Orion ECLSS/Suit System - Ambient Pressure Integrated Suit Test

The Ambient Pressure Integrated Suit Test (APIST) phase of the integrated system testing of the Orion Vehicle Atmosphere Revitalization System (ARS) technology was conducted for the Multipurpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) Program within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. Crew and Thermal Systems Division performed this test in the eleven-foot human-rated vacuum chamber at the NASA Johnson Space Center. This testing is the first phase of suit loop testing to demonstrate the viability of the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) being developed for Orion. APIST is the first in a series, which will consist of testing development hardware including the Carbon dioxide and Moisture Removal Amine Swing-bed (CAMRAS) and the air revitalization loop fan with human test subjects in pressure suits at varying suit pressures. Follow-on testing, to be conducted in 2013, will utilize the CAMRAS and a development regulator with human test subjects in pressure suits at varying cabin and suit pressures. This paper will discuss the results and findings of APIST and will also discuss future testing. I. Introduction he Orion project has baselined CAMRAS as the technology for carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and water vapor (H 2 O) removal for the life support system in the MPCV. Unmanned tests conducted at both Hamilton Sundstrand (the manufacturer) and the Crew and Thermal Systems Division facilities at NASA/Johnson Space Center (JSC) demonstrate how the CAMRAS technology may meet several ECLSS requirements. Testing the hardware with human test subjects, who generate significantly more varied metabolic loads than those generated by a human metabolic simulator (HMS), is another important aspect of demonstrating the technology's capabilities. Integrating the CAMRAS unit with pressure suits connected by umbilicals requires human testing because the test subjects’ individual responses to the way the ARS functions could directly impact the final design of the system for Orion.