Flight Data Update on Long-Term Compound Stability in Dual Sorbent Tubes

At last year’s International Conference on Environmental Systems, a technical paper was presented showing the loss of several compounds stored in dual sorbent tubes (DSTs) for long periods (>60 days). At the time, DSTs were virtually the only source available to the U.S. to assess trace contaminant concentrations in spacecraft air; therefore the compound losses were an important problem that needed to be addressed.

This paper will update results from the DSTs returned on 9S and 10S Soyuz missions during the latter part of 2005. The data acquired from these DSTs will be compared to the 7S and 8S data presented last year. Discussion will focus on the reliability of correction factors and identification of any trends in the data. Additionally, test plans to investigate the cause of the problem and improve the DSTs will be detailed.