Space.com

Homemade Space Glove Wins NASA Contest

http://www.space.com/3767-homemade-space-glove-wins-nasa-contest.html