Description: In order to provide safe and sustainable breathable air aboard crewed space vehicles and extraterrestrial or planetary outposts, dust mitigation techniques appropriate for space environments must be developed. Filtering of airborne particles under these environmental constraints and conditions poses unique challenges. Filtration systems not only need to remove fine particles such as skin flakes, hair and clothing fibers, and other particulate matter from food and hygiene operations, they must also remove any extra-terrestrial planetary dust tracked into the habitat by the crew returning from exploration as well as debris from operating machinery and equipment. Thus the system must be capable of filtering particles sizes spread over several orders of magnitude. Further, since servicing or replacing filters in space is not a trivial task, the system is also required to last extraordinary life times.

Benefits: In order to provide safe and sustainable breathable air aboard crewed space vehicles and extraterrestrial or planetary outposts, dust mitigation techniques must be developed. This technology seeks to filter airborne particles in a wide range of sizes and from various sources to provide long-term clean air to crew and equipment on planned but currently unfunded NASA missions.