scholarly journals Design of an Autonomous and Timed Water Delivery System in Microgravity

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
William Elke ◽  
Maia Heineck ◽  
Jonah Meffert ◽  
Ellie Monaghan ◽  
Jason Palesse
Keyword(s):  
Space Exploration ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Microgravity Environment ◽  
Space Travel ◽  
Water Delivery ◽  
International Space ◽  
Schedule Flexibility ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Manned Space ◽  
Fully Functioning

For long-duration, manned, space exploration missions to be feasible, farming techniques in space must become reliable and fruitful. The NASA Project Veggie team currently runs experiments on the International Space Station (ISS) in order to better understand how plants react to a microgravity environment. Current watering strategies on the ISS involve manual watering of all plants by the crewmembers. This poses a problem because watering plants must be scheduled into the crewmembers’ days which means less time to work, etc. The objective of Team International Space Salads (ISSa) was to create a device and prove that it could function in microgravity without electricity to autonomously water the plants in order to allow for schedule flexibility of the ISS crewmembers and to lay the foundation for watering systems for deep-space travel. The final device did not function fully as planned, however, the plant growing, surface tension experiments, and the device collectively progressed the multi-year project to a state where successive teams would have the knowledge and tools necessary to create a fully functioning device.

scholarly journals MMaJIC, an Experimental Chamber for Investigating Soldering and Brazing in Microgravity

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 28-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannen Daly ◽  
Micah Hardyman ◽  
James Ragan ◽  
Joseph Toombs ◽  
Tracie Prater ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Video Recording ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Video Data ◽  
Microgravity Environment ◽  
Experimental Chamber ◽  
Low Gravity ◽  
International Space ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Individual Experiment ◽  
Data Acquisition Card

AbstractAn E-1 payload, the Microgravity Materials Joining Investigative Chamber (MMaJIC), was designed and built for use aboard the International Space Station to investigate soldering and brazing phenomena in a microgravity environment. MMaJIC is a self-contained unit employing a microcontroller that runs a pre-programed experiment, monitors safety sensors, and supports temperature and video recording. MMaJIC uses individual experiment trays that can be easily modified for a specific investigation. The trays, which include a temperature/video data acquisition card, can be easily changed out and returned to Earth for evaluation. Simple operation of MMaJIC minimizes astronaut time while ensuring maximum sample throughput. It is expected that the results will shed considerable light on soldering and brazing in low-gravity environments, information that is important for NASA in conducting comprehensive repair and/or fabrication operations during long duration space missions.

scholarly journals Shuttle diplomacy

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (07) ◽  
pp. 46-53
Author(s):  
Burton Dicht
Keyword(s):  
International Space Station ◽  
Space Shuttle ◽  
Space Exploration ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Operating Costs ◽  
Space Program ◽  
International Space ◽  
New Vision ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The U.S

This article analyzes the decisions and technological challenges that drove the Space Shuttle’s development. The goal of the Shuttle program was to create a reusable vehicle that could reduce the cost of delivering humans and large payloads into space. Although the Shuttle was a remarkable flying machine, it never lived up to the goals of an airline-style operation with low operating costs. In January 2004, a year after the Columbia accident, President George W. Bush unveiled the “Vision for U.S. Space Exploration” to guide the U.S. space effort for the next two decades. A major component of the new vision, driven by the recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, was to retire the Space Shuttle fleet as soon as the International Space Station assembly was completed. With cancellation of the Constellation program in 2010, the planned successor to the Shuttle, the U.S. space program is now in an era of uncertainty.

scholarly journals Design of a Small-Scale Experimental Model of the International Space Station Crew Quarters for a PIV Flow Field Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 01045
Author(s):  
Matei-Razvan Georgescu ◽  
Ilinca Nastase ◽  
Amina Meslem ◽  
Mihnea Sandu ◽  
Florin Bode
Keyword(s):  
International Space Station ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Microgravity Environment ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Piv Measurements ◽  
International Space ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Small Scale Model

An attempt at improving the ventilation solution for the crew quarters aboard the International Space Station requires a thorough understanding of the flow dynamics in a microgravity environment. An experimental study is required in order to validate the numerical models. As part of this process, a small-scale model was proposed for a detailed study of the velocity field. PIV measurements in water offer high quality results and were chosen for the subject. Following certain similitude criteria, an equivalence can be found between the results of these measurements and the real ventilation scenario. This paper describes the development process of this small-scale model as well as its performance in the initial test runs. Details regarding the advantages and weaknesses of this first model are the core of the paper, with the intention of aiding researchers in their design of similar models. The conclusion presents future steps and proposed improvements to the model.

A robust model developed by LCWR combined with uniform design for the determination of hydrogen peroxide in water used in a microgravity environment

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 514-519
Author(s):  
Hai-Sheng Dong ◽  
Wei Zhao ◽  
Ping Cao ◽  
Shu-Juan Li ◽  
Tong-Fang Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydrogen Peroxide ◽  
Space Exploration ◽  
Uniform Design ◽  
Liquid Core ◽  
Design Strategy ◽  
Wave Guide ◽  
Microgravity Environment ◽  
Robust Model ◽  
Manned Space

Hydrogen peroxide is widely used in manned space exploration missions. A liquid core wave guide Raman apparatus was developed for the determination of hydrogen peroxide concentration in water coupled with uniform design strategy.

Microbial Observatory Research in the International Space Station and Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo”

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1025-1030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaki Shirakawa ◽  
◽  
Fumiaki Tanigaki ◽  
Takashi Yamazaki ◽  
Keyword(s):  
International Space Station ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Space Mission ◽  
The Body ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Microgravity Environment ◽  
International Space ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Experiment Module

The International Space Station (ISS) is a completely closed environment that offers a long-term microgravity environment. It is a unique environment where microbes can fly and attach themselves to devices or humans, especially the exposed parts of the body and head. The ongoing monitoring and analysis of microbes and their movement inside the Japanese Experiment Module (named “Kibo”) of the ISS are intended to study the effects of microbes on humans and prevent health hazards caused by microbes during a long-term space mission. This paper describes the current status and future plan of Japanese microbiological experiments to monitor microbial dynamics in Kibo. It also describes the future prospective and prioritized microbiological research areas based on the “Kibo utilization scenario towards 2020 in the field of life science.” Given the microbial research in space being actively conducted by the USA, NASA and international activities are also reported.

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