International Space Station Major Constituent Analyzer On-Orbit Performance

The Major Constituent Analyzer is a mass spectrometer based system that measures the major atmospheric constituents on the International Space Station. A number of limited-life components require periodic changeout, including the ORU 02 analyzer and the ORU 08 Verification Gas Assembly. Over the pas...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI). Conference Proceedings
Main Authors Gardner, Ben D, Erwin, Phillip M, Thoresen, Souzan, Granahan, John, Matty, Chris
Format Conference Proceeding
LanguageEnglish
Published Hampton NASA/Langley Research Center 01.01.2012
Subjects
Aerospace environments
Constituents
End of life
Failure
International Space Station
Ion sources
Multinational space ventures
Space stations
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Summary:The Major Constituent Analyzer is a mass spectrometer based system that measures the major atmospheric constituents on the International Space Station. A number of limited-life components require periodic changeout, including the ORU 02 analyzer and the ORU 08 Verification Gas Assembly. Over the past two years, two ORU 02 analyzer assemblies have operated nominally while two others have experienced premature on-orbit failures. These failures as well as nominal performances demonstrate that ORU 02 performance remains a key determinant of MCA performance and logistical support. It can be shown that monitoring several key parameters can maximize the capacity to monitor ORU health and properly anticipate end of life. Improvements to ion pump operation and ion source tuning are expected to improve lifetime performance of the current ORU 02 design.