Smart sensor systems for spacecraft fire detection and air quality monitoring

A fire in a spacecraft or habitat could jeopardize the system, mission, and/or crew. Further, an understanding of the environment on a continuous basis including after a fire is important for both astronaut health as well as for monitoring of hazardous conditions. This paper discusses the development and testing of a Smart Sensor System intended to provide reliable early warning of fires, as well as to provide information related to the spacecraft environment. In particular, a Smart Space Fire Detection System has been developed that includes an array of miniaturized chemical sensors that can accurately detect fire signature gases, such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, as well as other species such as oxygen, hydrogen, and hydrocarbons. This system combines the capabilities of previously developed fire detection and environmental monitoring systems. This paper describes the continued maturation of this multiparameter system including a description of the core sensor technology, integration of that technology into a hardware system, and recent test results on the complete sensor system in a range of combustion environments. It is concluded that a smart, multiparameter, microsensor based system has basic advantages as a multiuse system and can be used to complement other sensor technologies.