Description: Paragon Space Development Corporation and our partner Research Institution Texas Tech University (TTU) propose to continue development of a spacecraft habitat wastewater recycling system that integrates 1) a TTU Membrane Aerated Biological Reactor (MABR), 2) Nafion Membrane Water Purification (NWP) distillation technology, and 3) gas-phase trace contaminant removal (GTCR) to realize a low-mass, low-volume, closed-loop, sustainable, and ultra-reliable water recycling and purification system. It is the coupling of these well developed and understood processes that is novel and offers a significant advantage over state of the art (SOA) spacecraft water processing systems. The Integrated Water Recovery Assembly (IRA) will reduce consumable consumption by removing the need for hazardous chemical pretreat and may eliminate the need for aqueous-phase treatment now used to reach potable standards. It will also significantly reduce waste generation and increase material recycling by converting carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen species into useful products such as H2O, N2, and CO2. IRA will be less complex, require fewer consumables, be more robust, and more sustainable than SOA systems. IRA should produce a concentrated and dried solid waste stream that is always contained and consists of salts and residual organic matter. MABR and NWP have developed as independent subsystems for human spaceflight wastewater processing but their unique attributes have not been optimized to function together as an integrated wastewater recycling system. Neither is individually capable of producing potable water, but combined with mature GTCR technology, we propose that IRA represents a significant advancement over SOA of the art spacecraft wastewater processing systems. In summary, the innovation we propose is to combine and optimize all three stages into a novel integrated system capable of processing habitation wastewater and producing clean water for all habitat needs.

Benefits: Paragon's commercialization strategy for the development and incorporation of IRA into NASA's exploration-class habitats is summarized as follows: Technical Maturation - Building upon the completed Phase I where the functional integration of IRA's bioregenerative and distillation subsystems has been successfully demonstrated, we must add gas phase trace contaminant removal functionality and demonstrate the integrated operation of a functional prototype. The Phase II effort must mature IRA and deliver a full-scale functional prototype that quantifies performance and advantages over competing technologies. Market Development - The primary near-term market for IRA is NASA's Human Spaceflight program. Paragon actively engages with NASA through funded technology development efforts such as proposed here, flight hardware production contracts to Lockheed Martin (Orion) and Boeing (CST-100), and through active participation of industry conferences and workshops. We believe the most promising near-term opportunity to inject IRA into an operational systems is to demonstrate a Phase III system in a NASA long-duration ground test bed in the 2019 timeframe. Long-duration demonstration testing would pave the way for IRA to be integrated with the exploration habitats that will ultimately be developed for NASA.

Potential Non-NASA aerospace customers include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Orbital-ATK, Bigelow, & SpaceX. It is also possible that commercial entities like Inspiration Mars, Golden Spike, or Mars One could come through with significant investment funds for the maturation of their commercial exploration plans. Paragon is well positioned to incorporate IRA into their technical solutions as we have recent and ongoing work with entities such as this. In addition to aerospace applications, development of a highly regenerative and simple wastewater recycling system has numerous terrestrial applications, including disaster relief, remote military base support, and the deployment of green building hygiene water recycling systems. Paragon has the experience and technical capabilities and skills to mature IRA to flight in partnership with TTU and to market it for aerospace and terrestrial applications. We recognize it is essential to foster and develop business relations with customers, suppliers, and key subcontractors. To that end, we continue to develop a solid supplier base and have established working relationships with Research Institutions such as TTU that bring with them critical skills and capabilities of their own