Future astronauts will require highly reliable habitation systems to keep them healthy and productive in the deep-space environment. By leveraging capabilities developed for the International Space Station and using public-private partnerships, NASA is working with commercial partners on advancing concept studies to create the habitation systems astronauts will need for the journey to Mars.
Through online research, investigate a company or agency developing a component in a habitat system for deep space travel. Describe what you think is the next phase of development for the component, and explain the steps needed to reach the next phase.
Habitat Systems: Choose two (2) habitat systems from the table. Explore the significance of the habitat systems, and narrow your focus to components within the system.
Company/Agency Research: Explore what the partner company or agency has already established as a means to developing a component from each system.
Next Phase: Propose what is next for the system component, and describe what you would do to push the component to the next phase needed for deep space travel.
Bridge the Gap: Identify gaps in the system between the current phase and next phase of the habitat component. What steps must happen to reach the proposed next phase?
Habitat Systems
Habitat System
Components
A. Life Support
air revitalization, water recovery, waste collection and processing
B. Environmental Monitoring
atmosphere, water, microbial, particulate, and acoustic monitors
C. Crew Health
exercise equipment, medical treatment and diagnostic equipment, long-duration food storage
D. Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA)
space suit for exploration (initially for in-space and extensible for planetary surface)
E. Fire
non-toxic portable fire extinguisher, emergency mask, combustion products monitor, fire cleanup device
F. Radiation Protection
monitoring, modeling, safe haven, and overall new materials that are low atomic number materials including polyethylene, water, or any hydrogen-containing materials
Research Starting Points (Many additional partner companies exist.)
Company or Agency
Developing
Dynetics Inc.
of Huntsville, Alabama
New rapid, highly efficient system that removes carbon dioxide (CO2) and potentially other undesirable gases from spacecraft cabin air
UTC Aerospace Systems
of Windsor Locks, Connecticut
Set of concepts for larger, more modular Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) subsystems, requiring less integration and maximizing commonality between components
Orbital Technologies Corporation (ORBITEC)
of Madison, Wisconsin
Hybrid Life Support Systems (HLSS) that will enable efficient and effective life support systems through hybrid technologies that can be adapted to meet life support requirements for cost-effectively extending long-duration human missions
Bigelow Aerospace LLC
of North Las Vegas, Nevada
Radiation protection, thermal performance, and general operations of expandable structures
NASA
Water Monitoring Suite containing both commercial and NASA-developed hardware that monitors microbes, silica and organic material in the water supply
NASA
Spacecraft Fire Safety (SAFFIRE) to understand how flames spread in large-scale microgravity fires, demonstrate the performance of combustion product monitor systems, and conduct test of post-fire cleanup technologies
NASA
Aerosol Sampler to gather quantitative data on ambient air quality due to high concentration of airborne particles on International Space Station
NASA
More efficient air and water systems to increase efficiency of air revitalization and water recovery systems
Formatting:
Divide your paper into two sections, Habitat System 1 and Habitat System 2.Use headings for Habitat Systems, Company (or Agency) Research, Next Phase of Component and Bridging the Gap.
All Final Projects will have a cover page, reference page(s), plus a maximum of 10 content pages.
Cover page will include the project title, student’s name and student’s community college.
Reference page(s) and inline citations are required
Content is ten (10) pages, maximum, which does not include the title page. This includes any graphics embedded in the paper.
Number the pages, starting on the first content page after the title page.
1” margins (top, bottom, sides)
Double-spaced lines
Use 12-point, Times New Roman font.
Not following the formatting for this Final Project will result in a 4-point deduction.
File Naming
Please use the following file naming procedure when submitting your files:
