Experimental Study of Carbon Dioxide Accumulation on a Model of the Crew Quarters on the ISS

This study presents carbon dioxide measurements realized in an experimental setup mimicking the crew quarters of the astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Several human subjects were placed inside the mock crew quarters model and carbon dioxide emissions were monitored at different points over a fixed period of time in a situation without any sort of ventilation, in order to determine the average accumulation rate of carbon dioxide over time. The resulting average accumulation was used to determine the emission rate of carbon dioxide for the average human. Carbon dioxide emission results were compared to existing sources in the literature and an alternative empirical formula for estimating carbon dioxide emission rates is determined. The accuracy of the two prediction methods is evaluated by comparison with the experimental results.