High-water mark

Think a fab is a complicated controlled environment in which to audit water quality? Try a spaceship.

During a Space Shuttle flight in January NASA commander Michael Baker and pilot Brent Jett used a Sievers Instruments monitor to test six water samples dosed with known concentrations of organic and inorganic contaminants. The experiment was designed to compare the results obtained in orbit with those obtained prior to launch. Preliminary conclusions show that g-forces, vibration, and microgravity did not hinder the effectiveness of the monitor, Sievers says. In a related experiment performed aboard Mir, the Russian space station, NASA mission specialist Jerry Linenger used the TOC monitor to sample both ground-supplied water and recycled water made from condensate collected in Mir's cabin. Both met the Russians' TOC potability specs, notes Sievers. The results indicate that the Russians may be able to minimize the amount of water carried into space.

The monitor incorporates the same technology as the commercial analyzers sold to fabs, says Ronald Davenport, Sievers's manager of NASA contracts. He sees a certain irony in the fact that Sievers tailored the original analyzer for a U.S. space application, transferred the technology to the private sector, and then received the call to use the technology on the latest government space mission.