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A 48-hour manned closed environment test was carried out using the closure environmental adaptation training facility (isolation chamber) at Tsukuba Space Center of NASDA (National Space Development Agency of Japan), in Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki, Japan. This 48-hour closed test was planned and conducted as a preliminary testing for future manned closed tests of advanced life support systems. The purposes of the test were to obtain basic data related to design requirements of regenerative life support systems, which include environmental data of air, water, waste water, and microorganisms inside the chamber, and data on human mass balance and human consumables during the test. Additionally perform integrated evaluation tests on functions and performance of Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) subsystem research models which have been fabricated and evaluated so far in independent separate tests.

A Two Stage Reverse Osmosis System in combination with a Membrane Vacuum Distillation Water Processor have been the focus of research for the water reclamation subsystem within the environmental control and life support system (ECLSS). Purification tests on waste water and urine have been conducted. Reverse osmosis (RO) and membrane distillation (MD) remove a high percentage of inorganic salts, but are ineffective for removal of some organic compounds such as alcohols and organic acids. The addition of a photodegradation subsystem with TiO2 photocatalysts to this water reclamation system has potential advantages of cost performance, energy savings, and the capability to remove alcohols and organic acids. In this research, the removal of alcohols and organic acids using TiO2 photocatalysts was investigated and basic data on efficiency of the photocatalysts were acquired.