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Research Containing: Spacecraft

Rapid culture-independent microbial analysis aboard the International Space Station (ISS)

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

A new culture-independent system for microbial monitoring, called the Lab-On-a-Chip Application Development Portable Test System (LOCAD-PTS), was operated aboard the International Space Station (ISS). LOCAD-PTS was launched to the ISS aboard Space Shuttle STS-116 on December 9, 2006, and has since been used by ISS crews to monitor endotoxin on cabin surfaces. Quantitative analysis was performed within 15 minutes, and sample return to Earth was not required. Endotoxin (a marker of Gram-negative bacteria) was distributed throughout the ISS, despite previous indications that mostbacteria on ISS surfaces were Gram-positive [corrected].Endotoxin was detected at 24 out of 42 surface areas tested and at every surface site where colony-forming units (cfu) were observed, even at levels of 4-120 bacterial cfu per 100 cm(2), which is below NASA in-flight requirements (<10,000 bacterial cfu per 100 cm(2)). Absent to low levels of endotoxin (<0.24 to 1.0 EU per 100 cm(2); defined in endotoxin units, or EU) were found on 31 surface areas, including on most panels in Node 1 and the US Lab. High to moderate levels (1.01 to 14.7 EU per 100 cm(2)) were found on 11 surface areas, including at exercise, hygiene, sleeping, and dining facilities. Endotoxin was absent from airlock surfaces, except the Extravehicular Hatch Handle (>3.78 EU per 100 cm(2)). Based upon data collected from the ISS so far, new culture-independent requirements (defined in EU) are suggested, which are verifiable in flight with LOCAD-PTS yet high enough to avoid false alarms. The suggested requirements are intended to supplement current ISS requirements (defined in cfu) and would serve a dual purpose of safeguarding crew health (internal spacecraft surfaces <20 EU per 100 cm(2)) and monitoring forward contamination during Constellation missions (surfaces periodically exposed to the external environment, including the airlock and space suits, <0.24 EU per 100 cm(2)).

Related URLs:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19845447

Benchmark studies of the effectiveness of structural and internal materials as radiation shielding for the international space station

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

Accelerator-based measurements and model calculations have been used to study the heavy-ion radiation transport properties of materials in use on the International Space Station (ISS). Samples of the ISS aluminum outer hull were augmented with various configurations of internal wall material and polyethylene. The materials were bombarded with high-energy iron ions characteristic of a significant part of the galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) heavy-ion spectrum. Transmitted primary ions and charged fragments produced in nuclear collisions in the materials were measured near the beam axis, and a model was used to extrapolate from the data to lower beam energies and to a lighter ion. For the materials and ions studied, at incident particle energies from 1037 MeV/nucleon down to at least 600 MeV/nucleon, nuclear fragmentation reduces the average dose and dose equivalent per incident ion. At energies below 400 MeV/nucleon, the calculation predicts that as material is added, increased ionization energy loss produces increases in some dosimetric quantities. These limited results suggest that the addition of modest amounts of polyethylene or similar material to the interior of the ISS will reduce the dose to ISS crews from space radiation; however, the radiation transport properties of ISS materials should be evaluated with a realistic space radiation field.

Related URLs:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12600241

Rapid culture-independent microbial analysis aboard the international space station (ISS) stage two: quantifying three microbial biomarkers

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

Abstract A portable, rapid, microbial detection unit, the Lab-On-a-Chip Application Development Portable Test System (LOCAD-PTS), was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) as a technology demonstration unit in December 2006. Results from the first series of experiments designed to detect Gram-negative bacteria on ISS surfaces by quantifying a single microbial biomarker lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were reported in a previous article. Herein, we report additional technology demonstration experiments expanding the on-orbit capabilities of the LOCAD-PTS to detecting three different microbial biomarkers on ISS surfaces. Six different astronauts on more than 20 occasions participated in these experiments, which were designed to test the new beta-glucan (fungal cell wall molecule) and lipoteichoic acid (LTA; Gram-positive bacterial cell wall component) cartridges individually and in tandem with the existing Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL; Gram-negative bacterial LPS detection) cartridges. Additionally, we conducted the sampling side by side with the standard culture-based detection method currently used on the ISS. Therefore, we present data on the distribution of three microbial biomarkers collected from various surfaces in every module present on the ISS at the time of sampling. In accordance with our previous experiments, we determined that spacecraft surfaces known to be frequently in contact with crew members demonstrated higher values of all three microbial molecules. Key Words: Planetary protection-Spaceflight-Microbiology-Biosensor. Astrobiology 12, 830-840.

Related URLs:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22984871

ANITA Air Monitoring on the International Space Station Part 2: Air Analyses

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

After the launch to the ISS (International Space Station) with The Space Shuttle flight STS 118 13A.1 on August 9th 2007 and the accommodation in the US lab Destiny, the air quality monitor ANITA (Analysing Interferometer for Ambient Air) has been successfully put into operation. ANITA is a technology demonstrator flight experiment being able to continuously monitor with high time resolution the air conditions within the crewed cabins of the ISS. The system has its origin in a long term ESA technology development programme. The ANITA mission itself is an ESA-NASA cooperative project. ESA is responsible for the provision of the HW, the data acquisition and data evaluation. NASA’s responsibilities are launch, accommodation in the US Lab Destiny, operation and data download.The ANITA air analyser is currently calibrated to detect and quantify online and with high time resolution 33 gases simultaneously with down to sub-ppm detection limits. In addition the system has automatic warning capabilities covering possible malfunctions, surprising gases, and gas concentrations above preset limits. – However, owing to the experimental character of this ANITA mission, no measurement results are on-line visible to the crew.ANITA’s standard, fully automatic mode of operation applies direct air sampling in front of the system. Whenever wanted, air samples for automatic analyses can be taken from any human-accessible position in the ISS or any connected spacecraft and fed to ANITA, applying gas bags and a hand pump.ANITA is an on-orbit test experiment and a precursor for a permanent continuous trace gas monitoring system on the ISS – ANITA II. It further represents a precursor system for future air monitoring in crewed vehicles being developed for the Human Space Exploration programme.This paper is part 2 in a series of two papers. The first paper describes the HW and the ANITA mission itself. This paper is dedicated to the data analysis, including the handling of special challenges and some measurement results.On the ISS, ANITA has measured several gases that, before now, have never properly been measured before, including one unexpected gas. And many gases have for the first time been measured with high time resolution. The observed gas dynamics clearly show effects from spacecraft visits to the ISS, crew activities, the number of crew present, and the functioning of the air revitalisation systems. ANITA gives detailed time-resolved information on very different gases such as carbon dioxide and monoxide, methane, ammonia, perfluoro propane, sulphur hexafluoride, siloxanes, and alcohols.It was also demonstrated how ANITA was used to detect and quantify an unexpected gas in the ISS air, and how the system calibration could be updated from ground.The work described has been performed under contract of the European Space Agency.

Related URLs:
http://saeaero.saejournals.org/content/1/1/178.abstract

Evaluation of ANITA Air Monitoring on the International Space Station

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

ANITA (Analysing Interferometer for Ambient Air) is a flight experiment precursor for a permanent continuous air quality monitoring system on the ISS (International Space Station).For the safety of the crew, ANITA can detect and quantify quasi-online and simultaneously 33 gas compounds in the air with ppm or sub-ppm detection limits. The autonomous measurement system is based on FTIR (Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy). The system represents a versatile air quality monitor, allowing for the first time the detection and monitoring of trace gas dynamics, with high time resolution, in a spacecraft atmosphere.ANITA operated on the ISS from September 2007 to August 2008. This paper summarises the results of ANITA’s air analyses and compares results to other measurements acquired on ISS during the operational period. The main basis of comparison is NASA’s set of grab samples taken onboard the ISS and analysed on ground applying various GC-based (Gas Chromatography) and GC/MS (Mass Spectrometry) systems. Comparison with other real-time instruments aboard ISS included the Volatile Organic Analyzer (VOA), the Compound Specific Analyzer – Combustion Products (CSA-CP), the Carbon Dioxide Monitor (CDM), and the Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA).

Related URLs:
http://saeaero.saejournals.org/content/4/1/451.abstract

Delay/Disruption-Tolerant Networking: Flight test results from the international space station

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

The University of Colorado is working with NASA to extend Earth's internet into outer space and across the solar system. The new networking technology is called Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN), and is being tested on the International Space Station. DTN will enable NASA and other space agencies around the world to better communicate with international fleets of spacecraft that will be used to explore the moon and Mars. This technology is evolving into an Interplanetary Internet. In this paper we describe the design and features of the DTN-on-ISS implementation as well as reporting initial results from the experimental deployment.

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AggieSat2 Student Satellite Mission

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

AggieSat2, Texas A&M University’s first free-flying spacecraft, operated for 230 days in low earth orbit (LEO) from its release from STS-127 Endeavour on 30 July 2009 until its deorbit on 17 March 2010. This mission was the first in a four-mission campaign, called LONESTAR (Low Earth Orbiting Navigation Experiment for Spacecraft Testing Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking), partnering the Aeroscience and Flight Mechanics Division at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), AggieSat Lab at Texas A&M, and the University of Texas at Austin (UT) to promote space engineering education as well as research into novel, low-cost autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations techniques. The first-mission requirement was to operate the global positioning system (GPS) receiver built by NASA JSC called DRAGON (Dual RF Astrodynamic GPS Orbital Navigator). AggieSat Lab developed a five-inch cubesat for this first flight, with UT building a similar spacecraft, called Bevo-1. AggieSat2 and Bevo-1 were launched together from the Space Shuttle and were designed to push apart and completely separate from one another for independent operations. The separation however, was incomplete and this hindered communications through antennas which were partially captive within the UT spacecraft. Over time, AggieSat Lab students were able to overcome this unforeseen and establish basic spacecraft operations. AggieSat2 was an end-to-end process and served as a learning platform for all participating students. AggieSat Lab is looking forward to applying the lessons learned from the mission to future flight programs through the NASA JSC and UT partnership.

Related URLs:
http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/6.2012-434

Testing and evaluation of a method for locating potentially hazardous sites of eventual microdestruction and detecting marks of ISS RS hull leakage

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

In 2008, two experiments – BAR and EXPERT – were performed on the Russian segment (ISS RS) during ISS missions 16 and 17 using diagnostic equipment BAR. The experiments were aimed to enhance ISS safety by proposing means and methods of detecting leaks due to many factors including microdestruction of pressurized modules of the vehicle. The BAR experiment was designed to assess the ultraviolet background in 56 potentially dangerous locations identified by RS ISS designers and engineers. The method for locating sites carrying the risk of microdestruction of pressurized structure was verified. The study showed that the rate of microdestruction is highly affected by level of ultrasound vibrations caused by onboard equipment. The ultrasound measurements in 200 RS ISS sites were performed within the BAR experiment. The method consists of looking for surfaces with atmospheric condensate in the areas of increased levels of ultrasound vibrations. Twenty six sites were added to the nomenclature of potentially risky sites to be monitored on the regular basis. Some of these sites were contaminated by fungi and bacteria.

Related URLs:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094576510003851

Conditions of formation of stable deposits of incomplete combustion products of liquid rocket fuels on the external elements of orbital stations

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

The results of the Dvicon and Kromka-1 space experiments aimed at studying the state of contaminant deposits on control samples exposed for a long time in the zone of emission incomplete combustion products from the orientation engines of the Mir Orbital Station and International Space Station. An analysis of the data on the intensity of the action of incomplete combustion products on the control samples during the space experiments made it possible to formulate a critical condition of formation of stable dry deposits of toxic contaminants.

Related URLs:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1134/S1990793108050205

Methodology of studying the parameters of contaminant emissions from the orientation engines of orbital stations during and after the flight

by on 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

The methodology of space experiments aimed at studying the dynamics of the emission of contaminants from the nozzles of the orientation engines of orbital stations is described. It was demonstrated that the use of passive diagnostic means, such as plates with special coatings and porous absorbents exposed for a long time near the engines, makes it possible to determine the quantitative characteristics and spatial distribution of incomplete combustion products.

Related URLs:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1134/S1990793108050217