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At least 433 records · Page 24

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NASA NTRS1978

The influence of the noise environment on crew communications

The noise environment and how it affects crew communications in helicopters is considered. The signal to noise (S/N) ratio at the microphone and the effect of the attenuation provided by the helmet is discussed. This shows that the most important aspect is the S/N ratio at the microphone, particularly when helmets with improved attenuation characteristics are considered. Evidence is presented which shows that in high noise environments, the system S/N ratio is well below that required and hence there is an urgent need to reduce the cabin noise levels and improve the microphone rejection properties. Emphasis is placed on environmental/acoustic considerations.

Leverton, J. W.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Solid-State Compressor for Space Station Oxygen Recovery

At present, the life support system on the International Space Station Alpha vents overboard the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by the crew members. Recovering the oxygen contained in the CO2 has the potential to reduce resupply mass by 2000 pounds per year or more, a significant weight that could be used for experimental payloads and other valuable items. The technologies used to remove CO2 from the air and to recover O2 from CO2 are flight-ready; however, the interface between the devices is a problem for the Space Station system. Ames Research Center has developed a new technology that solves the interface issue, possibly allowing closure of the oxygen loop in a spacecraft for the first time. CO2 produced by the crew is removed in the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA). This device effectively produces a pure CO2 stream, but at a very low pressure. Elsewhere, the oxygen generation system which makes O2 by electrolyzing water produces a hydrogen stream. In principle the CO2 and H2 can react to form methane and water over a suitable catalyst. Water produced in this methane-formation reactor can be returned to the water electrolyzer, where the O2 can be returned to the cabin; however, the methane-formation reactor requires CO2 at a much higher pressure than that produced by the CDRA. Furthermore, the CO2 and H2 are often not available at the same time, due to power management and scheduling on the space station. In order to get the CO2 to the reactor at the right pressure and at the right time, a device or assembly that functions as a vacuum pump, compressor, and storage tank is required.

Finn, John E.↗

NASA NTRS1995

STS-71 Mission Highlights Resource Tape

This video highlights the international cooperative Shuttle/Mir mission of the STS-71 flight. The STS-71 flightcrew consists of Cmdr. Robert Hoot' Gibson, Pilot Charles Precourt, and Mission Specialists Ellen Baker, Bonnie Dunbar, and Gregory Harbaugh. The Mir 18 flightcrew consisted of Cmdr. Vladamir Dezhurov, Flight Engineer Gennady Strekalov, and Cosmonaut-Research Dr. Norman Thagard. The Mir 18 crew consisted of Cmdr. Anatoly Solovyev and Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin. The prelaunch, launch, shuttle in-orbit, and in-orbit rendezvous and docking of the Mir Space Station to the Atlantis Space Shuttle are shown. The Mir 19 crew accompanied the STS-71 crew and will replace the Mir 18 crew upon undocking from the Mir Space Station. Shown is on-board footage from the Mir Space Station of the Mir 18 crew engaged in hardware testing and maintenance, medical and physiological tests, and a tour of the Mir. A spacewalk by the two Mir 18 cosmonauts is shown as they performed maintenance of the Mir Space Station. After the docking between Atlantis and Mir is completed, several mid-deck physiological experiments are performed along with a tour of Atlantis. Dr Thagard remained behind with the Shuttle after undocking to return to Earth with reports from his Mir experiments and observations. In-cabin experiments included the IMAX Camera Systems tests and the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-2 (SAREX-2). There is footage of the shuttle landing.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2014

CO2 Reduction Assembly Prototype Using Microlith-Based Sabatier Reactor for Ground Demonstration

The utilization of CO2 to produce life support consumables, such as O2 and H2O, via the Sabatier reaction is an important aspect of NASA's cabin Atmosphere Revitalization System (ARS) and In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) architectures for both low-earth orbit and long-term manned space missions. Carbon dioxide can be reacted with H2, obtained from the electrolysis of water, via Sabatier reaction to produce methane and H2O. Methane can be stored and utilized as propellant while H2O can be either stored or electrolyzed to produce oxygen and regain the hydrogen atoms. Depending on the application, O2 can be used to replenish the atmosphere in human-crewed missions or as an oxidant for robotic and return missions. Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI), with support from NASA, has previously developed an efficient and compact Sabatier reactor based on its Microlith® catalytic technology and demonstrated the capability to achieve high CO2 conversion and CH4 selectivity (i.e., ≥90% of the thermodynamic equilibrium values) at high space velocities and low operating temperatures. This was made possible through the use of high-heat-transfer and high-surface-area Microlith catalytic substrates. Using this Sabatier reactor, PCI designed, developed, and demonstrated a stand-alone CO2 Reduction Assembly (CRA) test system for ground demonstration and performance validation. The Sabatier reactor was integrated with the necessary balance-of-plant components and controls system, allowing an automated, single "push-button" start-up and shutdown. Additionally, the versatility of the test system prototype was demonstrated by operating it under H2-rich (H2/CO2 of >4), stoichiometric (ratio of 4), and CO2-rich conditions (ratio of <4) without affecting its performance and meeting the equilibrium-predicted water recovery rates. In this paper, the development of the CRA test system for ground demonstration will be discussed. Additionally, the performance results from testing the system at various operating conditions and the results from durability testing will be presented.

Junaedi, Christian↗

NASA NTRS2010

Development of a Contingency Capillary Wastewater Management Device

The Personal Body .Attached Liquid Liquidator (PBALL) is conceived as a passive, capillary driven contingency wastewater disposal device. In this contingency scenario, the airflow system on the NASA Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is assumed to have failed, leaving only passive hardware and vacuum vent to dispose of the wastewater. To meet these needs, the PBALL was conceived to rely on capillary action and urine wetting design considerations. The PBALL is designed to accommodate a range of wetting conditions, from 0deg < (theta)adv approx. 90deg, be adaptable for both male and female use, collect and retain up to a liter of urine, minimize splash-back, and allow continuous drain of the wastewater to vacuum while minimizing cabin air loss. A sub-scale PBALL test article was demonstrated on NASA's reduced gravity aircraft in April, 2010.

Thomas, Evan A.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Growth Chambers on the International Space Station for Large Plants

The International Space Station (ISS) now has platforms for conducting research on horticultural plant species under LED lighting, and those capabilities continue to expand. The 'Veggie' vegetable production system was deployed to the ISS as an applied research platform for food production in space. Veggie is capable of growing a wide array of horticultural crops. It was designed for low power usage, low launch mass and stowage volume, and minimal crew time requirements. The Veggie flight hardware consists of a light cap containing red (630 nm), blue, (455 nm) and green (530 nm) LEDs. Interfacing with the light cap is an extendable bellows/baseplate for enclosing the plant canopy. A second large plant growth chamber, the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH), is will fly to the ISS in 2017. APH will be a fully controllable environment for high-quality plant physiological research. APH will control light (quality, level, and timing), temperature, CO2, relative humidity, and irrigation, while scrubbing any cabin or plant-derived ethylene and other volatile organic compounds. Additional capabilities include sensing of leaf temperature and root zone moisture, root zone temperature, and oxygen concentration. The light cap will have red (630 nm), blue (450 nm), green (525 nm), far red (730 nm) and broad spectrum white LEDs (4100K). There will be several internal cameras (visible and IR) to monitor and record plant growth and operations. Veggie and APH are available for research proposals.

Advanced Plant Habitat↗

NASA NTRS2016

Growth Chambers on the International Space Station for Large Plants

The International Space Station (ISS) now has platforms for conducting research on horticultural plant species under LED (Light Emitting Diodes) lighting, and those capabilities continue to expand. The Veggie vegetable production system was deployed to the ISS as an applied research platform for food production in space. Veggie is capable of growing a wide array of horticultural crops. It was designed for low power usage, low launch mass and stowage volume, and minimal crew time requirements. The Veggie flight hardware consists of a light cap containing red (630 nanometers), blue, (455 nanometers) and green (530 nanometers) LEDs. Interfacing with the light cap is an extendable bellowsbaseplate for enclosing the plant canopy. A second large plant growth chamber, the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH), is will fly to the ISS in 2017. APH will be a fully controllable environment for high-quality plant physiological research. APH will control light (quality, level, and timing), temperature, CO2, relative humidity, and irrigation, while scrubbing any cabin or plant-derived ethylene and other volatile organic compounds. Additional capabilities include sensing of leaf temperature and root zone moisture, root zone temperature, and oxygen concentration. The light cap will have red (630 nm), blue (450 nm), green (525 nm), far red (730 nm) and broad spectrum white LEDs (4100K). There will be several internal cameras (visible and IR) to monitor and record plant growth and operations. Veggie and APH are available for research proposals.

Veggie↗

NASA NTRS2015

Spinoff 2015

Topics covered include: 3D Endoscope to Boost Safety, Cut Cost of Surgery; Audio App Brings a Better Night's Sleep Liquid Cooling Technology Increases Exercise Efficiency; Algae-Derived Dietary Ingredients Nourish Animals; Space Grant Research Launches Rehabilitation Chair; Vision Trainer Teaches Focusing Techniques at Home; Aircraft Geared Architecture Reduces Fuel Cost and Noise; Ubiquitous Supercritical Wing Design Cuts Billions in Fuel Costs; Flight Controller Software Protects Lightweight Flexible Aircraft; Cabin Pressure Monitors Notify Pilots to Save Lives; Ionospheric Mapping Software Ensures Accuracy of Pilots' GPS; Water Mapping Technology Rebuilds Lives in Arid Regions; Shock Absorbers Save Structures and Lives during Earthquakes; Software Facilitates Sharing of Water Quality Data Worldwide; Underwater Adhesives Retrofit Pipelines with Advanced Sensors; Laser Imaging Video Camera Sees through Fire, Fog, Smoke; 3D Lasers Increase Efficiency, Safety of Moving Machines; Air Revitalization System Enables Excursions to the Stratosphere; Magnetic Fluids Deliver Better Speaker Sound Quality; Bioreactor Yields Extracts for Skin Cream; Private Astronaut Training Prepares Commercial Crews of Tomorrow; Activity Monitors Help Users Get Optimum Sun Exposure; LEDs Illuminate Bulbs for Better Sleep, Wake Cycles; Charged Particles Kill Pathogens and Round Up Dust; Balance Devices Train Golfers for a Consistent Swing; Landsat Imagery Enables Global Studies of Surface Trends; Ruggedized Spectrometers Are Built for Tough Jobs; Gas Conversion Systems Reclaim Fuel for Industry; Remote Sensing Technologies Mitigate Drought; Satellite Data Inform Forecasts of Crop Growth; Probes Measure Gases for Environmental Research; Cloud Computing Technologies Facilitate Earth Research; Software Cuts Homebuilding Costs, Increases Energy Efficiency; Portable Planetariums Teach Science; Schedule Analysis Software Saves Time for Project Planners; Sound Modeling Simplifies Vehicle Noise Management; Custom 3D Printers Revolutionize Space Supply Chain; Improved Calibration Shows Images' True Colors; Micromachined Parts Advance Medicine, Astrophysics, and More; Metalworking Techniques Unlock a Unique Alloy; Low-Cost Sensors Deliver Nanometer-Accurate Measurements; Electrical Monitoring Devices Save on Time and Cost; Dry Lubricant Smooths the Way for Space Travel, Industry; and Compact Vapor Chamber Cools Critical Components.

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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Model Development of Large-Scale Spacecraft Fires During the Saffire-IV Experiments

An accidental fire can pose dire consequences to crew safety and mission success. The Saffire Project aims to investigate large-scale fire behavior in microgravity in order to aid in the prediction of spacecraft fires. These series of experiments ignite solid materials within the Northrup Grumman Cygnus vehicle after it departs from a resupply mission to the International Space Station. A model of the Cygnus vehicle during the Saffire-IV experiment was developed using the commercial software PyroSim. The cargo arranged during the descent phase was used for the geometry of the model. In the model, cabin air flows into the Saffire payload while heat and combustion species flow out of the Saffire downstream through a standoff to a bed of sensors called the Far Field Diagnostic (FFD). The temperature sensors near the Saffire payload were used to determine the heat release rate at the outlet of Saffire, while the details of the combustion and stoichiometry are used to determine the species flow at the outlet. Gas measurements previously reported for the Saffire-IV experiments are compared against the simulation results and sources of error are discussed.

Modeling↗

NASA NTRS1989

Development of an atmospheric monitoring plan for space station

An environmental health monitoring plan for Space Station will ensure crew health during prolonged habitation. The Space Station, Freedom, will operate for extended periods, 90+ days, without resupply. A regenerative, closed loop life support system will be utilized in order to minimize resupply logistics and costs. Overboard disposal of wastes and venting of gases to space will be minimal. All waste material will be treated and recycled. The concentrated wastes will be stabilized and stored for ground disposal. The expected useful life of the station (decades) and the diversity of materials brought aboard for experimental or manufacturing purposes, increases the likelihood of cabin contamination. Processes by which cabin contamination can occur include: biological waste production, material off-gassing, process leakage, accidental containment breach, and accumulation due to poor removal efficiencies of the purification units. An industrial hygiene approach was taken to rationalize monitoring needs and to identify the substances likely to be present, the amount, and their hazard.

Casserly, Dennis M.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Mars Surface Tunnel Element Concept

How crews get into or out of their ascent vehicle has profound implications for Mars surface architecture. Extravehicular Activity (EVA) hatches and Airlocks have the benefit of relatively low mass and high Technology Readiness Level (TRL), but waste consumables with a volume depressurization for every ingress/egress. Perhaps the biggest drawback to EVA hatches or Airlocks is that they make it difficult to keep Martian dust from being tracked back into the ascent vehicle, in violation of planetary protection protocols. Suit ports offer the promise of dust mitigation by keeping dusty suits outside the cabin, but require significant cabin real estate, are relatively high mass, and current operational concepts still require an EVA hatch to get the suits outside for the first EVA, and back inside after the final EVA. This is primarily because current designs don't provide enough structural support to protect the suits from ascent/descent loads or potential thruster plume impingement. For architectures involving more than one surface element-such as an ascent vehicle and a rover or surface habitat-a retractable tunnel is an attractive option. By pushing spacesuit don/doff and EVA operations to an element that remains on the surface, ascended vehicle mass and dust can be minimized. What's more, retractable tunnels provide operational flexibility by allowing surface assets to be re-configured or built up over time. Retractable tunnel functional requirements and design concepts being developed as part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Evolvable Mars Campaign (EMC) work will add a new ingress/egress option to the surface architecture trade space.

Rucker, Michelle A.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Synthetic Biologic Membrane

The International Space Station (ISS) is a test bed for the technologies that will be used to travel to Mars and beyond. The lessons learned from operating the ISS provide valuable direction to future research and technology development programs. One of the most critical and complicated subsystems on ISS is the life support system. The life support system keeps the crew alive by recycling both air and water. The ISS water recycling system has been operating since 2009 and one of the main lessons learned is that reliability is a key technology performance metric. In the long run reliability is a key cost driver and is a critical factor in insuring crew safety. For long duration missions such as the exploration of Mars, where resupply of spare parts from Earth is difficult if not impossible, reliability is even more important. This presentation will cover research into improving the reliability of ISS systems. It will discuss research into the development of a biomimetic membrane materials that provides self-regeneration capabilities for water recycling systems. It will also cover research into past failures of the ISS water recycling system caused by astronaut bone loss and the build-up of trace contaminates in the cabin.

Biology↗

NASA NTRS2014

Development of Test Protocols for International Space Station Particulate Filters

Air quality control on the International Space Station (ISS) is a vital requirement for maintaining a clean environment for the crew and the hardware. This becomes a serious challenge in pressurized space compartments since no outside air ventilation is possible, and a larger particulate load is imposed on the filtration system due to lack of gravitational settling. The ISS Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) uses a filtration system that has been in use for over 14 years and has proven to meet this challenge. The heart of this system is a traditional High- Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter configured to interface with the rest of the life support elements and provide effective cabin filtration. Over the years, the service life of these filters has been re-evaluated based on limited post-flight tests of returned filters and risk factors. On earth, a well designed and installed HEPA filter will last for several years, e.g. in industrial and research clean room applications. Test methods for evaluating these filters are being developed on the basis of established test protocols used by the industry and the military. This paper will discuss the test methods adopted and test results on prototypes of the ISS filters. The results will assist in establishing whether the service life can be extended for these filters. Results from unused filters that have been in storage will also be presented to ascertain the shelf life and performance deterioration, if any and determine if the shelf life may be extended.

Aerosol↗

NASA NTRS1992

Analysis of debris from Spacelab Space Life Sciences-1

Airborne microbiological and particulate contamination generated aboard Spacelab modules is a potential safety hazard. In order to shed light on the characteristics of these contaminants, microbial and chemical/particulate analyses were performed on debris vacuumed from cabin and avionics air filters in the Space Life Sciences-1 (SLS-1) module of the Space Transportation System 40 (STS-40) mission 1 month after landing. The debris was sorted into categories (e.g., metal, nonmetal, hair/fur, synthetic fibers, food particles, insect fragments, etc.). Elemental analysis of particles was done by energy dispersive analysis of x rays (metals) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (nonmetals). Scanning electron micrographs were done of most particles. Microbiological samples were grown on R2A culture medium and identified. Clothing fibers dominated the debris by volume. Other particles, all attributed to the crew, resulted from abrasions and impacts during missions operations (e.g., paint chips, plastic, electronic scraps and clothing fibers). All bacterial species identified are commonly found in the atmosphere or on the human body. Bacillus sp. was the most frequently seen bacterium. One of the bacterial species, Enterobacter agglomerans, could cause illness in crew members with depressed immune systems.

Caruso, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Suit Port Aft Bulkhead Mockup 2008 Test Results

The Lunar Electric Rover (LER), formerly called the Small Pressurized Rover (SPR), is currently being carried as an integral part of the current Lunar Surface Architectures under consideration in the Constellation program. One element of the LER is the suit port, the means by which the crew performs Extravehicular Activities (EVAs). Two suit port deliverables were produced in fiscal year 2008: an aft bulkhead mockup for functional integrated testing with the 1-G LER mockup and a functional and pressurizable Engineering Unit (EU). This paper focuses on the aft bulkhead mockup test results from Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-RATS) October 2008 testing at Black Point Lava Flow (BPLF), Arizona. Refer to 39th International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES) for test results of the EU. The suit port aft bulkhead mockup was integrated with the mockup of the LER cabin and chassis. It is located on the aft bulkhead of the LER cabin structure and includes hatches, a locking mechanism, seals, interior and exterior suit don/doff aids, and exterior platforms to accommodate different crewmember heights. A lightweight mockup of the Mark III suit was tested with the suit port aft bulkhead mockup. There are several limitations to the suit port and mockup suits, and results of the suit port evaluation are presented and interpreted within the context of the limitations.

Romig, Barbara A.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Breadboard CO2 and humidity control system

A regenerable CO2 and humidity control system is being developed for potential use on shuttle as an alternate to the baseline lithium hydroxide (LiOH)/condensing heat exchanger system. The system utilizes a sorbent material, designated HS-C, to adsorb CO2 and water vapor from the cabin atmosphere. The material is regenerated by exposing it to space vacuum. A half-size breadboard system, utilizing a flight representative HS-C canister, was designed, built, and performance tested to shuttle requirements for total CO2 and total humidity removal. The use of a new chemical matrix material allowed significant optimization of the system design by packing the HS-C chemical into the core of a heat exchanger which is manifolded to form two separate and distinct beds. Breadboard system performance was proven by parametric testing and simulated mission testing over the full range of shuttle crew sizes and metabolic loadings. Vacuum desorption testing demonstrated considerable savings in previously projected shuttle vacuum duct sizing.

Boehm, A. M.↗

NASA NTRS2005

An Assessment of the International Space Station's Trace Contaminant Control Subassembly Process Economics

The International Space Station (ISS) Environmental Control and Life Support System includes equipment speci.cally designed to actively remove trace chemical contamination from the cabin atmosphere. In the U.S. on-orbit segment, this function is provided by the trace contaminant control subassembly (TCCS) located in the atmosphere revitalization subsystem rack housed in the laboratory module, Destiny. The TCCS employs expendable adsorbent beds to accomplish its function leading to a potentially signi.cant life cycle cost over the life of the ISS. Because maintaining the TCCSs proper can be logistically intensive, its performance in .ight has been studied in detail to determine where savings may be achieved. Details of these studies and recommendations for improving the TCCS s process economics without compromising its performance or crew health and safety are presented and discussed.

Perry J. L.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Rapid Monitoring of Bacteria and Fungi aboard the International Space Station (ISS)

Microorganisms within spacecraft have traditionally been monitored with culture-based techniques. These techniques involve growth of environmental samples (cabin water, air or surfaces) on agar-type media for several days, followed by visualization of resulting colonies or return of samples to Earth for ground-based analysis. Data obtained over the past 4 decades have enhanced our understanding of the microbial ecology within space stations. However, the approach has been limited by the following factors: i) Many microorganisms (estimated > 95%) in the environment cannot grow on conventional growth media; ii) Significant time lags (3-5 days for incubation and up to several months to return samples to ground); iii) Condensation in contact slides hinders colony counting by crew; and iv) Growth of potentially harmful microorganisms, which must then be disposed of safely. This report describes the operation of a new culture-independent technique onboard the ISS for rapid analysis (within minutes) of endotoxin and beta-1, 3-glucan, found in the cell walls of gramnegative bacteria and fungi, respectively. The technique involves analysis of environmental samples with the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) assay in a handheld device, known as the Lab-On-a-Chip Application Development Portable Test System (LOCAD-PTS). LOCADPTS was launched to the ISS in December 2006, and here we present data obtained from Mach 2007 until the present day. These data include a comparative study between LOCADPTS analysis and existing culture-based methods; and an exploratory survey of surface endotoxin and beta-1, 3-glucan throughout the ISS. While a general correlation between LOCAD-PTS and traditional culture-based methods should not be expected, we will suggest new requirements for microbial monitoring based upon culture-independent parameters measured by LOCAD-PTS.

Gunter, D.↗