Quote: (Originally Posted by
mverick)
But, all it takes is one advancement. Kevlar was an accident. Vulcanizing was an accident. Lot of accidents that made huge leaps in Technology. Just gotta wait for the next accident.
Yup. Exactly. I just tossed the cryo-scrubber out as a paridigm shift example, just let your mind wander and consider that things do change.
Ya'll might want to look at this, though. "PLSS" means "Personal Life Support System", meaning "Man Worn", not "vehicle mounted". We're talking BACKPAK here, guys.....
NASA Technical Reports Server
Short quote:
"A breadboard cryogenic carbon dioxide scrubber (Cryo Scrubber) for a closed loop cryogenic PLSS was developed, designed, and tested, and a conceptual design suitable for a PLSS was developed based on the results of the breadboard testing. The Cryo Scrubber freezes CO2 and other trace contaminants out of expired vent loop gas using cooling available from a liquid oxygen (LOX) based PLSS. The device is continuously regenerable, with solid CO2 being removed from the cold freeze-out surfaces, sublimated, and vented overboard. Duration is limited only by the supply of LOX stored in the PLSS. Simplicity, reliability, and operability are universally important criteria for critical hardware on long duration Lunar or Mars missions. The Cryo Scrubber has no moving parts, requires no additional consumables, and uses no electrical power, contributing to its simplicity and reliability. It is easy to use; no operator action is required to prepare, use, or shut down the Cryo Scrubber, and it does not require charging or regeneration. The versatility of the concept allows for operation on earth, the moon, and Mars, and in microgravity."
Dave
(looking at his cryogenic SCUBA (Kryolang) sitting on the shelf across my study, BTW....
I'm gonna dive that sucker one year!
) See:
Cryo Pjotrr
.