Biolab Air Exchange System

Biolab AES electrical interface test with ISS power supply

Biolab AES functional test with Biolab ground model

Project Name: Biolab Air Exchange System

Customer: ESA; subcontractor to Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Space (CIRiS Norway)

Objective: Design, manufacturing and qualification of control electronics of the Biolab air Exchange system supporting the Water Across Plants Experiment.

Description: 

Water Across Plants is a space biology experiment which will investigate plant growth under reduced gravity conditions and in particular the water movement in, across and out of the plant. The Water Across Plant experiment will consist of two runs of 14 and 17 days. Each experiment run shall start with the insertion of four WAPS ECs inside the ESA Biolab facility in the Columbus module of the International Space Station. The humidity generated by the WAPS experiment is expected to be much higher than the design capacity of Biolab. Therefore, the experiment must be performed with Biolab in the open loop configuration. During open loop configuration the air inside the ECs will be exchanged with Columbus cabin air to control the rH. To avoid humidity build-up in Biolab an active ventilation is required to exchange the air from the incubator during the experiment execution. The Biolab Exchange Air System (AES) will be installed by the crew to the Biolab doors before experiment start and the systems will be turned on during the whole experiment run. The objective of this activity is the procurement/manufacturing, verification, acceptance (including safety certification), and delivery of the hardware, the associated documentation and services to the pre-flight preparation, commissioning, in-flight operations of the Biolab AES.

Objective of the contract between CIRiS and Kayser Space is to deliver the AES control electronics, including its certification for compliance to all relevant ISS requirements and the electrical interface to the on board power supply.