ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT: OVERVIEW

Advanced Life Support Systems (ALSS) are required to sustain human habitation of space over long time periods. As we progress from Space Station, to Lunar Base, to Mars Mission, the distances involved make the logistics of resupply extremely difficult and costly. Systems must be implemented which revitalize the atmosphere, produce food, reclaim and purify water, destroy solid wastes, and recycle precious materials for re-use. These systems must be efficient, reliable, and have minimal requirements for re-supply to maintain long term operation. To achieve these goals, a Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) is envisioned which mimics natural biogeochemical processes. In the CELSS approach, bioregenerative systems are used to the maximum extent practical. The growth of green plants can serve the dual purpose of food production and atmospheric revitalization, bacterial consortia in immobilized cell or activated sludge bioreactors can be used to remove toxic organics from water reclamation streams, similar bioreactors can be used to process inedible plant biomass and other solid wastes, etc. Integrated systems will be tested in a completely closed environment at NASA-JSC under the Early Human Test Initiative. Integrated systems will also be evaluated in the antarctic under the CELSS Antartic Analog project conducted jointly between the National Science Foundation and NASA-Ames. A selection of general references in these areas follows.

RELATED SITES

REFERENCES

GENERAL

Bubenheim, D.L., Bates, M.E., and Flynn, M.T., An Approach for Development of Regenerative Life Support Systems for Human Habitats in Space, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 951730, presented at 25th International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Diego, CA, July 10-13, 1995.

Cullingford, H.S., Development of the CELSS Emulator at NASA JSC, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 891477, presented 19th Intersociety Conference on Environmental Systems, San Diego, CA, July 24-26, 1989.

Doerr, D.F., Convertino, V.A., Blue, J., Wheeler, R.M., and Knott, W.M., Interaction Between Exercising Humans and Growing Plants in a Closed Ecological Life Support System, Acta Astronautica, 36, 601-605, 1995.

Dooley, H.A., Drysdale, A.E., Sager, J.C., and Brown, C.S., Bioregenerative Life Support System Design, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 951493, presented at 25th International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Diego, CA, July 10-13, 1995.

Drysdale, A., Sager, J., Wheeler, R., Fortson, R., and Chetirkin, P., CELSS Engineering Parameters, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 932130, presented at 23rd International Conference on Environmental Systems, Colorado Springs, CO, July 1993.

Drysdale, A.E., Dooley, H.A., Knott, W.M., Sager, J.C., Wheeler, R.M., Stutte, G.W., and Mackowiak, C.L., A More Completely Defined CELSS, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 941543, presented at 24th International Conference on Environmental Systems, Germany, 1994.

Drysdale, A., Space Habitat Options and Advanced Life Support Design Constraints, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 951690, presented at 25th International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Diego, CA, July 10-13, 1995.

Flynn, M., et al., A Laboratory-Scale Controlled Ecological Life Support System, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 941293, presented at 24th International Conference on Environmental Systems, Germany, 1994.

Fortson, R.E., and Stutte, G.W., Measuring the Reliability of a CELSS, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 951535, presented at 25th International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Diego, CA, July 10-13, 1995.

Gustavino, S.R., A Study of the Effects of Bioregenerative Technology on a Regenerative Life Support System, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 911509, presented 21st International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Francisco, CA, July 15-18, 1991.

MacElroy, R.D., and Brendt, J., Current Concepts and Future Directions of CELSS, Adv. Space Res., 4 (12), 221, 1984.

Powell, R.T., and Wynveen, R.A., Environmental Control and Life Support Technologies for Advanced Manned Space Missions, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 860994, presented 16th Intersociety Conference on Environmental Systems, San Diego, CA, July 14-16, 1986.

Reuter, J.L., Perry, J.L., and Carter, D.L., A Study on the Role of Human Testing of Life Support Systems, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 961474, presented at 26th International Conference on Environmental Systems, Monterey, CA, July 8-11, 1996.

Rummel, J.D., and Averner, M., Bioregenerative Life Support: The Initial CELSS Reference Configuration, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 911420, presented 21st International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Francisco, CA, July 15-18, 1991.

Rummel, J.D., Long Term Life Support for Space Exploration, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 901277, presenated 20th Intersociety Conference on Environmental Systems, Williamsburg, VA, July 9-12, 1990.

Sadeh, E., Bioregenerative Life Support Systems for Long-Term Space Habitation: A Conceptual Approach, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 951689, presented at 25th International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Diego, CA, July 10-13, 1995.

Schwartzkopf, S.H., Stroup, T.L., and Grote, J.R., Lockheed's Controlled Ecological Life Support System Test Bed (CTB), SAE Technical Paper Series No. 951710, presented at 25th International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Diego, CA, July 10-13, 1995.

Sun, S., Henninger, D., Tri, T., and Sager, J., NASA's Approach to Integrated System Testing of Regenerative Life Support Systems, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 951494, presented at 25th International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Diego, CA, July 10-13, 1995.

Tamponnet, C., Colasson, M., and Pastor, M., European Involvement in CELSS: Definition of a Closed Ecological Systems Test Bed, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 921189, presented 22nd International Conference on Environmental Systems, Seattle, WA, July 13-16, 1992.

EARLY HUMAN TEST INITIATIVE

Barta, D.J., Dominick, J.S., Kallberg, M., Early Human Testing of Advanced Life Support Systems, Phase I, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 951490, presented at 25th International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Diego, CA, July 10-13, 1995.

Edeen, M., and Henninger, D., Regenerative Life Support Systems (RLSS) Test Bed Performance: Characterization of Plant Performance in a Controlled Atmosphere, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 911416, presented 21st International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Francisco, CA, July 15-18, 1991.

Laws, B.A., and Foerg, S.L., Early Human Testing of Advanced Life Support Systems, Phase II and III, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 951491, presented at 25th International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Diego, CA, July 10-13, 1995.

McCray, S.B., Millard, D.L., Ray, R., Newbold, D.D., Pickering, K., and Verostko, C.E., Design of an Ultrafiltration/Reverse Osmosis Prototype Subsystem for the Treatment of Spacecraft Wastewaters, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 951738, presented at 25th International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Diego, CA, July 10-13, 1995.

Tri, T.O., Edeen, M.A., and Henninger, D.L., The Advanced Life Support Human-Rated Test Facility: Testbed Development and Testing to Understand Evolution to Regenerative Life Support, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 961592, presented at 26th International Conference on Environmental Systems, Monterey, CA, July 8-11, 1996.

Tri, T.O., and Henninger, D.L., Progress on Development of the Advanced Life Support Human-Rated Test Facility, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 951691, presented at 25th International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Diego, CA, July 10-13, 1995.

Tri, T.O., and Thompson, C.D., Development of the Advanced Life Support Systems Integration Research Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 921317, presented 22nd International Conference on Environmental Systems, Seattle, WA, July 13-16, 1992.

Tri, T.O., Brown, M.F., Ewert, M.K., Foerg, S.L., and McKinley, M.K., Regenerative Life Support Systems (RLSS) Test Bed Development at NASA-Johnson Space Center, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 911425, presented 21st International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Francisco, CA, July 15-18, 1991.

CELSS ANTARCTIC ANALOG PROJECT

Bubenheim, D.L., and Flynn, M.T., The CELSS Antarctic Analog Project and Validation of Assumptions and Solutions Regarding Regenerative Life Support Technologies, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 961589, presented at 26th International Conference on Environmental Systems, Monterey, CA, July 8-11, 1996.

Straight, C.L., Flynn, M.T., and Bubenheim, D.L., A Siting Survey and Interface Analysis for the CELSS Antarctic Analog Project Pilot Studies, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 951694, presented at 25th International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Diego, CA, July 10-13, 1995.

Styczynski, T.E., Antarctic Planetary Analog, SAE Technical Paper Series No. 911374, presented 21st International Conference on Environmental Systems, San Francisco, CA, July 15-18, 1991.

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Copyright © 1996, James E. Atwater