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Future human space exploration missions present significant challenges for life support system (LSS) development. These life support systems will require incorporation of regenerative technologies to reduce or eliminate expendables and be low risk, demonstrating high reliability and long-term performance capability. A regenerative LSS for Space Station is a key step toward meeting these future space exploration requirements. In the development of the Space Station regenerative LSS, the challenges have been both technical and budgetary. Currently, the International Space Station Alpha (ISSA) program will consist of three Phases. Phase I will be MIR/Shuttle Orbiter flights with United States (US) crews attending to the various US flight experiments on-board the MIR. Phase II will consist mostly of Russian launched modules and the United States (US) Laboratory module. Phase III will launch the US Habitat module to implement US regenerative LSS.

Recent development of the solid amine/water desorbed (SAWD) CO2 control system technology has resulted in two preprototype systems. The SAWD I system was developed under NASA Contract NAS9-13624 and is currently under test in the NASA Johnson Space Center, Crew Systems Division Advanced Environmental Control Systems (ECS) Laboratory. The SAWD II system is being developed at Hamilton Standard Division of United Technologies (HSD) under NASA Contract NAS9-16978. This paper reviews the development history of solid amine CO2 control systems and describes the SAWD I and SAWD II systems. In the development of the SAWD II system, special attention was given to reducing its power requirements and to designing the system to be compatible with zero-gravity operation. Energy saving features are discussed, and the zero-gravity solid amine canister test program and selected design are described.