>> OFF-GAS TESTING
AT WHITE SANDS TEST FACILITY
IDENTIFIES AND QUANTIFIES
THE VOLATILE OFF-GASSED PRODUCTS
FROM MATERIALS
AND ASSEMBLED ARTICLES
THAT WILL BE LOCATED
WITHIN HABITABLE REGIONS
OF THE SPACECRAFT.
OFF-GASSING IS THE RELEASE
OF GASEOUS PRODUCTS
FROM A MATERIAL
INTO AN ATMOSPHERE
THAT CAN ACCUMULATE
IN A CLOSED-LOOP ENVIRONMENT
AND POTENTIALLY CREATE
A POISONOUS ENVIRONMENT.
TESTING INCLUDES PLACING
THE CANDIDATE MATERIAL
OR COMPONENT IN A CERTIFIED
CLEAN CONTAINER,
THEN THERMALLY CONDITIONING THEM
AT A SET TEMPERATURE
FOR A SPECIFIED LENGTH OF TIME.
THE ATMOSPHERE
INSIDE THE CONTAINER
IS ANALYZED USING
A VARIETY OF TECHNIQUES
TO IDENTIFY AND QUANTIFY
OFF-GAS COMPONENTS
IN ACCORDANCE WITH
NASA STANDARD 6001.
TECHNIQUES AND INSTRUMENTATION
HAVE BEEN OPTIMIZED
AND VALIDATED TO ENSURE
EVEN VERY SMALL QUANTITIES
OF TOXIC CHEMICALS
CAN BE RELIABLY DETECTED.
THE DATA GENERATED IS USED
TO DETERMINE THE QUANTITY
OF EACH MATERIAL
OR THE NUMBER
OF ASSEMBLED ARTICLES
THAT CAN BE FLOWN CONCURRENTLY
WITHIN A SPACECRAFT.
CHAMBERS FOR TESTING OF BOTH
SMALL AND LARGE MATERIALS
AND COMPONENTS
RANGE IN SIZE FROM 2 LITERS
TO 8,000 LITERS.
OFF-GAS TESTING SIMULATING
ONBOARD PROCESSES
SUCH AS 3D PRINTING
AND USE OF ADHESIVES
CAN ALSO BE PERFORMED
TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL
TOXICITY GENERATED.