Overview and Purpose
The Environmental Systems Commercial Space Technology Center (ES CSTC or
Center) is housed at the University of Florida's Department of
Environmental Engineering Sciences (EES) in Gainesville, Florida. The
purpose of the Center is to develop technologies for use in
long-duration human space flight, while at the same time also serving as
a catalyst for current, 'real-life,' commercial application of the
technologies developed. The Center brings together scientists and
engineers from NASA, academia, and industry, and provides the facilities
and support for the entire process, from development and testing to
successful commercialization of a final product.Background
Future mission goals of NASA involve long-duration space-flight. This
includes the International Space Station, where crews will be in orbit
for periods on the order of three months or more. The potential also
exists for exploration-class space flight missions for periods on the
order of two to three years or more, and might include excursions to
Mars, the Earth's moon, or an asteroid. The completely enclosed
environment of a spacecraft limits resources and requires reuse (i.e.
recycling).
Focus Areas and Projects
The Center's projects focus on needs in three Technical Focus Areas
defined by NASA:
- Air Revitalization
- Solid Waste Recovery
- Water Recovery
All systems have a shared design goal of reduced mass and volume, low
power consumption, and limited crew oversight. Successful projects will
foster new partnerships with significant commercial outcomes.
Participants and Organization
The Center is a cooperative undertaking between NASA, the University of
Florida (with participants from various Departments in addition to EES),
additional Academic Partners, and Industry Partners. For more
information, see the Directory section. |
