Vika oxygen generator: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 03:00, 17 December 2011

Revision as of 03:18, 17 December 2011

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'''Vika''' or '''TGK''' is aan oxygen generating system for spaceflight.<ref name=ellis>[http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oce/appel/ask/issues/44/44s_international_life_support.html Kerry Ellis - '''International Life Support''' - Ask Magazine]</ref> It is a SFOG, or solid-fuel oxygen generator, a kind of [[chemical oxygen generator]].<ref name=ellis/> It is has been used on the retired [[Mir]] space station and the [[International Space Station]].<ref name=ellis/> It was originally developed by [[Roscosmos]] to supplement the ''Elektron'' oxygen system on ''Mir''.<ref name=ellis/> A Vika module, also known as a "candle", contains about one liter of lithium perchlorate and can provide oxygen for one person for 24 hours.<ref name=ellis/>

It was used on Mir when more than three people were on board.<ref name=david>[http://books.google.com/books?id=FUtZwjleT3kC&pg=PA270&lpg=PA270&dq=Vika+oxygen&source=bl&ots=c1ojtq99y3&sig=hduoB3ZcMFuPLPh4EWPy1hiWq-0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=xATsTpL5K4Xhtgfi0IimCg&ved=0CFkQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=Vika%20oxygen&f=false David Michael Harland - '''The story of the space shuttle''' (2004) - Page 270] (Google Books link)</ref> Vika needs a supply of canisters to work, which must be flown into space.<ref name=david/> An example of this is [[Progress M-34]], which carried 60 canisters to Mir in 1997 along with other cargo.<ref name=david/> If ''Vika'' and ''Elektron'' stopped working the station would have to rely on a limited supply of bottled oxygen.<ref name=david/>

After being adopted for use on the ISS, it had the NASA name '''SFOG''', but they also sometimes use the Russian acronym TGK.<ref name=ellis/>