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News
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
Houston, Texas 77058
AC 713 483-5111
Shuttle Trash Compactor to Serve as Extended Duration Flight Treasure
When Fred Abolfathi and J.B. Thomas work on one of their many projects at Johnson Space Center, a detailed test objective scheduled to fly on STS-35 in May, they don't have any problem finding material to test it out - they just reach for the nearest trash can.
Abolfathi, a Lockheed Engineering and Science Corp. project engineer, and Thomas, a subsystems manager in JSC's Man-Systems Division, have spent the past year working on a trash compactor for the Space Shuttle. They've crushed hundreds of pop cans, squished thousands of memos, mutilated pounds of flight food containers, and even thrown in a couple of cans full of cat food, just to test odor containment. "So far we haven't had any trouble generating trash,” Abolfathi said.
The experimental shuttle trash compactor is scheduled to fly on STS-35 for the first time as detailed test objective (DTO) 0534. The compactor will become an important part of shuttle hardware as NASA begins flying extended duration orbiter flights (EDO), said project managers. EDO missions mean more trash in a vehicle where stowage space already is extremely limited. The first 13 day EDO mission currently is scheduled in 1992. Plans call for the first 16 day EDO mission to occur in 1994.
"The goal of the EDO Trash Compactor is to reduce the trash to a manageable volume for EDO missions," said Thomas. "Each crew member generates about one-half cubic foot of trash per day."
Current projections indicate about 56 cubic feet of trash will be generated on the first 16 day EDO flight and those working on this project would like to reduce that number to 14 cubic feet, said Abolfathi.
The 48-pound compactor fits in place of middeck locker and is operated manually. Trash is placed inside a polypropylene bag which, when full, is placed inside the chamber of the compactor.
One bag holds a volume equivalent to one-half cubic foot. A metal compactor door is closed securing the bag inside the chamber. A crew member then uses handles on either side of the compactor in a garden shear-type movement to engage gears which push a piston
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