A MODULAR ECLSS FOR A MID-DECK ANIMAL HABITAT TESTBED

EXISTING HOLDING FACILITIES FOR ANIMAL SPECIMENS USED IN SPACEFLIGHT LIFE SCIENCE STUDIES ARE INADEQUATE FOR SUPPORTING LONGDURATION EXPERIMENTS FOR THE SPACE STATION AND BIOPLATFORMS. NEW TECHNOLOGIES ARE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE SPECIMEN HABITAT BIOLOGICAL, GASEOUS AND RADIOISOTOPE ISOLATION, SPECIMEN INTERCHANGABILITY, AND INDEPENDENT LIFE SUPPORT FOR SPECIMEN EARTH/ORBIT TRANSPORT AND ON BIOSATELLITES. THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES WILL REQUIRE EXTENSIVE GROUND AND SPACE-BASED TESTING WITH SPECIMENS. DOWN TO EARTH (DTE) PROPOSES DEVELOPING AND TESTING A BREADBOARD MODULAR ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM (ECLSS) FOR ANIMAL SPECIMENS. THE ECLSS WILL OPERATEFROM NEAR-CLOSED TO OPEN LOOP AND IS A KEY ELEMENT OF A LIFE SCIENCE TESTBED FOR USE DURING DEVELOPMENT OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES. THIS PROPOSAL, FOCUSED ON ANIMALS, COMPLEMENTS ANOTHER BY DTE ON PLANTS. THE MODULAR ECLSS WILL BE SCALED TO FIT ONE MID-DECK LOCKER ALLOWING AN ANIMAL HABITAT TO FIT IN ANOTHER. THE ECLSS BREADBOARD WILL BE TESTED WITH RODENT SPECIMENS TO DEVELOP APPROPRIATE CONTROL ALGORITHMS FOR ANIMALS AND TO OBTAIN SERIAL MEASUREMENTS OF THE ACCUMULATION OF ORGANIC VOLATILES. CONCEPTUAL DRAWINGS WILL BE PRODUCED SHOWING THE ECLSS/ANIMAL HABITAT INSTALLED IN MID-DECK LOCKERS.