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The International Space Station (ISS) Node 1 element plays a unique role in the overall environmental control and life support system architecture for the total station. This system must function with other modules as they are attached on orbit, survive the long on-orbit loiter period with exposure to extreme cold, and provide services to the crew upon arrival. The testing and checkout program for this system consists of a series of tests and analyses used for buildup and verification. Both testing and analysis are used for final verification for system buildup test and total functional test. The purpose of this paper is to review the test and checkout program for the Node 1 element and to review how it meets on-orbit requirements. Lessons learned and recommendations for future space station modules are included.

The International Space Station Alpha (ISSA) Temperature and Humidity Control (THC) subsystem has been reconfigured and tested for both Node 1 and US Laboratory modules. Each element shares conditioned air that originates in the Lab module and is distributed into either the Lab, Node 1, Mini-Pressurized Logistics Module (MPLM), or the Cupola. This “parasitic” cooling scheme was tested at the McDonnell Douglas Space System Laboratory in Huntington Beach, California, during the summer of 1995. This test involved the use of standard and nonstandard techniques of measuring air flow through a complex system of ducting. Flow balancing was achieved through a series of additional dampers and orifices throughout the system. The purpose of this paper is to review some of the air flow measurement techniques and compare some of the test results with traditional theory. Techniques used for flow balancing, and test conclusions and recommendations, are also included.

The International Space Station (ISS) Temperature and Humidity Control (THC) system has been reconfigured from the Space Station Freedom (SSF) configuration to meet new interface requirements and to implement a new “parasitic” air cooling scheme. This scheme provides Lab THC cooled air to Node 1, and more critically integrates Node 1 ports at different stages of space station assembly. A joint development test of the complex U.S. Lab and Node 1 integrated THC/IMV ducting system was conducted in the summer of 1995 at the McDonnell Douglas test facility in Huntington Beach, California. The purpose of the test was to show overall capability of the ducting system to meet basic requirements, and to provide detailed flow and pressure drop performance data for individual duct segments. This paper provides correlations of the test data with analytical data obtained from a computerized model of the THC/IMV ducting system.

The International Space Station Alpha (ISSA) Node 1 ducting and ventilation system has been reconfigured from the Space Station Freedom (SSF) configuration to meet new interface requirements and work with a new parasitic air cooling scheme with an adjacent module. The ducting system has been redesigned for sound attenuation and to accommodate different air interfaces at some ports for different stages of Station assembly. This paper describes the Node 1 ducting system in detail, compares SSF cabin air velocity data with ISSA analytical predictions, and shows that overall the Node ventilation system will meet ISSA requirements. Centerline and average cabin velocities are examined for different regions of the Node and the different air supply diffusers used are described.