Commercial Contamination Control Practices Applicable for Protecting Crew and Environment

Crewed space exploration poses several challenges for protecting the crew’s environment over a long period, as well as protecting the local extra terrestrial environment. Although some of the design challenges are unique to space exploration, the underlying technology and practice of maintaining the cleanliness of the air the crew breathes are commercially well established. This paper will survey commercial best practices in controlling and maintaining the desirable air quality in the crew cabins, mainly with respect to particulate matter in the cabin air. Commonly accepted industry practices for testing and specifying air filter products for these applications will also be addressed. The goal of the paper is to help with fluency in commercial contamination control practices and hence ensure effective designs of air quality systems for crewed habitats.