Engineering topics

Vonau, Walt, Jr.

Publications and source records attributed to Vonau, Walt, Jr..

3 records

NASA NTRS2012

Environmental Controls and Life Support System Design for a Space Exploration Vehicle

Engineers at Johnson Space Center (JSC) are developing an Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) design for the Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV). The SEV will aid to expand the human exploration envelope for Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GEO), Near Earth Object (NEO), or planetary missions by using pressurized surface exploration vehicles. The SEV, formerly known as the Lunar Electric Rover (LER), will be an evolutionary design starting as a ground test prototype where technologies for various systems will be tested and evolve into a flight vehicle. This paper will discuss the current SEV ECLSS design, any work contributed toward the development of the ECLSS design, and the plan to advance the ECLSS design based on the SEV vehicle and system needs.

Stambaugh, Imelda C.↗

NASA NTRS2009

A Comparison between One- and Two-Loop ATCS Architectures Proposed for CEV

In an effort to help future spacecraft thermal control analysts understand the characteristics of one- and two-loop Active Thermal Control Systems (ATCS), a comparison was made between the one- and two-loop ATCS architectures officially proposed for the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) in Design Analysis Cycle 1 (DAC1) and DAC2, respectively. This report provides a description of each design, along with mass and power estimates derived from their respective Master Equipment List (MEL) and Power Equipment List (PEL). Since some of the components were sized independent of loop architecture (ex. coldplates and heat exchangers), the mass and power for these components were based on the MEL and PEL of the most mature design (i.e. two-loop architecture). The mass and power of the two architectures are then compared and the ability of each design to meet CEV requirements is discussed.

Ochoa, Dustin A.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Emergency Oxygen System Evaluation for Exploration PLSS Applications

The Portable Life Support System (PLSS) emergency oxygen system is being reexamined for the next generation of suits. These suits will be used for transit to Low Earth Orbit, the Moon and to Mars as well as on the surface of the Moon and Mars. Currently, the plan is that there will be two different sets of suits, but there is a strong desire for commonality between them for construction purposes. The main purpose of this paper is to evaluate what the emergency PLSS requirements are and how they might best be implemented. Options under consideration are enlarging the tanks on the PLSS, finding an alternate method of storage/delivery, or providing additional O2 from an external source. The system that shows the most promise is the cryogenic oxygen system with a composite dewar which uses a buddy system to split the necessary oxygen between two astronauts.

Heather, Paul↗