Extended duration orbiter life support system options

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Extended duration orbiter life support system options

Chapel, F.G. / Martin, D.A. / Gore, D.C.

Design studies conducted by Rockwell International, Space Division, have identified several configuration options for extending orbiter mission duration. The purpose of extending orbiter duration is to provide a space platform with low initial and operating costs that could support a wide variety of extended missions at an early date. Early development of orbiter duration extension capabilities would benefit the user community by providing more experiment man-hours on orbit per launch, potentially higher electrical power for payload, and ways to limit dumping of contaminating fluids. Parametric design data have been developed providing insight to the required electrical power and environmental control and life support system (ECLS) concepts as a function of mission duration. Power system options include the baseline fuel cell system, a fuel cell/solar array system, and a fuel cell/solar array/battery system. ECLS functions covered include CO2 removal, atmospheric storage, water supply, recovery, and storage; and waste recovery/srtorage. The subsystem options evaluated were selected on the basis of their duration potential operating in conjunction with an electrical power system (EPS) option. The EPS and matching ECLS option were evaluated in terms of ascent and descent weight stowage requirements, and costs. (Kursetz)