The Advanced ISS Air Monitor ANITA2 – Future Continuous Measurements of Trace Gas Contaminants and their Dynamics

The successful ANITA1 (Analysing Interferometer for Ambient Air) mission on ISS has proven the usability of a sophisticated optical sensor for the simultaneous detection and quantification of 32 relevant trace gases in the cabin atmosphere. The instrument ran for 11 months in 2007 and 2008 leading to unique new findings and insights into the behaviour and dynamics of the ISS atmosphere. The successor instrument ANITA2 is now in the development phase, considering all lessons learned from the ANITA1 instrument. This includes ANITA1 noise effects, which in between could be simulated on ground in the laboratory. The new instrument design thus reflects an approach for a system with improvements in the sensitivity of at least one order of magnitude The ANITA2 mission is planned for five years of (automatic) operation on ISS, where the system relatively easily can be accommodated, since it consumes nothing but power.

ANITA2 will also be calibrated to detect and quantify simultaneously and quasi-online over 30 important trace gases in the cabin atmosphere. The optimised instrument in combination with sophisticated analysis software – based on advanced simulations and statistical regression techniques – forms a reliable and compact multi-gas air quality monitor.

Like ANITA1, ANITA2 is suggested to be an ESA-NASA cooperative programme, where ESA is responsible for the provision of the system, the data acquisition, and gas analyses. NASA’s responsibilities could be launch, accommodation, operation, and final use of the data. ANITA2 represents a precursor system for missions e.g. to Moon and Mars under the manned exploration programme.