ESMD Highlights

1. ESMD Highlights Electronic Nose (ENose) Challenge: Provide rapid, automated air-quality monitoring to prevent astronaut exposure to dangerous substances. Research Objective: Demonstrate six months of experimental operation of the Electronic Nose (ENose) on the International Space Station (ISS). Mission Description: The third generation ENose, developed by the Exploration Technology Development Program, is designed as a monitor to provide rapid, early identification and quantification of changes in the atmosphere caused by 10 dangerous chemicals, within 40 minutes of detection; it can also detect electrical fires. With minimal crew interfacing, the autonomous ENose will monitor the quality of the recycled air in the ISS by continuously sampling air and documenting events where chemical substances have potentially been released. Mission Duration: ENose was launched on the Space Shuttle Endeavour, STS-126 on Nov. 14, 2008. It returned to Earth aboard on the Space Shuttle Discovery STS-128 on Sept. 11, 2009. Learn more:http://enose.jpl.nasa.gov/intro.html. Orion Launch Abort Attitude Control Motor Test NASA’s Constellation Program (CxP), Alliance Techsystems (ATK) and Lockheed Martin teamed up to create and test a potential Attitude Control Motor (ACM) for the Orion spacecraft’s Launch Abort System (LAS) in December. An ACM is used to control which direction a flying object will go—its attitude. Orion’s ACM has eight valves that can put out up to 7,000 pounds of force to safely steer its crew away from the Ares I launch vehicle. The LAS and ACM are purely precautionary, but are very important for ensuring the crew’s safety should something go wrong on the launch pad or on the way into orbit. The test took place at ATK’s facility in Elkton, Md., and was a rousing success! This test was the sixth in a series of ground tests on the Orion vehicle system alone. Each test takes us a step closer to flight readiness and shows progress in astronaut flight safety, which is foundational to CxP success. For more, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/orion/acm_test.html.

2. Electronic Nose (ENose) Challenge: Provide rapid, automated air-quality monitoring to prevent astronaut exposure to dangerous substances. Research Objective: Demonstrate six months of experimental operation of the Electronic Nose (ENose) on the International Space Station (ISS). Mission Description: The third generation ENose, developed by the Exploration Technology Development Program, is designed as a monitor to provide rapid, early identification and quantification of changes in the atmosphere caused by 10 dangerous chemicals, within 40 minutes of detection; it can also detect electrical fires. With minimal crew interfacing, the autonomous ENose will monitor the quality of the recycled air in the ISS by continuously sampling air and documenting events where chemical substances have potentially been released. Mission Duration: ENose was launched on the Space Shuttle Endeavour, STS-126 on Nov. 14, 2008. It returned to Earth aboard on the Space Shuttle Discovery STS-128 on Sept. 11, 2009. Learn more:http://enose.jpl.nasa.gov/intro.html.

3. Orion Launch Abort Attitude Control Motor Test NASA’s Constellation Program (CxP), Alliance Techsystems (ATK) and Lockheed Martin teamed up to create and test a potential Attitude Control Motor (ACM) for the Orion spacecraft’s Launch Abort System (LAS) in December. An ACM is used to control which direction a flying object will go—its attitude. Orion’s ACM has eight valves that can put out up to 7,000 pounds of force to safely steer its crew away from the Ares I launch vehicle. The LAS and ACM are purely precautionary, but are very important for ensuring the crew’s safety should something go wrong on the launch pad or on the way into orbit. The test took place at ATK’s facility in Elkton, Md., and was a rousing success! This test was the sixth in a series of ground tests on the Orion vehicle system alone. Each test takes us a step closer to flight readiness and shows progress in astronaut flight safety, which is foundational to CxP success. For more, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/orion/acm_test.html.