Word: co2
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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Using energy taken from the light, the algae absorbed the carbon dioxide given off by McClure's lungs and replaced it with oxygen. The air in the closed system smelled like wet hay, but it stayed rich in oxygen (21%), while its CO2 content never got higher than a harmless...
...proud of his group's success, yet he has no illusions that algae will join the crews of spaceships for quite some time. In principle, algae are ideal, requiring nothing but the sunlight filtered through a spaceship's windows to regen erate oxygen and dispose of CO2. But they demand a lot of water to live happily; the Boeing system contains 80 gal lons, weighing more than 600 Ibs. Pilgrim is sure that this prohibitive weight can be reduced drastically, but he has other problems besides. Algae are delicate; they sometimes sicken, turn yellow, and die. They...
Cookies, Too. Pilgrim believes that on short space jaunts the crewmen will breathe bottled oxygen. For longer voyages, a chemical recycling system that Boeing has developed looks more practical. It uses potassium or sodium super-oxide to generate oxygen and absorb CO2. Only on very long voyages, the sort that are measured in years, will closed systems using algae be the most efficient. On such space ventures, the crew may even be able to eat the excess algae (Pilgrim's daughter Vicki Leigh, 15, has made acceptable cookies of them), eliminating much of the need for toting food...
...removed. Then there is hydrogen, which emanates from batteries, can form an explosive mixture if as little as 4% accumulates anywhere. The smelly organic vapors from garbage and human sources must also be removed. Most of this unwanted stuff is eliminated by a hot catalyst that oxidizes it to CO2 and water. All traces of organic matter that escape the catalyst are mopped up by a bed of activated carbon, and finally an electrostatic precipitator removes the last aerosols (dust or smoke particles) from the sub's fresh, clean world. In case of an atmosphere-fouling emergency, the crew...