Environmental control system for an experimental crew return vehicle

摘要

A small team of NASA engineers has been assembled at the Johnson Space Center, with the goal of developing an inexpensive space-cable vehicle. In order to minimize cost and development time of the experimental vehicle, it was desirable to build upon a previously developed vehicle shape. The basic shape of the X-24A experimental lifting body was chosen for several reasons in the case of the Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS), the de-orbit cross-range capability of this shape provides for a minimal on-orbit time while waiting for landing opportunities, which, in turn, simplifies the ECLS. In keeping with the goal of rapidly developing an inexpensive and reliable vehicle, the ECLS was developed using simple, passive systems where practical. This paper provides an overview of the ECLS mission requirements and design, with emphasis on the philosophy used in its development. In addition, some initial testing and analysis results are presented to support the validation of the operational concept.