''C

&+A-
LE

(TWRUI

MERCURY LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS'

By RichaPd S. Johnston

NASA Space Task Group

Langley Field, Va.

at. t h e Twentv-Eighth Annual Meeting of the

V n r P y p q p n t . n t . i on
Institute of the Aeronautical Sciknces

New York, New York

January 25, 1960

,
 , 8 .

MERCURY LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS

By Richard S. Johnston*
NASA Space Task Group

INTRODUCTION

This paper defines the design objectives for the Mercury environmental

control system, describes the system components, outlines system instru-

mentation and controls, and presents the concepts of operation for orbital

flight.

The primary purpose of Project Mercury is to place a man in orbit

approximately 100 miles above the earth and return him safely. Space

capsules are presently being developed for ballistic launch by Redstone

missiles and orbital launch by Atlas missiles. The capsule when placed

in orbit w i l l circle the earth in approximately 90 minutes. The first

orbital flights will consist of 3 orbits with a total flight time of

$ hours. Reentry w i l l be accomplished by firing retrorockets to decrease

the capsule velocity and allow the earth's gravitational force to bring

the capsule into the earth's atmosphere. The capsule will be recovered

by a parachute system and impact w i l l occur in the Atlantic ocean.

To support a man in these flights a closed-type environmental con-

% <

trol system has been developed by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, the

,a
capsule prime contractor, and AiResearch Manufacturing Division of the

Garrett Corporation, the system subcontractor.

*Aeronautical Research Jhgineer.

 .
I , h

SYSTEM DESIGN PARAMETERS

9
The primary function of the environmental control system is to pro-

vide a liveable gaseous environment to the astronaut. This requires con- L

trol of the gaseous composition, temperature, and pressure. The secondary

f'unction of the system is to provide adequate cooling for the electronic

equipment aboard the capsule. The system has been designed to the fol-

lowing specific requirements:

(a) To provide metabolic oxygen, pressurization, and ventilation in

the pressure suit and cabin for a minimum of 28 flight hours

(b) To provide selectable cabin temperature between 50' and 80' F in

the orbital phase with a maximum of 200' F in the launch and
reentry phases
b

(c) To remove carbon dioxide and water produced by the astronaut

(d) To provide comfortable humidity/temperature combinations within

the pressure suit during all phases of flight

(e) To operate in weightless o r high acceleration conditions

DESCRIPTION OF SYSTEM

Figure 1 shows the environmental control system capsule installa-

tion. This system maintains the capsule at 3 psi with an oxygen atmos-

phere. The astronaut wears a f u l l pressure suit which serves as a backup

to the cabin pressurization system and provides body ventilation. The

system is designed to automatically control the environmental conditions 0

within the s u i t and cabin during all phases of flight. The system also
w

provides manual controls to enable system operation in the event of

- 2 -
 dl . >

automatic c o n t r o l s malflmction. The environmental c o n t r o l system can be

considered as two subsystems; t h e cabin system and t h e pressure s u i t con-

t r o l system. Both of t h e s e systems operate simultaneously i n normal

operation from common oxygen, coolant water, and e l e c t r i c a l s u p p l i e s .

Common Supplies

W g e n i s stored i n two s p h e r i c a l 7,500-psi c o n t a i n e r s ( f i g . 2 ) .

Each contains 4 pounds of oxygen which i s s u f f i c i e n t f o r 26 f l i g h t hours

assuming a consumption r a t e of 500 cc/min and a, maximum cabin leakage

r a t e of 300 cc/min. The containers a r e equipped with a f i l l e r valve f o r

ground servicing a shutoff valve, and a pressure transducer t o provide

&La vu ine supply pressures. Both containers a r e equipped with p r e s s u r e

reducers t o reduce t h e primary supply pressure t o 100 p s i and t h e emer-

gency supply t o 80 p s i . The two containers a r e coupled such t h a t upon

d e p l e t i o n of t h e primary supply t h e emergency supply i s automatically

actuated.

A coolant water tank ( f i g . 3) designed t o o p e r a t e i n weightless

f l i g h t supplies water under pressure t o cabin and pressure s u i t c o n t r o l

system h e a t exchangers. The tank i s f i t t e d with an e l a s t i c membrane and

oxygen i s admitted t o one s i d e of t h e membrane t o f o r c e water from t h e

tank i n t o t h e heat exchangers. Control valves a r e provided on t h e cap-

s u l e consoles t o meter water flow i n t o the heat exchangers.

E l e c t r i c a l power i s supplied as 115-volt 400-cycle a . c . c u r r e n t t o

d r i v e system blower motors and 28-volt d.c. c u r r e n t i s supplied t o oper-

a t e v a r i o u s solenoid valves and system instruments.

- 3 -
 , .. b

Pressure Suit Control System

The pressure suit control system (fig. 4 ) provides breathing oxygen,

maintains pressurization, removes metabolic by-products, and controls

ventilation temperatures.

The pressure suit is coupled into the system by an inlet connection

at the pressure suit torso and an exit connection at the helmet. A com-

pressor circulates a 100-percent oxygen gas stream into the suit where

carbon dioxide, water vapors, and body odors are picked up. 'The gas

passes through a solids trap to remove particulate matter and is passed

on into a chemical canister to remove odor and carbon dioxide. The gas

stream then passes through a heat exchanger where the gas is cooled to

approximately 45' F. The water vapors condense into water droplets and
are carried suspended in the gas stream into a water separator. The

purified oxygen stream then passes into the suit.

Pressurization in the pressure suit control system is maintained by

a demand type pressure suit regulator. In normal operation this regu-

lator meters oxygen into the circuit to maintain the suit at nominal

cabin pressure. In the event of a cabin decompression the regulator

senses the loss in pressure and maintains the pressure suit at 4.6 psi.
An additional emergency mode of operation is provided in the pres-

sure suit control system by an emergency rate valve. In the event that
the normal suit pressurization system fails, the emergency rate valve

senses this emergency and directs an Oxygen flow of 0.05 lb/min through

the pressure suit and out an exhaust port of the pressure suit regulator

into the cabin. When this mode of operation is used the pressure suit

control system compressor is automatically turned off and a system shutof

-4-
valve closed. The emergency r a t e valve may a l s o be manually a c t u a t e d by

a c o n t r o l handle on t h e capsule console. This serves as a backup t o t h e

automatic a c t u a t i o n and provides a manual mode of operation should a pres-

sure s u i t c o n t r o l system f a i l u r e occur which could not be automatically

sensed. For example, f a i l u r e of the carbon-dhxide absorber and subse-

quent buildup of carbon dioxide would not automatically a c t u a t e t h e e m e r -

gency r a t e mode of operation. \

A research and development model of t h e f u l l pressure s u i t t o be

used i n p r o j e c t Mercury i s shown by figure 5. This s u i t i s being devel-

oped by NASA, t h e B. F. Goodrich Company, and t h e U. S. Navy. The

sinc1-Fies- xit Llcul-purates a v e n t i l a t i o n system t o d i s t r i b u t e t h e

v e n t i l a t i o n gas throughout t h e body. A bio-sensor connector i s provided

on t h e s u i t t o r s o t o b r i n g bio-sensor leads o u t of t h e s u i t . The helmet

incorporates communication equipment and t w o microphones are provided f o r

redundancy. A pneumatic-type v i s o r s e a l i s provided and i s actuated by

a separate oxygen source.

The major components of t h e s u i t c i r c u i t a r e shown i n figures 6

through 10.

The s o l i d s t r a p ( f i g . 6 ) has been designed t o remove s o l i d matter

which may be d i s p e l l e d i n t o t h e pressure s u i t c o n t r o l system. A

flapper-type valve i s provided t o a l l o w bypass flow through t h e t r a p

should t h e f i l t e r become clogged.

The pressure s u i t c o n t r o l system compressor i s a c e n t r i f u g a l com-

pressor which develops a flow of 10 cfln with a pressure head of 10 inches

of water. Two compressors a r e provided i n t h e pressure s u i t c o n t r o l sys-

tem for redundancy. Should the primary blower f a i l , a pressure switch

- 5 -
senses the l o s s of pressure across t h e blower and automatically t u r n s off

t h e p r i r a y blower and starts t h e backup blower.

8
The odor and carbon-dioxide c a n i s t e r ( f i g . 8) i s made up of a 1-pound

bed of activated charcoal and two 2.6-pound beds o f l i t h i u m hydroxide. Two -

l i t h i u m hydroxide beds a r e provided t o prevent channelling o r carbon dioxide

bypass. A f i l t e r i s i n s t a l l e d on t h e o u t l e t s i d e of t h e c a n i s t e r t o prevent

l i t h i u m hydroxide dust from passing i n t o t h e system.

The pressure s u i t c o n t r o l system heat exchanger ( f i g . 9) i s a water

evaporator type r a t e d a t 1,000 Btu/hr. The pressure s u i t c o n t r o l system

stream makes a s i n g l e pass through t h e heat exchanger and e x i t s a t approx-

imately 47' F. Water i s f e d from t h e coolant water tank onto a f i b e r pad

and i n t o c a p i l l a r y - l i k e tubes of t h e heat exchanger. The water removes

heat from the gas stream and evaporates. The water vapors then make a

second pass through t h e heat exchanger where h e a t i s removed from t h e

i n l e t gas superheating t h e water vapors. The superheated water vapors

a r e then passed overboard. The purpose of t h i s second pass i s t o assure

superheating Qf t h e water vapors t o prevent i c i n g i n t h e overboard vent

line. The overboard vent l i n e i s instrumented with a temperature switch

which a c t u a t e s a warning l i g h t when t h e water vapor temperature drops

below 50° F. This gives a v i s u a l i n d i c a t i o n o f excessive water flow i n t o

t h e heat exchanger. Prelaunch ground cooling i s provided by t h e heat

exchanger bypassing Freon-114 through a capsule umbilical connection

i n t o t h e water s i d e of t h e heat exchanger.

The water separator ( f i g . 10) c o n s i s t s of a v i n y l sponge which

absorbs t h e condensed water d r o p l e t s . The sponge i s squeezed by an

oxygen driven p i s t o n every 30 minutes t o f o r c e t h e condensate water

- 6 -
2E
i n t o a storage tank. The condensate water i s a v a i l a b l e t o t h e a s t r o n a u t
a
f o r drinking purposes following reentry and landing.

Cabin Control System

This system ( f i g . 11) c o n t r o l s cabin p r e s s u r i z a t i o n and temperature.

Oxygen and water a r e supplied t o the cabin c o n t r o l system as previously

described.

A cabin r e l i e f valve i s i n s t a l l e d t o automatically c o n t r o l t h e upper

l i m i t of cabin p r e s s u r i z a t i o n . The valve allows cabin pressure t o follow

ambient pressure up t o 27,000 f e e t following launch, where t h e valve seals

t h e cabin a t 5.5 p s i . I n addition t o t h e automatic c o n t r o l flmction, t h e

valve incorporates a manual decompress f e a t u r e . A manual c o n t r o l handle

i s l o c a t e d on t h e instrument console t o provide a means of decompressing

t h e cabin i n t h e event of f i r e or buildup of t o x i c gases.

To provide an oxygen enriched cabin atmosphere a launch oxygen sys-

tem i s provided. A 1-pound 7,500-psi oxygen supply i s s t o r e d i n a spheri-

c a l container and i s metered i n t o the cabin between 10,000 and 27,000 f e e t .

The container i s coupled with a f i l l e r valve, shutoff valve, pressure

reducer, and a barometrically actuated valve. Following launch as t h e

capsule passes 10,000 f e e t t h e barometrically c o n t r o l l e d valve opens d i s -

charging oxygen i n t o t h e cabin. This purge operation insures a minimum

cabin oxygen p a r t i a l pressure of 3.8 p s i . The astronaut i s given v i s u a l

i n d i c a t i o n of t h i s operation by a t e l e l i g h t on a sequence panel. A

manual backup a c t u a t i o n l e v e r i s provided on t h e console t o i n s u r e opera-

t i o n o f t h e launch oxygen supply.

A cabin pressure r e g u l a t o r valve meters oxygen i n t o t h e cabin t o main-

t a i n t h e lower l i m i t of cabin pressure. When t h e valve senses a decrease

- 7 -
i n cabin pressure below 5.1 P s i , oxygen i s metered i n t o t h e cabin t o main-

t a i n t h i s minimum pressure. The valve i s designed with a s a f e t y feature

t o prevent l o s s of t h e oxygen supply i n t h e event of a cabin decompression.

When the cabin pressure drops below 4 psi t h e cabin r e g u l a t o r valve seals,

stopping oxygen flow i n t o t h e cabin. I n addition t o t h e s e automatic con-

t r o l s , a manual recompress feature i s incorporated t o allow t h e a s t r o n a u t

t o repressurize t h e cabin following a premeditated cabin decompression.

Cabin temperature i s maintained by a water evaporator type heat

exchanger, and a cabin a i r c i r c u l a t i n g f a n s i m i l a r t o t h a t previously

described. Cabin gas i s drawn i n t o t h e h e a t exchanger by t h e fan, i s

cooled t o approximately 45' F, and i s d i r e c t e d i n t o t h e e l e c t r o n i c bay.

Postlanding cabin v e n t i l a t i o n i s provided by a snorkel valve system.

A s t h e capsule passes 20,000 feet following reentry, snorkel i n l e t and

outflow valves are opened by a barometric c o n t r o l . Simultaneous with t h e

opening of the snorkel valves, a shutoff valve i n t h e pressure s u i t con-

t r o l system i s closed and t h e emergency rate valve i s opened. Ambient

a i r i s then drawn i n through t h e snorkel i n l e t valve by t h e s u i t com-

pressor, i s enriched with oxygen, and i s forced through t h e pressure s u i t

and exits into the cabin through t h e exhaust p o r t of t h e pressure s u i t

regulator. The a i r then e x i t s t h e cabin through t h e snorkel outflow

valve. The snorkel valve system has a manual backup c o n t r o l on t h e

sequence panel. The astronaut i s given v i s u a l i n d i c a t i o n by a t e l e l i g h t

of t h e snorkel actuation and normally would a c t u a t e t h e backup manual

c o n t r o l t o insure postlanding v e n t i l a t i o n .

- 8 -
 Instrumentation

The environmental control system instrumentation is grouped in the

' a upper right-hand corner of the instrument panel (fig. 12). The panel pro-

. vides the following environmental control system instrumentation: cabin

pressure, temperature, relative humidity, and oxygen partial pressure;

primary and emergency oxygen supply pressure; and carbon-dioxide partial

pressure downstream of the lithium hydroxide canister in the pressure suit

control system. Cabin and pressure suit system fan controls are pro-

vided on this panel. A warning light panel is installed adjacent to the

environmental control system instrumentation. This panel gives the astro-

naut warning of major systems failures. An auditory warning signal is

actuated when failures occur. The astronaut would turn off the auditory

warning signal by actuating a switch located by the light, then insure

that corrective action is taken. Warning lights are provided for: loss

in cabin pressurization, depletion of primary oxygen supply, emergency

rate mode of operation, decrease in cabin oxygen partial pressure below

3 psi, increase of carbon-dioxide partial pressure to 3 percent in the

pressure suit circuit, and excessive cooling water to the suit and cabin

heat exchangers. System controls are located on the left console for

cabin decompression and repressurization. A telelight panel is located

on the left console to give the astronaut indication of flight event

sequential operation. On this panel the launch oxygen supply and snorkel

operation are presented. Manual backup controls are installed adjacent

to the lights. A green light indicates that the event has occurred, a red

light indicates the event has not occurred. Heat exchanger water flow

controls and the emergency rate valve control are located on the right

- 9 -
console which is not shown in this figure. The instrument panel and

astronaut will be photographed in flight. In addition the data from

the system instrumentation w i l l be telemetered and recorded by onboard

recorders .
Continuous physiological data on the astronaut's condition in flight

will be made with EKG, body temperature, and respiration rate and depth

measurements. These data w i l l be recorded by onboard recorders and w i l l

be telemetered.

SYSTEM OPERATION

Launch

The astronaut is coupled to the pressure suit control system, the

helmet face visor closed, and a ground purge of the pressure suit con-

t r o l system is made to provide a 100-percent oxygen atmosphere. Freon

is fed into the heat exchangers for ground cooling. The capsule is

sealed and a leak check performed. The astronaut is maintained by the

pressure suit control system with the pressure suit helmet visor closed

up to and including launch.

Orbital Flight

Following launch the cabin is purged by the launch supply and cabin

pressure is established at a nominal 5 psi. The astronaut may open his

helmet visor in flight provided a satisfactory oxygen partial pressure

exists in the cabin. This operation will be mandatory on long duration

flights f o r feeding, etc. In the event of a cabin decompression the

helmet visor is closed and the astronaut is sustained on the pressure

- 10 -
suit control system. If the pressure suit control system fails, the

astronaut may exist on the cabin atmosphere or he may resort to the

emergency mo& of operation. Should both the cabin pressurization sys-

tem and the pressure suit control system fail, the astronaut would be

maintained by the emergency rate mode of operation.

Reentry

In preparation for reentry heating the astronaut will, at a pre-

determined time, pre-cool the cabin and pressure suit control systems.

This is accomplished by opening the heat exchanger water control valves

to "full" oFPn fn ?En-.: ?~:2z&i ;low i n t o the heat exchanger.

Following reentry into the earth's atmosphere the snorkel system provides

ambient air for breathing and ventilation throughout the postlanding phase.

SUMMARY

An environmental control system capable of supporting one man for up

to 28 hours of space flight has been developed. The system incorporates

a 7,300-psi oxygen supply for breathing and pressurization, a full pres-

sure suit and suit control system are installed as a backup to the cabin

pressurization system and to control body ventilation and remove metabolic

by-products. Temperature control is provided by water evaporator type heat

exchangers.

The environmental control system will be utilized in all flights of

the Mercury capsule. A man simulator will be installed in the capsule

to load the environmental control system on all nonbiological flights.

Primates will be supported by the system in the animal phase of the

- 11 -
project. A n environmental c o n t r o l t e s t capsule will be obtained f o r

i n s t a l l a t i o n i n an a l t i t u d e chamber f o r astronaut t r a i n i n g and addi- c

t i o n a l t e s t programs.

The experience gained t o d a t e with t h e Mercury environmental con-

t r o l system has been r a t h e r meager; however, it appears t h a t a satis-

f a c t o r y system has been developed from more o r l e s s "off t h e s h e l f " con-

cepts. The system has been designed with a f a i l safe approach, redundancy

has been provided where possible, and manual backups have been incorporated

f o r t h e more important automatic c o n t r o l s .

Before i n i t i a t i n g designs of more advanced space f l i g h t environmental

c o n t r o l systems, based on t h e Mercury system experience, i t i s apparent

t h a t t h e aeromedical f i e l d must provide r e a l i s t i c metabolic d a t a f o r

9
engineers t o use i n system design. Engineering personnel must make every

e f f o r t t o conserve mass by recycling. For example, t h e condensate water

i n t h e Mercury system could be used t o supplement t h e coolant water and

thus extend t h e system duration i n s o f a r as cooling i s concerned. Where

possible, system components should be combined as a s i n g l e functioning

u n i t t o serve multipurposes.

- 12 -
6
a,
m
a3
M
m
?
0
8
 \

W
>
0
U
ZO
5% N
0. ~

IL
I
 NASA
B-59-1022
Figure 5.- Project Mercury full pressure suit.
r
1
0
rd
0
I
co
0
k
a,
N

k
0
k
k
0
+J
Ld
k
0

$I

41
a,
k

d
%
Fr
:E

4
0
k
c,

rl

c
 I

v)
QL
3 a,
k
0
I 7
00
cu -
0
I
7 7 W
0
I-
CK
I- U
0
0 8 rl
a
N
7
0
0
0
0
5A -r
0
k
-G
$2
0
QL
3 F: 0
rl
m 7 (d

m Id CI,

W > 0
C

2
CK 7
Q. t a 0
k
3 .rl
>
Q v) cn C
a,
7
a W
m
W
QT J
3 L

v)
v)
'I
(3
W
w c,
V
U
Q. z a,
c3

E
-I. 4 I
cu
rl
NASA - Langley Field, Va. L-983