ECLSS Air Revitalization Technology Review 2022: Review of Current Published Units and their Fault Modes
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NASA, the commercial industry, and international partners are expanding humanity's reach into space, with milestones set for the Lunar Gateway, Artemis, and eventual crewed Mars missions. A key element of any long-term human spaceflight mission is the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS), composed of multiple subsystems, including an Air Revitalization subsystem that maintains a breathable atmosphere. To match programmatic milestones for deep-space exploration, there is a global push toward developing a next-generation ECLSS. As a result, there are many recent breakthroughs in the research and development of individual ECLSS units. This paper reviews both heritage and recent technologies in Air Revitalization, including US, Japanese, and European technologies for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and oxygen (O2) generation in spacecraft habitats. Published fault modes are mentioned to facilitate discussions on the repairability and maintainability of potential future life support systems.
Description
Monica Torralba, Master's Student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, University of California, US
Stephen Robinson, Professor and Director -- Center for Spaceflight Research, University of California Davis, US
ICES302: Physio-chemical Life Support- Air Revitalization Systems -Technology and Process Development
The 51st International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Saint Paul, Minnesota, US, on 10 July 2022 through 14 July 2022.