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The current International Space Station (ISS) water system is designed to support an ISS crew size of three people. The capability to expand that system to support nine crew members during a contingency Shuttle crew support scenario has been evaluated. This paper describes the water balance and water system capabilities for supporting Contingency Shuttle Crew Support (CSCS).

Water transferred from the Space Shuttle to the International Space Station (ISS) is generated as a by-product from the Shuttle fuel cells, and is generally preferred over the Progress which has to launch water from the ground. However, launch mass and volume are still required for the transfer and storage hardware. Some of these up-mass requirements have been reduced since ISS assembly began due to changes in the storage hardware (CWC). This paper analyzes the launch mass and volume required to transfer water from the Shuttle and analyzes the up-mass savings due to modifications in the CWC. Suggestions for improving the launch mass and volume are also provided.

The International Space Station (ISS) has served as an excellent test bed for the implementation and integration of several life support systems, and has offered many lessons that can be applied to future vehicles and program. This paper focuses on those lessons learned within the Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) Water Subsystem, which have dictated on-orbit system performance and forced many operational controls. These include lessons on the need for precise documentation and testing, pros and cons of different types of storage containers, and the need for designing systems to have accessibility and flexibility. This paper describes the issues encountered on ISS and suggests solutions for future systems in the form of recommendations and questions posed to the future designers.