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Unlike a terrestrial electric utility which can purchase power from a neighboring utility, the Space Station Freedom (SSF) has strictly limited energy resources; as a result, source control, system monitoring, system protection and load management are essential to the safe and efficient operation of the SSF Electric Power System (EPS). These functions are being evaluated in the DC Power Management and Distribution (PMAD) Testbed which NASA LeRC has developed at the Power System Facility (PSF) located in Cleveland, Ohio. The testbed is an ideal platform to develop, integrate, and verify power system monitoring and control algorithms. State Estimation (SE) is a monitoring tool used extensively in terrestrial electric utilities to ensure safe power system operation.

Carbosieve SIII was used to filter dichloromethane (DCM) from a simulated spacecraft gas stream. This adsorbent was tested as a possible commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) filtration solution to controlling spacecraft air quality. DCM is a halocarbon commonly used in manufacturing for cleaning and degreasing and is a typical component of equipment offgassing in spacecraft. The performance of the filter was measured in dry and humid atmospheres. A known concentration of DCM was passed through the adsorbent at a known flow rate. The adsorbent removed dichloromethane until it reached the breakthrough volume. Carbosieve SIII exposed to dry atmospheric conditions adsorbed more DCM than when exposed to humid air. Carbosieve SIII is a useful thermally regenerated adsorbent for filtering DCM from spacecraft cabin air. However, in humid environments the gas passes through the filter sooner due to co-adsorption of additional water vapor from the atmosphere.