SBIR PHASE II CONTRACT NNX17CJ09C FIBER-BASED ADSORBENTS TAILORED FOR PLSS AMMONIA AND FORMALDEHYDE REMOVAL…

Public award description

SBIR PHASE II CONTRACT NNX17CJ09C FIBER-BASED ADSORBENTS TAILORED FOR PLSS AMMONIA AND FORMALDEHYDE REMOVAL TARGETS TRACE CONTAMINANT REMOVAL NEEDS IN THE EXPLORATION SPACE SUIT ENVIRONMENT. THE EXPLORATION SPACE SUIT ENVIRONMENT IS EXTREMELY SMALL IN VOLUME, AND THE SUIT IS A CLOSED ENVIRONMENT WITH NO FRESH AIR . EXTREMELY SMALL AMOUNTS OF CONTAMINATION CAN ACCUMULATE AND REACH UNSAFE LEVELS. THE SPACESUIT OPERATING ENVIRONMENT IS REDUCED PRESSURE, AND HAS ELEVATED OXYGEN CONCENTRATIONS. THE CONTAMINANTS OF GREATEST INTEREST ARE AMMONIA AND FORMALDEHYDE. GENERATION RATES ARE LOW, ACCEPTABLE LEVELS OF CONTAMINATION ARE EXTREMELY LOW. WHEN THE COMMERCIAL CREW PROGRAM VEHICLES ARE DOCKED TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATIONS THERE IS A RISK OF AMMONIA CONTAMINATION EVENT. THE SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM HAD A REQUIREMENT FOR RAPID EMERGENCY RETURN AFTER AN AMMONIA LEAK ON ISS. TODAY, THE CURRENT CCP REQUIREMENTS DO NOT HAVE THIS REQUIREMENT LEVIED ON THEM. A HIGH CAPACITY AMMONIA REMOVAL SORBENT IS AVAILABLE IN A POROUS CLOTH FORM. THIS SOW WORK WILL INCLUDE LARGE-SCALE PERFORMANCE TESTING USING THE SERIONIX AMMONIA REMOVAL DEVICE, ASSESSING THE FLIGHT CONFIGURATION PACKAGING, ASSESSING THE FLIGHT MATERIAL, AND ASSESSING THE PROCEDURES AND TIMELINE OF AN AMMONIA LEAK EVENT. THIS WORK WILL DETERMINE THE REMOVAL RATES OF THE SERIONIX TECHNOLOGY AND GAGE THE OVERALL MATURITY OF THE SYSTEM.