The Impacts of Cabin Atmosphere Quality Standards and Control Loads on Atmosphere Revitalization Process Design

Maintaining the cabin atmosphere’s pressure, composition, and quality within specified parameters is a necessity for successful crewed space exploration missions. A properly maintained environment minimizes health impacts on the occupants and maximizes their comfort. The challenge is to accomplish this outcome economically. The insight gained during the International Space Station’s (ISS) operational lifetime is driving toward more challenging cabin atmospheric quality standards for future exploration missions. At the same time, the metabolic loads are increasing to accommodate a broader crew body size range and more rigorous exercise protocols to mitigate health effects associated with long duration microgravity exposure. Compounding this situation is new process equipment for handling trash and waste that may vent contaminants into the cabin. The limits placed on the cabin atmospheric quality parameters combined with the contaminant load define the design space for the atmosphere revitalization (AR) subsystem technologies to be deployed aboard the spacecraft. The impacts of changes to cabin atmospheric quality standards and contamination loads are evaluated and implications to future crewed exploration missions are explored.