One embodiment includes a contamination limiter for a spacecraft. The contamination limiter includes a body having an interior. An inlet is fluidly coupled to the interior of the body. A collector plate is positioned within the interior of the body. A UV light source is directed at a surface of the collector plate. An exterior vent is fluidly coupled to the interior of the body. A volatile condensable material from the spacecraft is photofixed by the UV light exposure to the collector plate prior to venting through an exterior vent to an exterior of the spacecraft.

Hollow structure to create pressurized space habitats which consists of a pressurized space habitat created from a set of connectable space modules (2) that, once assembled, define a volumetric body with a pressurized interior hollow space (1a), with the total volume of this structure (1) being greater than the sum of the volume of the volumetric bodies that these modules (2) form. The modules (2) are pressurized, with structural modules (2) and identical standardized modules also being able to exist. For the connection between modules (2), they present flat connection faces (20) with a coinciding door (4) to be fit together upon confronting the respective faces (20) of the two adjacent modules (2), whose doors (4) are fastened and pressurized with connection means (6) and sealing means (7), with the two modules (2) communicating together internally.

Hollow structure to create pressurized space habitats which consists of a pressurized space habitat created from a set of connectable space modules (2) that, once assembled, define a volumetric body with a pressurized interior hollow space (1a), with the total volume of this structure (1) being greater than the sum of the volume of the volumetric bodies that these modules (2) form. The modules (2) are pressurized, with structural modules (2) and identical standardized modules also being able to exist. For the connection between modules (2), they present flat connection faces (20) with a coinciding door (4) to be fit together upon confronting the respective faces (20) of the two adjacent modules (2), whose doors (4) are fastened and pressurized with connection means (6) and sealing means (7), with the two modules (2) communicating together internally.

A spacecraft capable of generating an artificial gravity environment comprises frame with a circular track with at least two modules traveling on the track. The two modules are configured to engage the first track opposite the first module to minimize mass imbalance, and a balancing system for the first and second modules configured to mass balance the first and second modules relative to each other. The frame itself does not rotate, and may have other mission supporting structures attached, including storage and supply modules, and observational modules, and spacecraft hangars and spacecraft docking modules. A method of operating a spacecraft to generate artificial gravity in a habitation module comprises operating a frame in space, propelling first and second habitation modules about the frame to generate artificial gravity environments in the modules, and mass balancing the first module relative to the second module to maintain balance of the spacecraft.

A spacecraft capable of generating an artificial gravity environment comprises frame with a circular track with at least two modules traveling on the track. The two modules are configured to engage the first track opposite the first module to minimize mass imbalance, and a balancing system for the first and second modules configured to mass balance the first and second modules relative to each other. The frame itself does not rotate, and may have other mission supporting structures attached, including storage and supply modules, and observational modules, and spacecraft hangars and spacecraft docking modules. A method of operating a spacecraft to generate artificial gravity in a habitation module comprises operating a frame in space, propelling first and second habitation modules about the frame to generate artificial gravity environments in the modules, and mass balancing the first module relative to the second module to maintain balance of the spacecraft.

In accordance with at least one aspect of this disclosure, a waste fluid water recovery system can include a waste fluid inlet line configured to connect to a waste fluid source, the waste fluid inlet line comprising one or more treatment components configured to treat the waste fluid, a treated waste fluid outlet line configured to connect to one or more outlets, a tank having a flexible membrane dividing an internal volume of the tank into a first portion and a second portion, a first line fluidly connected to the first portion of the tank, a second line fluidly connected to the second portion of the tank, and a switching valve connected between the first line, the second line, the waste fluid inlet line, and the treated waste fluid outlet line. The switching valve can be configured to connect the first line with the waste fluid inlet line and the second line with the treated waste fluid outlet line in a first state. The switching valve can be configured to connect the first line with the treated waste fluid outlet line and the second line with the waste fluid inlet line in a second state.

In accordance with at least one aspect of this disclosure, a life support system (LSS) for a spacecraft includes a gas accumulator configured to store a gas, the gas accumulator including a non-metallic inner lining. A fluid processor is fluidly connected to the gas accumulator configured to produce one or more life sustaining fluids from at least the gas. A supply conduit can be fluidly connected to the fluid processor configured to supply the one or more life sustaining fluids to one or more portions of the spacecraft.

In accordance with at least one aspect of this disclosure, a life support system (LSS) for a spacecraft includes a gas accumulator configured to store a gas, the gas accumulator including a non-metallic inner lining. A fluid processor is fluidly connected to the gas accumulator configured to produce one or more life sustaining fluids from at least the gas. A supply conduit can be fluidly connected to the fluid processor configured to supply the one or more life sustaining fluids to one or more portions of the spacecraft.

A system to perform multi-stage cleaning of material from a space suit worn by an astronaut in a deep space environment includes one or more discharge units installed external to an interior volume of a facility in the deep space environment. Each of the one or more discharge units releases one or more substances. The one or more substances includes water or air and the interior volume of the facility is defined by an interior hatch that is separated from an exterior hatch leading to the deep space environment by an airlock. One or more collection units installed external to the interior volume. Each collection unit traps released material that is released from a space suit based on the multi-stage cleaning to prevent the released material from entering the interior volume.

A method for computing self-contamination processes of a spacecraft by means of a data processing device comprising the following steps: receiving a first set of input parameters comprising general definitions of the spacecraft, receiving a second set of input parameters comprising control parameters for the spacecraft orbital data, physics, numeric, and a predetermined accuracy requirement of the computation, computing a self-contamination process of the spacecraft based on the received first and second sets of input data by either evaluating the analytical solution of a basic equation of emission or numerically solving the basic equation of emission for calculating a deposit of molecules outgassed from surfaces of the spacecraft with a numerical solver with the data processing device, wherein the numerical solver applies an adaptive stepsize control based on the preset accuracy requirement of the computation, and outputting the calculated deposit.