NASA ground crew with "sniffer cart" and Foxboro/NRL ambient air monitoring system incorporating the MIRAN-80 infrared analyzer on April 14, 1981, after the Columbia landing.
Sensitive mission. To help protect the Columbia astronauts from toxic and explosive gases, NASA accepted Foxboro ambient air monitoring instrumentation on the recommendation of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). Foxboro infrared analyzers were used immediately following the historic landing. Before support crews could rush in to accomplish disembarkation in a critically short 10 minutes, a thorough search had to be conducted for invisible clouds of toxic and highly explosive hydrazine and ammonia, the fuel used by the space shuttle's propulsion and air condi-
tioning systems. Had these vapors been present, even at low explosive levels, a catastrophe could have been triggered. But the monitor let NASA know instantly that the area was secure. We are proud of our role in this sensitive mission; it is a highly visible demonstration of how Foxboro experience can be applied to solve ambient air monitoring problems. Your air monitoring application may be just as dramatic, because the lives you protect are no less precious. Be confident and call us to discuss your needs. Foxboro Analytical, A Division of The Foxboro Company, P.O. Box 5449, South Norwalk, CT 06856. Telephone (203) 853-1616.
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