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The paper discusses the 13.5 year flight operation experience of the orbiting space station Mir's water supply system (WSS) comprising a regenerative system and a water storage system. The basic water recovery system operational data are analyzed. It is shown that stage-by-stage introduction of additional recovery systems and updated units during its operation allows the system performance to be improved considerably and its functions to be expanded. Data on the quantity and quality of the water processed are presented including the economic efficiency of water recovery aboard the OSS. The experience in international cooperation of water management is described. It is shown that an updated water supply system of the Russian segment of the International Space Station fully accounts for the experience gained in development and operation of Mir's WSS.

A Simulation model for a distillation unit which is based on the description of some hardware by hydrodynamic patterns of “ideal mixing” is developed for solving problems of prediction of the Water Reclamation System from Urine (WRS-U) operation. The model reflects the system operation algorithm and enables simulation of process hardware. The structure of the Simulation Model (SM), formalized descriptions of some units and model program implementation are shown based OSS Mir's WRS-U. Computational results are compared with test data.

The paper reviews some problems of providing the thermal conditions in the Sabatier reactor of the CO2 processing system designed to be operated on Russia's service module of ISSA. The possibility of providing and maintaining the autothermal process with heat removal off the canister surface enclosing the reactor. Some results of control system checks in the start-up, steady-state and shutdown modes are presented. The results of Russia's hardware undergone testing onsite at Dornier (Germany) and Hamilton Standard (U.S.) are discussed.

The paper deals with some aspects of the KOH electrolysis process, with the water electrolysis system technical data obtained on the MIR space station presented, alkali electrolysis problems are discussed with trends of electrolysis system development, some test results of solid polymer electrolyzers developed at NIICHIMMASH are presented.

As space flights tend to be more prolonged problems of oxygen generation by physico-chemical means assume greater importance. The paper deals with the water electrolysis process and CO2 reduction. Some operational results of the system for water electrolysis on Mir space station are presented. Expected characteristics of the systems for water electrolysis and carbon dioxide reduction are considered.