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Sampling Indoor Aerosols on the International Space StationIn a spacecraft cabin environment, the size range of indoor aerosols is much larger and they persist longer than on Earth because they are not removed by gravitational settling. A previous aerosol experiment in 1991 documented that over 90 of the mass concentration of particles in the NASA Space Shuttle air were between 10 m and 100 m based on measurements with a multi-stage virtual impactor and a nephelometer (Liu et al. 1991). While the now-retired Space Shuttle had short duration missions (less than two weeks), the International Space Station (ISS) has been continually inhabited by astronauts for over a decade. High concentrations of inhalable particles on ISS are potentially responsible for crew complaints of respiratory and eye irritation and comments about 'dusty' air. Air filtration is the current control strategy for airborne particles on the ISS, and filtration modeling, performed for engineering and design validation of the air revitalization system in ISS, predicted that PM requirements would be met. However, aerosol monitoring has never been performed on the ISS to verify PM levels. A flight experiment is in preparation which will provide data on particulate matter in ISS ambient air. Particles will be collected with a thermophoretic sampler as well as with passive samplers which will extend the particle size range of sampling. Samples will be returned to Earth for chemical and microscopic analyses, providing the first aerosol data for ISS ambient air.
Document ID
20170007282
Acquisition Source
Glenn Research Center
Document Type
Presentation
Authors
Meyer, Marit E.
(NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH United States)
Date Acquired
August 3, 2017
Publication Date
September 2, 2016
Subject Category
Man/System Technology And Life Support
Space Transportation And Safety
Report/Patent Number
GRC-E-DAA-TN32385
Meeting Information
Meeting: Space Studies Program
Location: Haifa
Country: Israel
Start Date: September 2, 2016
Sponsors: International Space Univ., Inc.
Funding Number(s)
WBS: WBS 387873.04.99.99.99.99.22
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
Keywords
Thermophoretic sampler
Aerosol
ISS Ambient Air Quality
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