Closed Environment Module - Modularization and extension of the Virtual Habitat

Abstract The Virtual Habitat (V-HAB), is a Life Support System (LSS) simulation, created to perform dynamic simulation of LSS’s for future human spaceflight missions. It allows the testing of LSS robustness by means of computer simulations, e.g. of worst case scenarios. The focus of the paper will be the Closed Environment Module (CEM), which is the core of V-HAB. The main function of the CEM is the integration of all modules in the entire simulation and the control of the LSS. The CEM can simulate an arbitrary number of compartments and tanks including interactions between connected compartments. Furthermore, a control program to actuate the LSS technologies was implemented and is also introduced. The capabilities of the CEM are introduced based on selected test cases. The V-HAB CEM functionality was verified by simulating the Atmosphere Revitalization components of the International Space Station (ISS) and comparing it to actual measurement data. The results of this analysis are presented in the paper.