| AVS 62nd International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Vacuum Technology | Wednesday Sessions |
| Session VT-WeA |
| Session: | Vacuum Quality and Partial Pressure Analysis |
| Presenter: | Matthew S. Kowitt, Stanford Research Systems |
| Authors: | M.S. Kowitt, Stanford Research Systems D. Hawk, Orbital-ATK D.J. Rossetti, Conceptual Analytics M.S. Woronowicz, SGT Inc. |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
The International Space Station (ISS) uses ammonia as a medium for heat transport in its Active Thermal Control System. Over time, there have been intermittent component failures and leaks in the ammonia cooling loop. One specific challenge in dealing with an ammonia leak on the exterior of the ISS is determining the exact location from which ammonia is escaping before addressing the problem.
Together, researchers and engineers from SRS and NASA's Johnson Space Center and Goddard Space Flight Center, have adapted a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) residual gas analyzer (RGA) for repackaging and operation outside the ISS as a core component in the ISS Robotic External Leak Locator, a technology demonstration payload currently scheduled for launch during 2015. The packaging and adaptation of the COTS RGA to the Leak Locator will be discussed. The collaborative process of adapting a commercial instrument for spaceflight will also be reviewed, including the build-up of the flight units. Measurements from a full-scale thermal vacuum test will also be presented demonstrating the absolute and directional sensitivity of the RGA.