Glovebox Design for Space Station Freedom Crew Health Care System 921139

Among the facilities provided by the Environmental Health System (EHS), a subset of Space Station Freedom's Crew Health Care System (CHeCS), is a glovebox for containment and processing of environmental and clinical microbiological samples.

The EHS Glovebox is the cornerstone for the installation and use of microbiology equipment including incubators, a slide staining apparatus, and an Automated Microbiological Identification System. An internal circulation and filtration system and task lighting are provided. Environmental Health System installation constraints drive glovebox volume to a minimum. Concerns for efficient human factors and procedural accommodations within these volume constraints call for careful physical and operational integration of the various system elements. On-orbit nominal and contingency maintainability is addressed in the design. The design also provides removal of the entire sealed assembly for contingency return to Earth for special processing or repairs. Appropriate isolation of the glovebox internal environment and contents from that of the greater space station crew volume is a major driver for the physical design of the facility and associated equipment, and for the development of procedures for its use.

This technical paper describes the current design for the EHS Glovebox and associated equipment. Background is provided on the development process and rationale which support this design.