Module 03: Atmosphere & ECLSS — Environmental Control and Life Support

[zheimr]

Module 03: Atmosphere & ECLSS

Spec: modules/03-atmosphere-eclss/SPEC.md
Status: Open — needs contributor to develop calculations and design

What this module covers

Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) maintaining a half-pressure (50.65 kPa) breathable atmosphere with 40% O₂ and 60% N₂ for 1 million inhabitants. This includes biological air revitalization, water recycling at 98%+ closure, temperature/humidity zone control, and waste processing targeting 99.5% material recovery.

The Rust physics engine already implements the pressure gradient model: P(r) = P₀·exp(ω²r²M/2RT) and basic ECLSS budgets. This module needs to go deeper.

Open questions to answer

• Atmospheric stability with weather systems at this scale — can you have clouds, rain, wind patterns inside a 4km-radius cylinder?
• Microbiome management — preventing pathogenic evolution in a closed ecosystem
• Fire suppression in half-atmosphere — different flame behavior at 40% O₂ / 0.5 atm
• Odor management across climate zones — airflow patterns in a rotating cylinder
• Atmospheric leakage rate and makeup requirements — hull permeability over decades
• Integration of natural water cycle with engineered systems — rain harvesting vs. mechanical recycling

What's already built

• Pressure gradient: exponential model accounting for centripetal "gravity"
• ECLSS budget: O₂ consumption (0.84 kg/person/day), water (25 kg/person/day), CO₂ removal
• Interactive dashboard visualization at dashboard.html

Required expertise

Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biology, Atmospheric Science

How to contribute

1. Read the SPEC.md
2. Pick one or more open questions
3. Do the math — cite sources, show work
4. Submit a PR updating the SPEC with your calculations

All calculations must be reproducible. Material choices must reference real data. Gaps must be documented as gaps, not glossed over.