The Portable Monitor for Measuring Combustion Products Aboard the International Space Station 2002-01-2298

The Toxicology Laboratory at Johnson Space Center (JSC) had provided the combustion products analyzer (CPA) since the early 1990s to monitor the spacecraft atmosphere in real time if a thermodegradation event occurred aboard the Shuttle. However, as the operation of the International Space Station (ISS) grew near, an improved CPA was sought that would include a carbon monoxide sensor that did not have a cross-sensitivity to hydrogen. The Compound Specific Analyzer-Combustion Products (CSA-CP) was developed for use on the International Space Station (ISS). The CSA-CP measures three hazardous gases, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and hydrogen chloride, as well as oxygen. The levels of these compounds in the atmosphere following a thermodegradation event serve as markers to determine air quality.

The first permanent ISS crew performed the CSA-CP checkout operations and collected baseline data shortly after arrival aboard the ISS in December 2000. The CSA-CP is currently deployed in the Service Module, Zvezda. This paper summarizes the reasons and process for transitioning from the CPA to the CSA-CP. Furthermore, the CSA-CP's performance characteristics are presented, and the early CSA-CP flight data obtained aboard the Shuttle and ISS are discussed.