![]() However, "the chemical-mechanical systems are much more compact, less labor intensive, and more reliable than a plant-based system," Perry noted. "The byproduct of plants doing this for us is food." "Eventually, it would be great if we could use plants to (produce oxygen) for us," said Monsi Roman, chief microbiologist for the ECLSS project at MSFC. The hydrogen is used for making sugars, and the oxygen is released into the atmosphere. Plants, algae, cyanobacteria and phytoplankton all split water molecules as part of photosynthesis - the process that converts sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into sugars for food. The oxygen that people breathe on Earth also comes from the splitting of water, but it's not a mechanical process. Running a current through water causes these atoms to separate and recombine as gaseous hydrogen (H 2) and oxygen (O 2). ![]() During their four-month stay, the crew will rely on the Station's hardware to provide breathable air.Įach molecule of water contains two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Left: The ISS's first crew - Bill Shepherd, Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko - aboard the Space Station. Most of the station's oxygen will come from a process called "electrolysis," which uses electricity from the ISS solar panels to split water into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas. ECLSS engineers at Marshall, at the Johnson Space Center and elsewhere are developing, improving and testing primary life support systems for the ISS. "The primary source of oxygen will be water electrolysis, followed by O 2 in a pressurized storage tank," said Jay Perry, an aerospace engineer at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center working on the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) project. To ensure the safety of the crew, the ISS will have redundant supplies of that essential gas. Most people can survive only a couple of minutes without oxygen, and low concentrations of oxygen can cause fatigue and blackouts. In this second article in a series about the practical challenges of living in space, examines how the ISS will provide its residents with the breath of life. ![]() So, while air in space is undeniably rare, managing it is no small problem for ISS life support engineers. Vaporous chemicals from science experiments are a potential hazard, too, if they combine in unforeseen ways with other elements in the air supply. ![]() Life support systems on the ISS must not only supply oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the cabin's atmosphere, but also prevent gases like ammonia and acetone, which people emit in small quantities, from accumulating. With 3 to 7 people sharing a small enclosed volume on the still-growing Space Station, air management is critical. what's that smell? Probably more outgassing from a scientific experiment or, worse yet, a crewmate. Right: An artist's rendering of the ISS as it currently appears.īut be careful what you wish for! Living on the Space Station also means hard work, cramped quarters, and. It's a dream come true for innumerable space lovers. Floating effortlessly from module to module, looking down on Earth from a breathtaking height of 350 kilometers. Novem- Many of us stuck on Earth wish we could join (at least temporarily) the Expedition 1 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
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