Browsing by Author "Kaufman, Cory"
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Item Development of the Universal Waste Management System(2020 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2020-07-31) Autrey, David; Kocher, Jonathan; Kaufman, Cory; Fuller, JimmyThe Universal Waste Management System (UWMS) is the next-generation space toilet destined for the International Space Station and the Orion Multi-purpose crew vehicle. It is a configurable design that is largely similar for both vehicles, is not limited to a fixed mission duration, and can be extended to future space exploration missions. Working with the Advanced Exploration Systems program at NASA headquarters, the Orion Program, and the ISS Program, Collins Aerospace has designed the UWMS to be lighter, smaller, more efficient, more easily maintained, and with a greater emphasis on human interfaces than previous space toilets. The UWMS is scheduled for installation on the Orion vehicle and launch to the ISS in early 2020. This paper will examine the advancements in space waste management that are realized in the UWMS design.Item Ejectors as a Contingency for Waste and Odor Collection in Microgravity(2023 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2023-07-16) Kaufman, Cory; Pearson, Matthew; Khakpour, YasminWaste collection in microgravity has been extensively studied for over 50 years culminating in the design and implementation of the latest technology called the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS). However, toilets are generally zero fault tolerant to function. This means a small space vehicle with only one toilet would be left without waste collection assistance in the event of a system or component failure. Collins Aerospace has demonstrated a small and effective method for assisting in waste collection for contingency scenarios. The design is compact, lightweight, and can be utilized by either male or female crew members to collect urine and possibly manage odor during defecation. The preliminary performance testing of this technology in a 1g environment will be discussed in this paper as well as any modifications necessary for use in a microgravity environment.Item Feasibility of an Optical Sensor to Monitor Toilet Pretreat Quality(2023 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2023-07-16) Kaufman, Cory; Youngquist, Robert; Gibson, Tracy; Nurge, Mark; Singh, UpendraProcessing urine is a critical function on the International Space Station (ISS). It provides a sizeable portion of the water used on ISS stored in the Potable Water Bus (PWB). Yet processing of urine is a sensitive undertaking. The urine must be collected, stabilized, and stored to inhibit molecular breakdown, organic growth, or solid precipitation. The stabilization process mixes a strong acid with the urine which must be carefully balanced to achieve the desired urine stabilization, but also to minimize the corrosive properties of the mixture at higher acid concentrations. A precise method for mixing and monitoring the urine pretreat acid in real time is vital to protecting waste processing hardware and maintaining water recollection capabilities on ISS. This paper discusses the data, testing, and analysis around using an optical sensor for measuring fluid transmittivity in order monitor the pretreat quality being mixed with crew urine.Item NASA Exploration Toilet On-orbit Results and Impact on Future Missions(2023 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2023) McKinley, Melissa; Borrego, Melissa; Kaufman, Cory; Williamson, Jill; DeRees, KellyThe Universal Waste Management System (UWMS), which has the ISS operational nomenclature “Toilet”, was initially installed on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2020 with final installation completed in 2021. Technical progress continued to be made with each on-orbit operation that culminated in additional crew use of the UWMS on ISS. Additional problems were evaluated during troubleshooting and testing with the UWMS hardware using water and pretreat to simulate crew use. This paper summarizes the additional testing, troubleshooting and the results as well as characterizes the additional data obtained and summarizes the interpretation of the data to characterize the hardware’s operational nuances. Use of the hardware by crew is planned and will also be summarized. The paper will also describe the additional portions of the technology demonstration that were completed and the benefits that inform the Orion-installed UWMS unit and future manifesting of consumables for both Orion and ISS.Item Urine Removal from Suited Crew in Orion Vehicle Depressurization Scenario(49th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2019-07-07) Kaufman, Cory; Anderson, Samuel; Johnson, KirstynHumankind wants to continually venture deeper into space, but there are many hazards of deep space exploration. NASA’s Orion Program seeks to incrementally identify these hazards and begin addressing the difficulties of such long-duration missions. One of the largest risks and areas of focus in the program is crew survival in a vehicle cabin depressurization scenario. As part of proactive mitigation efforts, contingency operations and associated hardware are being developed to sustain crew members for up to 6 days. While the Orion launch and entry suit would provide the crew a pressurizable safe haven for that duration, additional systems are needed to handle crew waste management output for specific use with the suit. NASA’s Orion Crew Survival Systems and UTC Aerospace Systems are working together to develop and test an external suit system to aid in the evacuation of urine from their pressurized suit to ensure crew health and safety. This paper describes the recent and on-going design and testing that is driving hardware design towards eventual flight certification.