This is very interesting. Goodbye to the Russian Elektron system! And is it me, or wasn't that meant to be going in Node 3, not the Destiny?
Chris Bergin - 9/11/2005 8:53 AM
Goodbye to the Russian Elektron system!
It says the new system is a backup to the Elektron, so it's not goodbye yet!
Interesting the new concentration on water recycling. Previously they relied on the Shuttle, which produces loads of the stuff as a byproduct from its fuel cells. This was all bagged over to the ISS. Future spacecraft will all be solar powered, which means more water has to be lifted into space. (The Elektron uses water, of course.)
Any development of reliable, light, non-energy intensive water recyclers would have great utility on Earth, where vast numbers of people do not have access to safe water.
The use of LEDs to replace fluorescent lights seems obvious (now someone has pointed it out to me - I confess to not haven given lighting systems much thought). Anyone in the UK will have noticed LEDs replacing incandescent bulbs in traffic lights, at enormous savings. The energy savings for a total such conversion in the US have been estimated at $190 million per annum. Now that white LEDs are being developed, you can think of replacing all those lights on traffic signs and other such street furniture. The savings for the ISS will be mainly in weight and maintenance, although energy savings are not to be sniffed at.
The use of the ISS for testing such new technologies is going to be one its (mainly unsung) advantages.
Maybe wishful thinking on my part with the Elektron, but this is a good read on some idea of progession experiemention of technology that could be harnessed for uses on Earth......and that is what the public do not see from the ISS. So I'm all for this.
I thought the recycling was going in node 3 as well. Does anyone know what it is replacing in Destiny?
nacnud - 9/11/2005 2:57 PM
I thought the recycling was going in node 3 as well. Does anyone know what it is replacing in Destiny?
I'll ask - NASA PR is being very helpful now.
