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In this paper, we report on the development of an intelligent system for air quality monitoring and early detection and diagnosis of air contaminants. Optimal identification of contaminants is based upon the use of an Implicit Kalman Filter that uses both experimental data and a theoretical model to obtain optimal estimates. We have developed a three-dimensional unsteady-state model of contaminant transport, which uses a flow field generated numerically for the cabin using a finite element mesh. The optimal contaminant estimates are used as the basis for the detection of a contamination event. The algorithm is shown to distinguish between sensor faults and process faults.

A terrestrial analog device was developed to test the performance of a proposed lunar regolith-based water filtration design. To support this study, the flow behavior of tracer particles passing through a glass bead media filter was evaluated on NASA's reduced gravity aircraft in simulated microgravity and lunar gravity environments. The flight results were then compared to tests conducted using a novel application of a clinostat tilted ∼10 degrees from horizontal to simulate a lunar gravity vector fraction (1/6 of Earth's gravity, or 0.17g) acting axially on the fluid system. Phase I was designed to examine large particle fluidization and sedimentation characteristics, and showed that with relatively large particles, a sedimentation layer formed in the inclined clinostat similar to the true reduced gravity environment.

A long-term lunar outpost will require sustainable life support technologies that are capable of functioning for years with minimum resupply and maintenance. While life support resources such as water and air will remain in short supply, the availability of gravity, energy, and natural resources on the lunar surface allow for innovation in the design of outpost technologies, potentially including the adoption of terrestrial technologies previously not feasible for short duration microgravity flight. One technology with potential for such innovation is the water recovery system. Current spacecraft water recovery systems rely on oxidizing pretreatment chemicals to stabilize wastewater, as microgravity compatible distillation or filtration systems are prone to fouling and failure.

Electrochromic devices offer potential benefit as variable emissivity radiators for advanced extravehicular activity (EVA) suits. Supplementing (or even replacing) the water sublimator with radiators will result in reduced mass consumption for heat rejection, and radiators can be effective in environments where sublimation is not possible. The exotic properties of electrochromic devices (ECDs) may also lead to radiators that are capable of adapting, without mechanical actuation, to changing EVA operations and environments. Three concepts for the implementation of flexible electrochromic radiators are presented, along with a preliminary thermal analysis for each configuration.

Sending humans to the moon and Mars in support of NASA’s Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) presents a variety of operational environments in which astronauts will need to wear a space suit, both inside the vehicle and during Extravehicular Activity (EVA). Four feasible suit architectures were proposed by NASA in terms of the number and type of suits needed to enable task performance in scenarios ranging from launch and entry operations to conducting EVA’s in microgravity and on planetary surfaces. This study was aimed at defining space suit operational and functional needs across the spectrum of mission elements called out in the VSE, identifying temporal and technical design drivers, and establishing appropriate trade variables with associated weighting factors for analyzing the proposed architecture options. Recommendations from the analysis are offered for consideration in selecting from the four options.