COMPACT, LIGHTWEIGHT, EFFICIENT COOLING PUMP FOR SPACE SUIT LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS WITH THE INCREASING DEMAND…

Public award description

COMPACT, LIGHTWEIGHT, EFFICIENT COOLING PUMP FOR SPACE SUIT LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS WITH THE INCREASING DEMANDS PLACED ON EXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVITY (EVA) FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION ASSEMBLY AND MAINTENANCE, ALONG WITH PLANNED LUNAR AND MARTIAN MISSIONS, THE NEED FOR INCREASED HUMAN PRODUCTIVITY AND CAPABILITY BECOMES EVER MORE CRITICAL. THIS IS MOST READILY ACHIEVED BY REDUCTION IN SPACE SUIT WEIGHT AND VOLUME, AND INCREASED HARDWARE RELIABILITY, DURABILITY, AND OPERATING LIFETIME. CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE WITH EACH SUCCESSIVE GENERATION OF SPACE SUIT DESIGN; FROM THE APOLLO A7L SUIT, TO THE CURRENT SHUTTLE EXTRAVEHICULAR MOBILE UNIT (EMU) SUIT, AND THE NEXT GENERATION CONSTELLATION SPACE SUIT ELEMENT (CSSE). HOWEVER, ONE AREA OF SPACE SUIT DESIGN WHICH HAS CONTINUED TO LAG IS THE FLUID PUMP USED TO DRIVE THE WATER COOLING LOOP OF THE PRIMARY LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM (PLSS). CONVENTIONAL ELECTRIC MOTOR-DRIVEN FLUID PUMPS ARE HEAVY, BULKY, INEFFICIENT, AND PRONE TO WEAR AND WATER CONTAMINANTS. A NEW PUMP TYPE IS NEEDED. IN PHASE I, THE FEASIBILITY OF REDUCING THE POWER CONSUMPTION OF LYNNTECH'S ELECTROCHEMICALLY-DRIVEN FLUID PUMP BY EMPLOYING HIGH CONDUCTIVITY HYDROCARBON-BASED ELECTROCHEMICAL MEMBRANES WAS DEMONSTRATED. IN PHASE II, LYNNTECH WILL DEVELOP A FLUID PUMP SIGNIFICANTLY MORE ROBUST, AND MORE EFFICIENT THAN THE PUMPS CURRENTLY USED IN SPACE SUIT PLSSS.