Advances are continually being made in the area of manned space flight and this area of exploration will certainly play an important role in the progress of science over the next several decades and centuries. As the reaches of manned space flight expand, new technologies are needed protect those who venture into the harsh vacuum above, while also economizing resources for longer missions and lowering the costs associated with space travel. With these goals in mind, improvements may be made to current systems and methods for spacecraft environmental controls and life support.
One aspect of environmental control and life support is air revitalization. Oxygen gas, carbon dioxide gas, and water vapor within the breathable air of an enclosed crew cabin of a spacecraft must be maintained at levels to support life. Active air revitalization may help to maintain the levels. Typical spacecraft generally rely on separate systems to remove carbon dioxide and water vapor from the crew cabin. Resources are not typically shared between the systems. Further, typical air revitalization systems rely solely on fans to pass air therethrough without taking advantage of incidental pressure differentials to move air. Additional disadvantages may exist.