ECLSS Human-Rating Facility for Testing & Development of New ECLSS Designs 2007-01-3146

Paragon Space Development Corporation has created the only privately developed and owned Environmental Control and Life Support Systems Human-rating Facility (EHF) for spacecraft ECLSS system testing in a dynamic flight environment. The facility allows for simulating the very stressing dynamic changes in pressure, altitude and operating conditions for human spaceflight, including suborbital and orbital flight profiles as well as Mars and lunar environments. Testing of space suits, pressure suits and ECLS systems can be performed for failure scenarios not able to be duplicated during flight testing. The facility allows for testing of ECLSS hardware before integration with the spacecraft, lowering ECLSS development cost and time, thereby reducing program risk. This paper describes the detailed design and setup of the EHF as well as the various capabilities.