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<h2 class="hd hd-2 unit-title">Overview</h2>
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<h2>3.1.1 Overview of Unit 3</h2>
<p><img style="display: block; margin: 20px auto 20px auto;" src="/assets/courseware/v1/8c14de61872418b993224367c2190628/asset-v1:MITx+16.00x+2T2019+type@asset+block/Kevin-Ford-Water-Droplet-550.jpg" alt="Expedition 34 commander Kevin Ford watches a water droplet floating onboard the International Space Station" type="saveimage" target="[object Object]" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: 'Open Sans', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Expedition 34 commander Kevin Ford watches a water droplet floating onboard the International Space Station <br />(Image credit: NASA)</span></em></p>
<!--<p><img style="display: block; margin: 20px auto 20px auto;" src="/assets/courseware/v1/14ce669a585e07d4b705046b7bdcb744/asset-v1:MITx+16.00x+2T2019+type@asset+block/ISS-astronauts-food-550.jpg" alt="Expedition 20 astronauts share a meal together in the Unity node of the International Space Station" type="saveimage" target="[object Object]" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: 'Open Sans', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Expedition 20 astronauts share a meal together in the Unity node of the International Space Station<br />(Image credit: NASA)</span></em></p>-->
<p>In the previous unit, we learned about how to use rockets to get into space. But that's only half the problem in human spaceflight. Once astronauts leave our planet's atmosphere, they face a new challenge: staying alive and healthy in an environment that is harsh, unforgiving, and unlike anything on Earth. Keeping humans alive, healthy, and able to do useful work in space is the subject of Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS).</p>
<p><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 25.6000003814697px;">There are many ECLSS requirements for human spaceflight. Most of these requirements are not surprising, such as the delivery of oxygen, food, and water. Other requirements, however, are things that we may take for granted in our lives on Earth, such as proper atmospheric pressure and composition, temperature and humidity control, and the removal of waste and other contaminants.</span></p>
<p style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 25.6000003814697px;">Upon completing Unit 3, students should be able to:</p>
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<li>MO 3.1: Identify the basic requirements for humans to stay alive and healthy in space</li>
<li>MO 3.2: Define open-loop and closed-loop ECLSS and explain the key distinctions between the two modes</li>
<li>MO 3.3: Explain the basic principles of thermal control in the spacecraft environment</li>
<li>MO 3.4: Describe the various ways in which oxygen can be provided for the spacecraft atmosphere</li>
<li>MO 3.5: Describe the various ways in which carbon dioxide can be removed from the spacecraft atmosphere</li>
<li>MO 3.6: Describe how trace contaminants are removed from the spacecraft atmosphere</li>
<li>MO 3.7: Describe how water is purified and recycled in the spacecraft environment</li>
<li>MO 3.8: Explain the concept of "ECLSS equivalent mass"</li>
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