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This paper summarizes the results of two studies performed in 1995 [1] and 1996 [2] which lay out the case for commercializing services performed in space by Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA). EVA services include all work done external to pressurized volumes, whether directly by humans or remotely by machines. The studies draw heavily on the experience of the subsea service industry because the environments, work, and equipment have many, relevant similarities. It examines several historical parallels which serve as models of how a government activity has been successfully commercialized, examines the markets and cost structure of EVA operations to verify the potential profitability of such an endeavor, and lays out a plan for the transition to commercial services.

Storing breathing gas as a cryogenic liquid rather than a compressed gas has advantages in profile, weight, and safety. The disadvantage of the extremely cold temperature can be turned into an advantage by cooling the user while vaporizing and warming the cryogen. A cryogenic breathing apparatus capable of providing up to two hours of breathing and cooling and operating in any orientation will be available to commercial users in 1998. The same technology can be easily extended to use with liquid oxygen on the moon and Mars, and can be adapted to a zero gravity environment.