Speaker
Description
The International Space Station (ISS) brought the first regenerative environmental
control & life support systems (ECLSS) to space over two decades ago, resulting
in valuable lessons learned that can be applied to new systems made to support
humans across more diverse mission profiles in the future. In the time since the ISS
ECLSS was baselined, new technologies have emerged and matured for terrestrial
and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) applications, along with improvements to the
existing baseline systems. Lockheed Martin is investigating ways to leverage these
alternative technologies and improvements to realize mass, power, and/or mission
synergy advantages compared to the ISS ECLSS. Avenues under investigation
include radiofrequency-based carbon dioxide (CO2) removal systems, solid oxide
cells (SOC) for oxygen production and CO2 reduction, additively manufactured
condensing heat exchangers for humidity control, and spray drying systems for water
recovery. The CO2 removal system combines the improvements that resulted in the
ISS’s Four-Bed CO2 Scrubber (4BCO2) with advances in radiofrequency delivery
systems. SOCs feature high operational flexibility, allowing the technology to be
used across the mission for ISRU, fuel cells, or life support systems. Condensing
heat exchangers that utilize specialized wicking geometries may offer higher
reliability and maintainability over similar systems that rely on hydrophilic coatings.
Use of evaporative systems designed to immediately process produced urine
mitigate dormancy concerns associated with stagnant liquid. New environmental,
performance, and dormancy needs emerge as human spaceflight missions expand
beyond space stations to include a sustained presence on the lunar surface and
habitats on Mars. By advancing alternatives to the ISS ECLSS, these missions are
able to create technology solutions more tailored to their specific mission needs.