Abstract
To accommodate long duration biology research with rodent habitats on the International Space Station while providing a healthy living and working environment for crewmembers, NASA Ames Research Center developed a new exhaust filter for odor control for the Animal Enclosure Module (AEM), which houses mice and rats. The new exhaust filter uses activated carbon pellets as adsorbents, with phosphoric acid (H3PO4) impregnated on the surface. The deodorization performance of the new exhaust filters for AEM units housed with mice was evaluated. The ammonia breakthrough time of the exhaust filters was also investigated. The results indicated that H3PO4 treated activated carbon exhibited a high ammonia adsorption capacity of more than 90%. Furthermore, the new exhaust filter can effectively control the odor from the AEM units for a 45-day (minimum) flight mission with a given animal biomass.
Highlights
Humans have observed animals in order to better understand aspects of human biology
The objective of this paper is to present the comprehensive design and configuration of the long-term odiferous organic compound filter, which uses phosphoric acid loaded activated carbon as its adsorbent to remove odorants, especially ammonia
A high performance, long duration exhaust filter was developed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center to remove ammonia from the rodent housing Animal Enclosure Module, and H3PO4 impregnated activated carbon was used as its adsorbent
Summary
Humans have observed animals in order to better understand aspects of human biology. Animal research has become the gold standard for basic biology and medicine. It is possible to control and reproduce environmental conditions, experimental subjects, and protocol, a set of advantages that is often difficult if not impossible to achieve with human subjects. The value of animal research applies well to research in space as it does on the ground. Space animal research is essential for understanding the impacts of spaceflight on physiological systems and for the development of therapies that will mitigate detrimental responses to spaceflight. The rodent, for example, is an ideal surrogate for establishing the temporal baseline effects of long term exposure to spaceflight
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