The ability to monitor air contaminants in the Shuttle and the International Space Station is important to ensure the health and safety of astronauts. Three specific space applications have been identified that would benefit from a chemical monitor: organic contaminants in crew cabins, propellant contaminants in the airlock, and pre-combustion fire detection. NASA has assessed several commercial and developing electronic noses (e-noses) for these applications. A preliminary series of tests identified those e-noses that exhibited sufficient sensitivity to the vapors of interest. These e-noses were further tested to assess their ability to identify vapors, and in-house software has been developed to enhance identification. This paper describes the tests, the classification ability of selected e-noses, and the software improvements made to meet the requirements for these space program applications.
Evaluation of Electronic Nose for Space Program Applications
2003
9 pages
Report
No indication
English
Manned Spacecraft , Space Safety , Life Support Systems , Air Pollution & Control , Environmental Health & Safety , Technology utilization , Air pollution , Monitors , Electronics , Space programs , Detection , Error analysis , Vapors , Contaminants , International space station , Airlock modules , Fire prevention , Space shuttles