Objectives
Approximately fifty percent of the potable water supplied to the Russian cosmonauts, American astronauts and other occupants of the Russian Space Station Mir was produced by the direct recycle of water from humidity condensate. The remainder comes from ground supplied potable water that was delivered on a Progress resupply spacecraft or fuel cell water that was transferred from the Shuttle. This experiment was conducted to determine the quality of the recycled water, to assess the reliability of the water supply systems, to provide inflight testing of water collection hardware that will support the International Space Station (ISS), and to provide a better understanding of the interaction between atmospheric and water contaminants.
Shuttle-Mir Missions Approach
After the samples were recovered on the ground, they were distributed to the water analysis laboratories at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston and the Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP) in Moscow. Parameters tested at JSC included total carbon (total inorganic carbon, purgeable organic carbon, nonpurgeable organic carbon and total organic carbon), specific organics (alcohols, organic acids, semivolatiles, volatiles, nonvolatiles, formaldehyde, amines and carboxylates), turbidity, metals and silver. Parameters tested by IBMP included conductivity, pH, color, chemical oxygen demand, total solids, calcium, magnesium, total hardness and silver.
Results
The humidity condensate during Mir 19 had significantly lower levels of alcohols and organic acids as compared to Shuttle condensate. TOC levels were also much lower than levels previously measured in the Shuttle. Compounds detected in the Mir condensate which were much higher than those measured on the Shuttle included acetaldehyde, acetone, 1,2-ethanediol and 1,2-methoxy-2-propanol. One source of the 1,2-methoxy-2-propanol was from the Sharpie markers used in a number of experiments onboard Mir. Also, the high levels of 1,2 ethanediol were due to a leak of this compound from a coolant loop in the Mir core module. The ability to collect humidity condensate was critical in planning the operational response to this leak.
The performance of the water sampling equipment to collect samples for postflight chemical analysis (and inflight and postflight microbial analysis) performed as designed. Leakage of samples from the sample container seals was noted and prompted the modification of the bag design for future NASA-Mir missions.
Earth Benefits Publications
Pierre LM, Schultz JR, Johnson SM, Sauer RL, Sinyak YE, Skuratov VM, and Protasov NN. Collection and chemical analysis of reclaimed water and condensate from the Mir Space Station. SAE #961569. 26th International Conference on Environmental Systems, Monterey, California. July, 1996.
Straub JE, Schultz JR, Michalek WF, and Sauer RL. Further characterization and multifiltration treatment of Shuttle humidity condensate. SAE #951685. 25th International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Diego, California. July, 1995.
Principal Investigators
Yuri Sinyak, M.D. Co-Investigators
Mir-18, Mir 19, Mir 20
The water sampling kit contained disinfectant wipes, potable water samplers, waste bags, archival chemical sample bags and storage bags needed for water sampling. A prepackaged disinfectant wipe was retrieved from the kit and used to disinfect the Mir galley water port. Next, a potable water sampler was connected to the galley port. A waste bag was then connected to the potable water sampler. Using the waste bag, 200 ml of water was collected and discarded. Next, 1000 ml of water was collected into the archival chemical sample bag. The archival chemical sample bag was placed in a self-sealing storage bag and stowed for return on the Shuttle. These procedures were used to collect hot and cold water from the regenerated water system, and ground-supplied water for chemical analysis.
Findings from the analysis of the reclaimed water show that the water met all requirements of the Joint NASA/Russian Space Agency (RSA) spacecraft water quality standards exept for the NASA total organic carbon (TOC) requirement. The ground supplied water also met all standards except for the NASA TOC, turbidity and phenol requirements and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standard for chloroform and methylene chloride (Mir 19). Although these requirements were also exceeded in the recycled and ground supplied water, water delivered by the Mir systems to the crew was judged to be of general potable water quality.
This research will provide benefits in the areas of methods development for the analysis of drinking water, advanced technologies for the treatment of waste waters, and increased knowledge of potable water contaminants.
Muckle SV, Schultz JR, and Sauer RL. Charcaterization of spacecraft humidity condensate. SAE #932176. 23rd International Conference on Environmental Systems, Colorado Springs, Colorado. July, 1993.
Richard Sauer, P.E.
NASA/Johnson Space Center
Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP)
John Schultz, Ph.D.
Lizanna M. Pierre
 |
Curator:
Julie Oliveaux
Responsible NASA Official: John Uri |
Page last updated: 07/16/1999
.gif)