Life Support and Habitability Manual ESA PSS-03-406 921338
The paper describes some of the features of a reference manual to be issued by the European Space Agency that will form part of a set of standards covering the subjects of environmental control, life support, habitability and human factors.
The Manual contains information on the general requirements of life support and habitability and the missions that will drive its associated technologies. It is formatted as a series of individual data sheets that can be updated regularly and which are designed to accommodate inputs from other organisations and individuals. It also includes details of promising experimental work and theoretical concepts, as well as historical reviews that will help to guide the selection of technologies and the design of new systems.
The paper presents examples from the Manual which highlight aspects of a systems approach to life support. Trade-off methods that can be used to evaluate competing technologies and their combinations at sub-system and systems level are also described.
