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Low-Power Temperature-Swing Adsorption for Mars Atmosphere AcquisitionThe promise of ISRU-based mission architectures for Mars surface exploration will begin to be realized during the next decade as robotic spacecraft sent to Mars carry components and whole chemical plants for producing propellants from the planet's atmosphere. These chemical plants will need to perform three primary operations: acquisition of atmospheric carbon dioxide, reactions to transform the gas into oxygen and possibly fuel, and storage of the products. This presentation focuses on development of technologies at NASA Ames Research Center for the first of these operations, carbon dioxide acquisition. The carbon dioxide acquisition component for a propellant production plant has several general, top level requirements. It has a stringent requirement for minimal power consumption; a critical need for long-term reliability over the period of time the chemical plant must operate (say, 500 days); a production rate requirement for carbon dioxide; and a state point requirement (particularly pressure) for the CO2 produced. The first two requirements help determine the best technological approach, while the latter two generally define the characteristics (e.g., size and power consumption) of the device. Mass and volume must be minimized, as usual.
Document ID
19990042250
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Finn, J. E.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Date Acquired
August 19, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1999
Publication Information
Publication: In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU 3) Technical Interchange Meeting: Abstracts
Subject Category
Propellants And Fuels
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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