Compact, Efficient, and Reliable Ventilation Fan for EVA Suits, Phase I

Advanced EVA suits for space exploration will need a portable life support system (PLSS) that is compact, lightweight, and highly reliable. A key component is a blower that circulates air through the space suit ventilation loop. We propose to develop an innovative air blower that can meet the challenging requirements for circulating ventilation air in an EVA suit using a reliable system that consumes little power. In Phase I we will prove the feasibility of our approach by producing a conceptual design for the blower and building and demonstrating a proof-of-concept blower. In Phase II we will optimize the blower and motor designs to achieve small size and maximum efficiency while meeting requirements and constraints for operation in exploration space suits. We will demonstrate lifetime and reliability of critical components and deliver a prototype blower that can be used in system tests of advanced portable life support systems.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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