Air Revitalization in Orbit Demonstration for a Future Long-Duration Manned Mission

Various space agencies are currently considering the moon and asteroids as way stations for astronauts bound for Mars. Under JAXA’s long-term vision, JAXA2025, the agency will by 2015 finalize its development plans for the next period of manned space activity. To establish supporting technologies, JAXA is researching systems that will be indispensable for manned space activities beyond low earth orbit, including water and air recycling. Three types of assemblies are necessary for recycling air: a carbon dioxide separator to remove exhaled carbon dioxide from a spacecraft’s atmosphere, a carbon dioxide reduction assembly to produce water from the separated carbon dioxide and added hydrogen, and water electrolysis equipment for oxygen production. This paper describes a carbon dioxide removal assembly and a water electrolysis assembly designed for operation in microgravity.