May 10 1996
From The Space Library
At Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), NASA announced that it had taken a major step forward in preparations for the International Space Station (ISS): the station's air purification system had passed a month-long test. NASA scientists tested the ISS's air pressure and the ability of its air system to regulate the mixture of carbon dioxide and oxygen that the astronauts would breathe. In the simulation, scientists used a 6,200-cubic-foot (176-cubic-meter) module from which they had removed the oxygen. The air system not only proved it could maintain the proper levels of both oxygen and carbon dioxide, but also performed satisfactorily at a reduced power level. Engineers hoped to reduce the power level of the ISS during its nighttime orbit. The system, called the Atmosphere Revitalization Subsystem, demonstrated that it could provide healthy working and living conditions for the astronauts on board the ISS.
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