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The International Space Station (ISS) United States Laboratory module has been under test for approximately two years in the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) preparing for launch. Preparation activities for closing out the Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) system have included Closed Hatch testing to verify the capability of the life support equipment to support the crew, final manufacturing steps, and the close-out process itself. These activities were accomplished by an integrated Boeing and NASA team, located at the Johnson Space Center (Houston, Texas), Marshall Space Flight Center (Huntsville, Alabama) and Kennedy Space Center, Florida. On December 13, the Laboratory module hatches were sealed prior to loading into the Shuttle Orbiter payload bay for launch on February 7, 2001.

The International Space Station (ISS) underwent a dramatic buildup in life support equipment since the delivery and activation of the U.S. Laboratory module in February 2001, followed by the Joint Airlock in July 2001. Since Laboratory activation, several Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) equipment failures have occurred. This paper addresses these failures, occurring through February 2002, and, where known, the root causes, with particular emphasis on probable micro-gravity causes are highlighted. Impact to overall ISS operations and proposed or accomplished fixes also are discussed.