A pneumatic sleep support system was discovered to be in a slow discharge failure mode overnight, depositing its occupant upon the hard bunk surface. In the morning, the system was treated as an analog leaking pressure suit, and various methods of leak detection were discussed. We considering injecting helium and locating the leak with a sniffer, and using a radioactive gas as a tracer and detecting with radiation monitoring equipment, but these were dismissed as exceeding our equipment resources. The commander suggested immersing the pressurized suit in a tank in the GreenHab and looking for bubbles, but this was considered cruel to the next user of the suit. We returned to the time honored brushing on of a soapy water solution. The leak was ultimately located by the jet of cold air it expelled being detected by temperature and pressure sensors in a human cheek, as the leak was too vigorous to create bubbles. It was repaired by the application of a viscous polymer compound (GOOP by name) which is now holding firm after drying for about 6 hours.

We did conclude that the a practical way to provide early leak detection and repair might be to have a way to inject small amounts of helium into the breathing mixture when suits were being brushed down prior to re-entering the airlock. The brush would incorporate the sensor of a sensitive sniffer, much like "wanding down" security check at an airport. Very early detection of leaks before they get to the cold jet on a cheek phase could be critical to year-long Mars missions.