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NASA Readies Commercial Air Tanks for Space

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NASA

Jun 30, 2021
Image Article
Commercial Air Tanks for Space
At Kennedy Space Center in Florida, commercial off-the-shelf air tanks – normally used by divers – are filled with breathing air for use on the International Space Station.
NASA/Kim Shiflett

Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 25, 2021, commercial off-the-shelf air tanks – normally used by divers – are filled with breathing air for use on the International Space Station. Using expendable air tanks for this purpose increases the efficiency of supplying air to the orbital laboratory. It also will supplement the reusable Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System tanks that NASA currently uses.

The team pressurizes the tanks to their maximum rated pressure before slowly reducing them to their flight pressure, creating a precise fill. They carefully monitor tank temperatures throughout the entire process to ensure a safe filling process.

Kennedy will ship 16 air tanks to the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia for an upcoming cargo mission to the space station aboard Northrop Grumman’s 16th commercial resupply services flight.

Commercial off-the-shelf air tanks – normally used by divers – are filled with breathing air for use on the International Space Station.
Commercial Off the Shelf Air Tank filling for the International Space Station
NASA/Kim Shiflett