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The current regenerative CO, Removal System (RCRS) is a two sorbent bed, vacuum pressure swing, CO, adsorption/desorption system. While one bed is removing CO, and moisture from cabin air, the other bed is vented to space vacuum so that the CO, and water can be desorbed off the bed. To guard against the possibility that cabin air can be vented directly to space, 11 valves and a series of mechanical linkages control the flow paths. The RCRS has one set of adsorption beds, one fan, one compressor, and two redundant controllers. A single failure could cause a loss of function; so a contingency CO, removal system must, and is flown. A new sorbent material has been developed that greatly decreases the required size of the sorbent bed. A new valve design is proposed that replaces the complex series of valves and linkages with one moving part. Using the new bed material and new valve design, system size and weight can be cut approximately in half.

The International Space Station's primary external heat transport system is a single phase ammonia loop called the Active Thermal Control System (ATCS). ATCS loop heat is acquired from the station modules through interface heat exchangers (Internal Thermal Control System water to ATCS ammonia) and from external truss mounted electronics through cold plates. The heat exchangers are compact plate/fin counterflow type and the cold plates are a brazed and bonded construction using a radiation heat transfer interface to the electronics.