Helium Leak Testing, Inc. plays a critical role for many rocket engines in their development and use. In the International Space Station, safety concerns have led to the practice of conducting leak tests with helium on seals. Helium Leak Testing, Inc. aided the manufacturer in the design and construction of inter-compartment sealing technology for the ISS (International Space Station,). Testing as well as permeation studies were carried out to perfect the seals currently in use.

In the ISS, all environmental seals need to be qualified to eliminate the threat to crew safety, as well as continued operation of the station and its systems. Each sealed joint exposed to the constant vacuum of space requires testing to ensure leaks are eliminated. The utilization of helium leak detection, allows not only the location of very small leaks, but also insures the quality and reliability of the space station, reducing the probability of failure. Leak checks also prove that seals and sealing surfaces at joints are defect free and seals are seated correctly.

Developmental testing was performed on seals to obtain an acceptable installation. The development testing indicated that the helium leak testing was viable, so it was applied to test all flight hardware.

The leak test method consists of pumping the inner volume of a twin seal configuration through a leak detector and flowing helium externally, identifying seal leakage and determining acceptable permeation curves.