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Exploration Life Support Critical Questions for Future Human Space MissionsExploration Life Support (ELS) is a current project under NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. The ELS Project plans, coordinates and implements the development of advanced life support technologies for human exploration missions in space. Recent work has focused on closed loop atmosphere and water systems for long duration missions, including habitats and pressurized rovers. But, what are the critical questions facing life support system developers for these and other future human missions? This paper explores those questions and how progress in the development of ELS technologies can help answer them. The ELS Project includes the following Elements: Atmosphere Revitalization Systems, Water Recovery Systems, Waste Management Systems, Habitation Engineering, Systems Integration, Modeling and Analysis, and Validation and Testing, which includes the Sub-Elements Flight Experiments and Integrated Testing. Systems engineering analysis by ELS seeks to optimize overall mission architectures by considering all the internal and external interfaces of the life support system and the potential for reduction or reuse of commodities. In particular, various sources and sinks of water and oxygen are considered along with the implications on loop closure and the resulting launch mass requirements. Systems analysis will be validated through the data gathered from integrated testing, which will demonstrate the interfaces of a closed loop life support system. By applying a systematic process for defining, sorting and answering critical life support questions, the ELS project is preparing for a variety of future human space missions
Document ID
20100024395
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Kwert, Michael K.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Barta, Daniel J.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
McQuillan, Jeff
(MEI Technologies, Inc. Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2010
Subject Category
Man/System Technology And Life Support
Report/Patent Number
JSC-CN-20062
Meeting Information
Meeting: 40th International Conference on Environmental Systems
Location: Barcelona
Country: Spain
Start Date: July 11, 2010
End Date: July 15, 2010
Sponsors: American Inst. of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Funding Number(s)
OTHER: 439906
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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