The external tank is currently the only non-reusable portion of the National Space Transportation System. The tank has 98% of the energy required to be placed in orbit at the point it is jettisoned. The purpose of this study is to develop techniques which would transform this throw-away item into a source of construction material at low earth orbit. A simulation is developed to verify the reduction timelines and peak power requirements for manual and automated reduction. The required tools to accomplish the tasks of initial cutting, product transport, spray on foam insulation removal, and product storage are developed. A trade study is conducted to determine the proposed method of power generation. Orbit models are developed to predict the orbital decay of the facility and its annual fuel requirements. A thermal model is developed and the thermal impacts of on-orbit salvage are investigated for three scenarios. A probabilistic cost model is developed and life cycle costs are projected based upon reducing four tanks per year. It is shown that more than 52,000 lbs of readily usable construction material in the form of I-beams and plate can be salvaged annually, and is cost competitive compared to equivalent products launched from earth.

GC-MS is a powerful technology and considered the "gold standard" for identifying unknown chemicals because it can separate and identify chemicals individually. The GC-MS combination allows a user to identify and quantify volatile or some semi-volatile chemicals in a mixture. The Inficon(Tradename) portable GC-MS called HAPSITE(Tradename) uses the same theoretical principles as any other GC-MS. The HAPSITE(Tradename) is a unique version of a GC-MS because it is small and lightweight. Its dimensions are 18" x 17" x 7" and it weighs 35 lbs. It is designed to be worn as a backpack, making this GC-MS system the first "man-portable" system. The carrier gas, which is traditionally a large compressed gas cylinder, is compressed nitrogen in a container about the size of a typical 12 oz. aerosol can. Advances in technology have reduced the size of the GC-MS components enabling the HAPSITE(Tradename) system to be taken directly to an incident involving unknown chemicals for near-real-time analysis. The HAPSITE(Tradename) draws samples directly from the air, which is different from laboratory GC-MS systems that typically rely on liquid injection. Direct air sampling avoids wet chemistry manipulations that are too difficult and time consuming to perform in a response situation. Results of this study give the operators in the field an understanding of the response variability between HAPSITE(Tradename) instruments against known chemical concentrations. Knowing instrument variability allows greater confidence in the chemical concentration estimates and more trustworthy risk assessments, enabling responders to make informed decisions during an incident. The goal of this research is to provide information on the variability that exists between HAPSITE(Tradename) instruments.