System Sterilization for Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System, Water Recovery Test

This paper addresses the methods, procedures, and results of the system sterilization associated with the Environmental Control and Life Support System Phase III, Water Recovery Test, Stages 1A/2A/3A, which took place at the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama. Sterilization was required for several purposes in this test: to provide a microbially free baseline in the test bed for evaluation of the Environmental Control and Life Support System water recovery design, to recover any portion of the system in the event of a microbial upset, and to provide a source of facility water to be used by test subjects for showers and handwashes. Typical components in the system include, tubing, water storage tanks, pumps, valves, instrumentation, heat exchangers, and sample ports.