Daily Archives: October 22, 2014

Space may be a vacuum, but at least aboard the International Space Station, smells still have plenty of room to waft. And considering the ISS has 6 living, breathing, excreting human beings living in such close proximity, some of those smells could get to be a major problem. Fortunately, NASA's accounted for that.

NASA engineer Robert Frost and former ISS astronaut Clayton Anderson explain how NASA takes care of astronauts' more malodorous byproducts.

From Robert Frost, NASA Instructor/Engineer in the Mission Operation Directorate:

Odors can result from equipment off-gassing, crew metabolic processes, food, experiments, and returning EVA crew members. Two-hundred and sixteen such contaminants have been identified and designed for.

In the SM (Service Module), the Micropurification Unit () provides a regenerable means to remove both low and high molecular weight contaminants.

In the Lab, the Trace Contaminant Control Subassembly (TCCS) performs a similar function.

Both of these units are nominally operating. Either one is capable of providing the trace contaminant removal for the entire ISS. The vents contaminants overboard while the TCCS traps them in replaceable beds.

Major components of the TCCS include an activated charcoal bed, a catalytic oxidizer assembly, a lithium hydroxide sorbent bed, a fan, and a flow meter. Although the TCCS removes most atmospheric contaminants with the charcoal bed, the high temperature catalytic oxidizer is required for removal of lower molecular weight compounds, such as methane.

TCCS inlet air is drawn directly from the open cabin atmosphere into the activated charcoal bed by the TCCS fan, which is downstream of the charcoal bed. The charcoal bed is impregnated with phosphoric acid, which enables it to absorb ammonia. Downstream of the fan, the process air is split into two flow streams; one going to the Catalytic Oxidizer Assembly, and one to a bypass line. The flow rate to the Catalytic Oxidizer Assembly, measured by a flow meter, is used to control the speed of the fan to provide a specified rate of flow to the oxidizer. The remaining flow is sent through the bypass.

See the rest here:
How NASA Deals With Odor Inside the International Space Station

As commander of the International Space Station, Chris Hadfield captivated the world with beautiful photos and commentary from space.

In a new book, You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes,Hadfield chooses the best from the thousands of photos he took on the International Space Station.

The Richat Structure in Mauritania, also known as the Eye of the Sahara, is a landmark for astronauts. If you've been busy doing experiments and haven't looked out the window for a while, it's hard to know where you are, especially if you're over a vast 3,600,000-square-mile desert. This bull's-eye orients you, instantly. Oddly, it appears not to be the scar of a meteorite but a deeply eroded dome, with a rainbow-inspired colour scheme(Chris Hadfield)

Salt from evaporation ponds in Great Salt Lake, Utah, is used to produce a lot of the world's magnesium metal. The largest saline lake in the western hemisphere attracts pastel-coloured algae, brine shrimp and the birds that love them, but so far, just this one lone wolf(Chris Hadfield)

On a clear day you can see forever (or at least from Havana to Washington, DC)(Chris Hadfield)

The Nile, draining out into the Mediterranean. The bright lights of Cairo announce the opening of the north-flowing river's delta, with Jerusalem's answering high beams to the northeast. This 4,258 mile braid of human life, first navigated end-to-end in 2004, is visible in a single glance from space(Chris Hadfield)

A twist of cloud near Arica, Chile. You see these frequently in this part of the world because the Pacific is cold, the land is warm, and the currents and winds combine to form a cloudy vortex clockwise here, because it's the southern hemisphere. North of the equator, the spiral would turn counter-clockwise(Chris Hadfield)

Manhattan awake, 9:23am local time...(Chris Hadfield)

...Manhattan at rest, 3:45am local time(Chris Hadfield)

Venice, floating in its lagoon(Chris Hadfield)

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You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes, Chris Hadfield's Photos of Earth from Space