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There is an assortment of hardware designed to work together to provide fluid servicing, seal leak checking and other plumbing-type services on the International Space Station (ISS). The Fluid Systems Servicer (FSS) is designed to drain, purge, fill, and recirculate fluids for on-orbit start-up, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. The FSS will utilize space vacuum for purging operations on-orbit via the Vacuum Access Jumpers (VAJ), thus providing vacuum back-filling and static leak check capability with minimal power consumption. The FSS services Internal Thermal Control Systems (ITCS) and Environmental Control & Life Support (ECLS) System hardware in the pressurized elements of the ISS. The FSS gas/liquid separator fulfills an additional design requirement of removing entrained gas from fluids by means of a static membrane separator. The FSS and some ancillary equipment also perform Seal Leak Check (SLC), pressure removal and equalization, and window assembly maintenance on ISS.

The Fluid Systems Servicer (FSS) is designed to drain, purge, fill, and recirculate fluids while performing on-orbit start-up, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance for fluid lines leak check ports, and window assemblies on the International Space Station (ISS). The FSS will undergo extensive functional testing to verify that all design requirements have been met. The FSS will utilize space vacuum for purging operations on-orbit, thus providing vacuum back-filling capability with minimal power consumption. For ground testing, the application of space vacuum will be simulated. A full scale mock-up of the Space Station 20″ Window Assembly has been built for requirements verification. Two desiccator assembly Orbital Replacement Units (ORU)s will be tested to assure the FSS can perform window servicing requirements. The FSS gas/liquid separator fulfills an additional design requirement of removing gas bubbles from fluids with a static membrane separator.

The Fluid Systems Servicer (FSS) is designed to drain, purge, fill, and recirculate fluids while performing on-orbit start-up, scheduled, and unscheduled maintenance for fluid lines on the International Space Station (ISS). The FSS will utilize space vacuum for purging operations, thus, providing essentially unpowered vacuum back-filling capability. There is also a fluids pump in the FSS which is used for draining and recirculating water. The recirculation mode fulfills an additional design requirement of removing gas bubbles by directing water through a static membrane separator. Several flex-lines and adapters which interface various ISS lines via self-sealing Quick Disconnects (QD), are part of the FSS assembly. The FSS has its own power cord enabling excellent transportability. This feature, as well as, the QD adapters, enables the FSS to be used anywhere on station for numerous servicing tasks.

Cooperation between Russia and the United States on manned spaceflight has led to unprecedented openness, resulting in the ability to now compare the characteristics of environmental control/life support hardware selected to generate oxygen (O2) by water electrolysis for space station applications. This comparison in this paper focuses on the characteristics that have the greatest effect on the cost of assembling and maintaining the hardware in space: launch weight, volume, power consumption, resupply requirements and maintenance labor.

Disinfection of water and wastewater was proven to be feasible using a Breadboard Electrochemical Ozone Generator (EOG). A static gas/liquid separator, containing a microporous, hydrophobic membrane, was tested with the Breadboard EOG, and was found to increase the concentration of the ozone (O3) dissolved in the water. Distilled water and selected wastewaters were disinfected, achieving dissolved O3 concentrations up to 3 mg/L. The hardware is capable of operating in 0-g and 1-g environments. An end-item Electrochemical Ozonator (EO), sized to disinfect 116 kg of potable water per day, was projected to weigh 1.2 kg and consume only 18.5 W.

Vapor Compression Distillation technology has proved its readiness as a spacecraft wastewater processor as evidenced by selection of this technology for the Urine Processor Assembly aboard Space Station Freedom. In conjunction with Boeing Aerospace Company and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Life Systems' technical team has made significant advances in both flight hardware design and software operational aspects. The flight hardware design has focused on Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) design, ORU rack packaging and ORU weight reduction. On orbit operational aspects of software include operating modes, process control loops, fault detection and fault isolation. These improvements are further indication that Vapor Compression Distillation will be the key to providing wastewater regeneration essential for long-term human survival in space.

Exhaustive testing and analysis of Vapor Compression Distillation technology has proven its overall readiness as a wastewater processor for the recovery of water in orbiting and interplanetary spacecraft. In conjunction with Boeing Aerospace and Electronics and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Life Systems' technical team has been focusing on verifying and improving performance characteristics, micro-gravity compatibility, reliability and maintainability aspects of the Vapor Compression Distillation design. Amassing thousands of hours of testing and recent breakthroughs in the area of peristaltic pump design, product water conductivity sensing and gas/liquid separation concepts have substantially increased the engineering and scientific database that has been accumulating over the past 29 years.

Vapor Compression Distillation technology for phase change recovery of water from wastewater has evolved as a technically mature and energy efficient approach for meeting the National Aeronautics and Space Administration mission needs/goals for the near-term Space Station Freedom Program and future advanced missions such as a Lunar Base and Mars exploration. Water is essential not only for the survival of humans in space, but also for efficient and economical operation for various space stations. Life Systems, Inc., in conjunction with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has been developing the Vapor Compression Distillation Phase Change Concept. During the development of this technology over the past 17 years an extensive engineering and scientific database has been assembled.

This paper will present a status review of Spacecraft Air Revitalization System (ARS) integration using regenerable techniques. The paper will address concepts of integration of individual subsystems into an Air Revitalization System, as well as integration of components within subsystems. An ARS design is presented based on the Electrochemical Depolarized Carbon Dioxide Concentrator Subsystem, the Sabatier Carbon Dioxide Reduction Subsystem, the Static Feed Water Electrolysis Subsystem, a condensing Humidity Control Subsystem, and a Water Handling Subsystem to perform the functions of CO2 removal, CO2 reduction, O2 generation, humidity control and by-product water distribution, respectively. The paper will also highlight the numerous advantages of this integration. Trace contaminant control and the nitrogen supply are not included in the ARS described in this paper.

Future long-duration manned space missions will require efficient methods for maintenance of viable atmosphere in spacecraft crew cabins. Life Systems, working with NASA, has been developing an integrated regenerative Air Revitalization System (ARS) for removal of carbon dioxide and water vapor and replenishment of oxygen and nitrogen for spacecraft atmosphere. A one-person-capacity experimental ARS (ARX-1) has recently been developed and tested. This paper describes the ARS concept, prior development efforts, design and hardware features of the ARX-1, testing completed, the current test program, and a preliminary design for a one-person flight prototype ARS.