THE PURPOSE OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS TO TEST THE FEASIBILITY OF ADAPTING A MANUALLY-OPERATED TRASH COMPACTOR DESIGNED BY JOHNSON ENGINEERING CORPORATION (JE) FOR USE ON SPACE STATION.

THE PURPOSE OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS TO TEST THE FEASIBILITY OF ADAPTING A MANUALLY-OPERATED TRASH COMPACTOR DESIGNED BY JOHNSON ENGINEERING CORPORATION (JE) FOR USE ON SPACE STATION. DISPOSAL OF SOLID TRASH PRESENTS A PROBLEM ON BOARD ALL SPACECRAFT. THIS PROBLEM INCREASES IN PROPORTION TO CREW SIZE AND MISSION DURATION. SPACE STATIONPLANNING REQUIRES THAT THIS TRASH BE COMPACTED AND STORED FOR RETURN TO EARTH ON BOARD PERIODIC SUPPLY CRAFT. SINCE THE TRASH WILL INCLUDE FOOD SCRAPS AND LEFTOVERS, PROVISIONSFOR DEODORIZING, BACTERIA CONTROL, AND LIQUID CONTAINMENT ARE REQUIRED. A SYSTEM STUDY IS PROPOSED TO DETERMINE DESIGN REQUIREMENTS, CONDUCT DESIGN ANALYSES, TRADE STUDIES,AND TESTING. AN EXISTING WORKING PROTOTYPE DESIGH PATENTED BY JOHNSON ENGINEERING AND DERIVED FROM SPACE SHUTTLE HABITABILITY STUDIES WILL BE USED AS A TEST BED TO GATHER DESIGN DATA. MANUAL OPERATION OFFERS MAJOR ADVANTAGES: (1) OPERATING POWER IS NOT REQUIRED; (2) WEIGHT SAVINGS RESULT FROM ELIMINATION OF HEAVY ELECTRIC MOTORS; AND (3) PERIODIC OPERATION OF THE MANUAL SYSTEM PROVIDES BENEFICIAL EXERCISE FOR ASTRONAUTS. A PHASE I FINAL PROJECT REPORT WILL BE PREPARED SUMMARIZING STUDY AND TEST RESULTS, DOCUMENTING THESELECTED DESIGN AND RECOMMENDING WORK TO BE UNDERTAKEN IN PHASE II.