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Trace gaseous contamination in the cabin environment is a major concern for manned spacecraft, especially those designed for long duration missions, such as the International Space Station (ISS). During the design phase, predicting the European-built Columbus laboratory module’s contribution to the ISS’s overall trace contaminant load relied on “trace gas budgeting” based on material level and assembled article tests data. In support of the Qualification Review, a final offgassing test has been performed on the complete Columbus module to gain cumulative system offgassing data. Comparison between the results of the predicted offgassing load based on the budgeted material/assembled article-level offgassing rates and the module-level offgassing test is presented. The Columbus module offgassing test results are also compared to results from similar tests conducted for Node 1, U.S. Laboratory, and Airlock modules.

The Cupola Environmental Control System (ECS) has the task to ensure the required Cupola internal environment using passive and active control means, in response to the relevant applicable Cupola requirements. The ECS is subdivided into a Thermal Control Subsystem (TCS) and an Environmental & Life Control Subsystem (ECLS). The particular characteristics of Cupola design requires a non standard way to control the internal environment conditions: TCS controls the Cupola primary structures through an High Temperature water Loop (HTL) avoiding shell heaters necessity in the cold cases and representing also an heat sink for the windows assy in the hot cases; ECLS design realizes the air distribution inside the cabin volume using the gap existing between the primary and secondary structure without dedicated ducts.

Integral (INTErnational Gamma Ray Astrophysics Laboratory) is an ESA observatory scientific satellite to be used for gamma ray astronomy, while Artemis (Advanced Relay and TEchnology MISsion) is an ESA program to be used for data relay and technology demonstration. Both programs have been recently submitted to a System Environmental test campaign including extensive Thermal Balance tests with Solar Simulation performed in the Large Solar Simulation (LSS) chamber at ESTEC Noordwijk in 1998. Alenia Spazio, who has the role of Prime Contractor for both programs at Torino and Rome premises respectively for Integral and Artemis, is responsible of the Thermal Control of the satellites and the relevant verification aspects.

The new challenges of permanently inhabited orbital stations include the need for immediate, safe return to Earth of the station crew. In particular, in the frame of the Space Station Freedom (SSF) program, three potential emergency situations have been identified: ill/injured crew member return crew evacuation due to uninhabitability of SSF crew return due to unavailability of Space Transportation System It is recognised that station crew rescue/recovery by means of the U.S. Space Transportation System (STS) is not feasible since the time needed to setup the rescue mission would be too long for the assigned requirements. It has therefore been decided to develop an Assured Crew Return Vehicle, permanently docked to SSF and able to re-enter its crew (in total or in part) within assigned time constraints.