International Space Station (ISS) Environmental Controls & Life Support System (ECLSS) Manual Oxygen Management

One of the most critical functions of ECLSS is to maintain the atmospheric oxygen concentration within habitable limits. On the ISS, this function is provided by the Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA). During ISS (International Space Station) crew increments 7 thru 9, the MCA was at risk of imminent failure as evident by sustained high ion-pump current levels. In the absence of continuous constituent measurement by the MCA, manual methods of estimating partial pressure of oxygen (ppO2) and concentration levels need to be developed and validated to: (1) ensure environmental control and life support, (2) prohibit ISS system and hardware damage, and (3) enable planned ISS activities that effect constituent balance.