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A unique family of valves was developed for venting waste gasses to space vacuum. The valves are part of the Japanese Experimental Module (JEM) Integrated Waste Gas System (IWGS) of the International Space Station (ISS). The design features of the valves include chemical compatibility with waste gasses, pneumatic and manual actuation, electrical and visual position indication, and exceptional leakage control. The valves are designed as Orbital Replacement Units (ORU’s) with provisions for Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) handling. This paper provides an overview of the system requirements and the principles in valve design which satisfy those requirements.

A condensing heat exchanger and filter assembly (CHXFA) has been developed by SECAN/AlliedSignal under a contract from Dornier Daimler-Benz as part of a European Space Agency program. The CHXFA is part of the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) of the Columbus Orbital Facility (COF), the European Laboratory Module of the International Space Station (ISS). Although the COF CHXFA has a lifetime requirement of 10 years, some of the assembly components have been designated orbital replacement units (ORU's), which means that they must be designed to be replaceable “on-orbit”, in micro-gravity conditions. The CHXFA contains a filter to remove particulates from the air stream, and a differential pressure sensor to monitor pressure drop across the filter. The filter is a limited lifetime ORU, which will be periodically replaced as part of routine maintenance. The differential pressure sensor is also designated as an ORU.