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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2006

Genesis Spacecraft Science Canister Preliminary Inspection and Cleaning

The Genesis science canister is an aluminum cylinder (75 cm diameter and 35 cm tall) hinged at the mid-line for opening. This canister was cleaned and assembled in an ISO level 4 (Class 10) clean room at Johnson Space Center (JSC) prior to launch. The clean solar collectors were installed and the canister closed in the cleanroom to preserve collector cleanliness. The canister remained closed until opened on station at Earth-Sun L1 for solar wind collection. At the conclusion of collection, the canister was again closed to preserve collector cleanliness during Earth return and re-entry. Upon impacting the dry Utah lakebed at 300 kph the science canister integrity was breached. The canister was returned to JSC. The canister shell was briefly examined, imaged, gently cleaned of dust and packaged for storage in anticipation of future detailed examination. The condition of the science canister shell noted during this brief examination is presented here. The canister interior components were packaged and stored without imaging due to time constraints.

Hittle, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Drawer drive for space shuttle vacuum canister

A sliding drawer type canister was designed to contain long duration exposure facility experiments which require vacuum storage before and after space exposure. The elastomeric seals require high closing loads which are generated through camming levers and transmitted through a spring loaded pressure plate. Lubrication was provided by various dry surface coatings. Higher than expected friction required some redesign after which the assembly functioned well and provided good sealing.

Werner, K. E.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Phycomyces in space: A problem in bioengineering

Sustaining life with total automation is a difficult problem for GAS canisters. The length of time between setting the experiment and flight, the conditions of a completely sealed container, no guarantee on launch delay, orientation and the possibility of contamination all tend to exclude experiments with living matter. This experiment examines the growth of a nontoxic, everyday fungus, Phycomyces, in a microgravity environment. Data from this experiment will help define the mechanism by which plants determine the direction of gravity. The bioengineering problems were solved only after numerous tests and design changes. Phycomyces normally have a shelf life of approximately one week. Storing the fungus for two months, activating the fungus for growth and precise timing were the major obstacles. Solutions were found for storage by drying the fungus spores onto pieces of filter paper. Activation occurs when this filter paper is dropped onto the growth medium, via a solenoid system. The problem of timing is partially solved by growing more than one chamber of the fungus at different time intervals. This experiment proves that the simpler a design, the better it works.

Schneringer, Julie A.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Characterization of microbial and chemical composition of shuttle wet waste with permanent gas and volatile organic compound analyses

Solid-waste treatment in space for Advanced Life Support, ALS, applications requires that the material can be safely processed and stored in a confined environment. Many solid-wastes are not stable because they are wet (40-90% moisture) and contain levels of soluble organic compounds that can contribute to the growth of undesirable microorganisms with concomitant production of noxious odors. In the absence of integrated Advanced Life Support systems on orbit, permanent gas, trace volatile organic and microbiological analyses were performed on crew refuse returned from the volume F "wet" trash of three consecutive Shuttle missions (STS-105, 109, and 110). These analyses were designed to characterize the short-term biological stability of the material and assess potential crew risks resulting from microbial decay processes during storage. Waste samples were collected post-orbiter landing and sorted into packaging material, food waste, toilet waste, and bulk liquid fractions deposited during flight in the volume F container. Aerobic and anaerobic microbial loads were determined in each fraction by cultivation on R2A and by acridine orange direct count (AODC). Dry and ash weights were performed to determine both water and organic content of the materials. Experiments to determine the aerobic and anaerobic biostability of refuse stored for varying periods of time were performed by on-line monitoring of CO2 and laboratory analysis for production of hydrogen sulfide and methane. Volatile organic compounds and permanent gases were analyzed using EPA Method TO15 by USEPA et al. [EPA Method TO15, The Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Ambient Air using SUMMA, Passivated Canister Sampling and Gas Chromatographic Analysis,1999] with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and by gas chromatography with selective detectors. These baseline measures of waste stream content, labile organics, and microbial load in the volume F Shuttle trash provide data for waste subsystem analysis and atmospheric management within the ALS Project. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of COSPAR.

NASA Center KSC↗