MKremer - 16/9/2006 10:51 AMNot sure what you mean, exactly, about how the PVR's work, apart from being solar cell arrays.
Spiff - 16/9/2006 4:22 PMyea, I mean the radiators, not the solar arrays themselves. And, I gathered more or less that that's how they're supposed to work, but, I don't quite see how that could work during orbital day when the sun is shining rather brightly on those same radiators. Are they only turned on during night? Also, how can you radiate heat into the vacuum of space? .
MKremer - 17/9/2006 12:32 AMNo washing machine. If you consider, it's pretty obvious - it's much cheaper to lift clean clothes to orbit than the much larger mass of water needed for washing those clothes (and thus wasted). Also, how would you dry them?
You can do laundry up there, after a fashion: Ken Bowersox demonstrated in one of the Expedition 6 videos (last one at bottom of page) how to wash favorite items of clothing: the clothes are first put into a plastic bag, into which is squirted water and soap. After several minutes of squeezing and prodding, the clothes are taken out and rinsed with more water in a separate bag. Russian wet/dry towels are used to squeeze as much water out as possible, then the clothes are secured behind bungee cords in Zarya to dry, which they do after around three hours. All evaporated water is reclaimed by the SRV-K2M condensate water processor that separates it into gas and liquid, then purifies and recycles the evaporate as potable water.
Spiff - 17/9/2006 12:07 AM 2. Oxygen generation. I know that the STS-121 mission brought up a new oxygen generator to the ISS that, when working together with the russian Elektron oxygen generator, will provide oxygen capacity for roughly 4 persons. Is this generator already tested/turned on? If not, how to provide oxygen currently for 3 persons? (Elektron provides oxygen for 2) And, when will it be turned on?
The U.S.-made Oxygen Generation System was brought up on STS-121 in July 2006 (the NASA article somewhat pointedly remarks that the OGS “promises to provide the International Space Station crew with more breathable air – in a more reliable way.”). It will not be up and running until 2007. It is manufactured by Hamilton Sundstrand. James Oberg has an article on the Elektron Device; see also "Oxygen problems plague Space Station".
Spiff - 17/9/2006 8:56 PMThanks for answers again everyone.Jim, I'll google that for more info. ThanksSuzy, thanks also, nice links. Any reason why it won't be turned on until 2007?
I think the reason is it needs to undergo some tests in orbit (note: document isn't online anymore):
Feb 1, 10:09 PMGenerator to fly soonerNASA wants backup oxygen maker on station before crew expansionBY CHRIS KRIDLERFLORIDA TODAYNASA has moved up the launch of a new oxygen generator, which will fly to the International Space Station as soon as 2007.It not only will provide a backup for the frequently troubled Russian oxygen generator, the Elektron, but it will support expansion of the station crew, officials said."Having another system up there helps build redundancy into the system and helps make the station more robust," said Dave Parker, manager for the project at Hamilton Sundstrand.The company is developing the generator and plans to deliver it to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center next month, so it can be integrated with its power supply.Kennedy Space Center should get the generator by the end of the year, said Marshall's Bob Bagdigian, manager for the Regenerative Environmental Control Life Support System.It's scheduled to fly in a cargo module about May 2007, he said, depending on how the schedule unfolds when the shuttles start flying this May.It will be installed in the station's U.S. laboratory. Previously, it was to be housed in the yet-to-fly European-built Node 3.If there were an earlier opportunity to fly the new oxygen generator, "the program would like to take advantage of that," Bagdigian said. It could be a backup for the Elektron sooner, and an earlier delivery would allow testing of its systems before the crew is expanded beyond two or three people."We'd like to get to orbit as soon as we can and do some checkout on it and make sure everything's in order before the program has to depend on it," he said.The Elektron and the new system convert water into oxygen and hydrogen through electrolysis. An electrolyte is needed to complete the electrical circuit that makes the process work. The bubble-prone Russian system uses a liquid electrolyte, but the new U.S. system uses a solid one, Bagdigian said."You don't have to worry about the electrolyte leaking," he said."We've been building this basic technology in a lot of different forms for different customers over the years," including Navy submarines, Hamilton Sundstrand's Parker said. The difference is that the space hardware must be small and light and use as little power as possible.The company, which produces a lot of space and spacesuit hardware, is working closely with NASA to make sure the generator is safe, Parker said."It has to be handled very, very carefully," he said."We're looking forward to delivering it," Bagdigian said. "We think it will be a useful addition to the program and one that will give them a lot more on-orbit capability and flexibility."Contact Kridler at 242-3633 or [email protected]Hardware factsWhat: Oxygen Generation AssemblySupplier: Hamilton Sundstrand, working with NASA's Marshall Space Flight CenterPurpose: Produces oxygen for International Space StationDelivery to Kennedy Space Center: End of 2005Expected launch on shuttle: Spring 2007Station berth: U.S. Destiny lab (formerly slated for European Node 3)
Jim - 21/9/2006 6:15 AMIt is elsewhere on another thread but APAS and Progress are around 33-36". CBM is XX