Marshall Space Flight Center - International Space Station Life Support Systems

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International Space Station Life Support Systems

Marshall's Contribution to the "New Star in the Horizon"
NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center is responsible for designing and building the life support systems that will provide the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) a comfortable environment in which to live and work. Marshall's scientists and engineers are working together to provide the space station with systems that are safe, efficient and cost-effective. These compact and powerful systems collectively called the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems, or simply, ECLSS will:

Recycle wastewater (including urine) to produce drinking (potable) water
Store and distribute potable water
Use recycled water to produce oxygen for the crew
Remove carbon dioxide from the cabin air
Filter the cabin air for particulates and microorganisms
Remove volatile organic trace gases from the cabin air
Monitor and control cabin air partial pressures of Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Hydrogen and Water Vapor
Maintain total cabin pressure
Detect and suppress fire
Maintain cabin temperature and humidity levels
Distribute cabin air between ISS modules (ventilation)

Marshall Space Flight Center is also responsible for the testing of these systems. In Building 4755, chambers that simulates the environmental conditions inside the ISS and prototypes of ECLSS hardware are used to integrate the different components that will provide the crew with clean water and air. Testing of the ISS ECLSS hardware al Marshall includes:

Thoroughly testing systems or critical components of the systems to estimate the time that it might need to be serviced or changed on-orbit
Testing of the ISS Water Recovery and Management System using a selected group of volunteers to generate wastewater that is recycled and analyzed. The water is carefully tested at various stages of processing to assure that it meets the ISS very stringent requirements of potability.
Integration of the ECLSS hardware that will maintain the ISS cabin air clean and with the proper ration of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

When all the ECLS systems are operational in the ISS, human life will no longer be limited to the bounds of Earth. Scientist and engineers at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center are working to provide life support for humans in space.