Program for Tracking Air-Purification Cartridges

The Cartridge Automated Reliance Tracking (CART) computer program enables authorized requesters associated with NASA to gain access to the most recent tracking data on LiOH-based airpurification cartridges used during space-shuttle flights. CART could also be adapted to suit the needs of other organizations in disseminating tracking data to geographically dispersed users. The information provided by CART includes the location and flight status of each cartridge, every step in the processing of the cartridge, and the statuses of all chemicals consumed in the processing. Prior to the development of CART, reports on the statuses of cartridges were prepared manually in Kennedy Space Center’s LiOH laboratory on request and transmitted by facsimile — a slow, labor-intensive procedure. CART utilizes Oracle Forms and Tarantella Web software. Cartridge-tracking data are now stored on a central server computer and made available in a series of reports that are accessible to authorized requesters in real time via the World Wide Web.