ASEN 5116 Spacecraft Life Support Systems

Updated 12/18/2006 3:05 PM

Spacecraft Life Support Systems

ASEN 5116 Spring 2006

Tu/Th 0800-0915 Room ITLL 1B50

Instructor

Dr. David Klaus

office: ECAE 107

ph. (303) 492-3525

email: klaus@colorado.edu

Course Overview

Provides a working knowledge of the systems needed to sustain human life in a spacecraft environment. Emphasis on understanding functional requirements of a life support system; operational details of subsystem technologies; new concepts currently being considered in NASA's advanced programs; and conducting a technical trade study.

Text: Spaceflight Life Support and Biospherics by Peter Eckart, Space Tech. Library Vol. 5, Kluwer Academic Publishers & Microcosm Press, 1996

Course Objectives

To provide engineering students with a working knowledge of the integrated systems needed to optimally sustain human life in a spacecraft environment.

Specific subject matter includes:

- functional requirements of a spacecraft life support system

- operational details of life support technologies

- conducting technical trade studies

- new concepts currently being considered in NASA’s advanced programs

- systems integration, analysis and operations

The semester concurrently entails a series of lectures, evaluated by homework, quizzes and an exam, and a group project involving requirement definition and conceptual design of a spacecraft life support system. The project consists of group homework assignments, interim and final oral presentations, and a written final report, which previous classes (ASEN 5116 and 5158) have turned into published papers or technical reports (see list below).

Publications resulting from prior classes

Kobrick, R.L., Baca, D., Cloutier, C., Gauthier, B., Geschwill, L., Gustafson, A., O’Dell, S., and Klaus, D. (2006): “Next Generation Lunar Lander: Preliminary Mass Estimate Summary”. Technical Report submitted in response to NASA Request for Information (RFI) Lunar Lander Concept Studies (NNJ06LSAM05L) (pdf)

Klaus, D.M., Adams, A.C., Bamsey, M., Cragg, M., Ellis, T., Higgins, C.D., Howard, H.N., Jairala, J., Kelly, E.A., Krauser, W.R., McFarland, S.M. and Vellone, M.M. (2005) “Spacecraft Life Support System Design Guidelines for Human Exploration of the Moon and Mars” SAE Technical Paper ICES 2005-01-3008 (pdf)

Klaus, D., Chluda, H., Ellis, T., Fehring, J., Howard, H., Jairala, J., Lloyd, T., Matthews, D., Morris, K., Rowley, K., Sauers, C. and Stephens, T. (2004) “Systems Engineering Evaluation of a Mars Habitat Design” ICES, SAE Technical Paper ICES 2004-01-2372 (pdf)

Czupalla, M., Aponte, V., Chappell, S. and Klaus, D. (2004) “Analysis of a Spacecraft Life Support System for a Mars Mission” Acta Astronautica 55: 537-547 (pdf)

Semester Project Reference

Klaus, D., Bamsey, M., Schuller, M., Godard, O., Little, F. and Askew, R. (2006) Defining space suit functional design requirements for lunar and Mars exploration missions, SAE Technical Paper 2006-01-2290 (pdf)