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A volatile organic analyzer (VOA), developed by Graseby Dynamics, Ltd. under contract to the Johnson Space Center Toxicology Laboratory, is the core instrument for trace contaminant monitoring on the International Space Station (ISS). The VOA will allow trace amounts of target compounds to be analyzed in real time so that ISS air quality can be assessed in nominal and contingency situations. Recent events on Mir have underscored the need for real-time analysis of air quality so that the crew can respond promptly during off-nominal conditions. The VOA, which is based on gas chromatography/ion mobility spectrometry, is the first spacecraft instrument to be used for such a complex task. Consequently, a risk mitigation experiment (VOA/RME) was flown to assess the performance and engineering aspects of the VOA. This paper is a review of VOA/RME results from the STS-81 and STS-89 flights and their implications for the ISS VOA design and operations.

Spacecraft modules that are last purged with clean air several months before they are entered by humans on orbit require careful management. The crew must not be exposed to harmful concentrations of air pollutants when they first enter. The magnitude of the pollution the crew will encounter depends on the volume of the module, the length of time since the last clean-air purge or scrub, the inherent offgassing rate of the materials in the module, the interior temperature of the module while offgassing occurs, and the system leak rate. The time of the last module purge or scrub can be several months before crew entry, so it is essential that the offgassing rate within the module be measured over a suitable interval of time to estimate pollution levels with confidence. Air samples were taken from the STS-74 Russian Docking Module, the STS-79 Spacehab, and the ISS Node 1 prior to launch to predict pollution levels at crew first entry.