The smallest space miners: principles of space biomining

As we aim to expand human presence in space, we need to find viable approaches to achieve independence from terrestrial resources. Space biomining of the Moon, Mars and asteroids has been indicated as one of the promising approaches to achieve in-situ resource utilization by the main space agencies. Structural and expensive metals, essential mineral nutrients, water, oxygen and volatiles could be potentially extracted from extraterrestrial regolith and rocks using microbial-based biotechnologies. The use of bioleaching microorganisms could also be applied to space bioremediation, recycling of waste and to reinforce regenerative life support systems. However, the science around space biomining is still young. Relevant differences between terrestrial and extraterrestrial conditions exist, including the rock types and ores available for mining, and a direct application of established terrestrial biomining techniques may not be a possibility. It is, therefore, necessary to invest in terrestrial and space-based research of specific methods for space applications to learn the effects of space conditions on biomining and bioremediation, expand our knowledge on organotrophic and community-based bioleaching mechanisms, as well as on anaerobic biomining, and investigate the use of synthetic biology to overcome limitations posed by the space environments.

Assessment of morphophysiological characteristics of lettuce Lactuca sativa L. after exposure to simulated space flight conditions

A number of morphophysiological parameters of the candidate crop Lactuca sativa L. for growing in space after influence of the combined action of proton irradiation and clinostating were assessed. It was found that the effect of simulated space conditions reduces the surface area of leaf blades, the mass of roots and shoots of lettuce plants, was not change the number of true leaves. After 20 days of cultivation of L. sativa after irradiation and clinostating, the values of the parameters of the length of shoots, roots, and chlorophyll fluorescence were at the level of control plants. The results obtained contribute to the development of space crop production. Key words: GROWING PLANTS IN SPACE, SALAD CROPS, SOWED LETTUCE, IRRADIATION, PROTONS, STRESS, CLINOSTAT

Cancer Studies under Space Conditions: Finding Answers Abroad

In this review article, we discuss the current state of knowledge in cancer research under real and simulated microgravity conditions and point out further research directions in this field. Outer space is an extremely hostile environment for human life, with radiation, microgravity, and vacuum posing significant hazards. Although the risk for cancer in astronauts is not clear, microgravity plays a thought-provoking role in the carcinogenesis of normal and cancer cells, causing such effects as multicellular spheroid formation, cytoskeleton rearrangement, alteration of gene expression and protein synthesis, and apoptosis. Furthermore, deleterious effects of radiation on cells seem to be accentuated under microgravity. Ground-based facilities have been used to study microgravity effects in addition to laborious experiments during parabolic flights or on space stations. Some potential ‘gravisensors’ have already been detected, and further identification of these mechanisms of mechanosensitivity could open up ways for therapeutic influence on cancer growth and apoptosis. These novel findings may help to find new effective cancer treatments and to provide health protection for humans on future long-term spaceflights and exploration of outer space.

How to Nurture Ground for Arts-Based Co-Creative Practice in an Invited Space: Reflections on a Community in North Netherlands

This chapter provides inspiration for researchers and practitioners who aim to engage with a community using (arts-based) creative practices, inclusive of dealing with the challenges this presents. We do this by reflecting on an illustrative case, a community engagement strategy that nurtured the ground for such practice under ‘invited space’ conditions. The questions that guide this chapter are: How should a creative practitioner deal with the constraints of an invited space when engaging with a community in the initial stage of a project? And, how best then to respond to the needs of the community on their own terms, rather than to external interests? To address these questions, we draw upon a place-based, cultural project situated in a village in the north of the Netherlands. The village is currently in the midst of two significant spatial transformations, namely municipality boundary changes and the construction of a windpark within its immediate environment, which caused distress and opposition among the residents. The case demonstrates how a creative practitioner was able to flip the constraints of co-creating within an invitational space ‘on its head’ by transforming this challenge into an invitation from the community themselves to continue the project on their own terms. This reversal was enacted by the creative practitioner implementing a community engagement strategy that reflects many of the participatory action research principles outlined in Neal’s (Playing for Time: Making Art as if the World Mattered, 2015) ‘art of invitation’. The findings provide inspiration for researchers and practitioners that aim to apply arts-based co-creative practices, including how to navigate existing power balances and re-centre a cultural project towards the needs of the community.

Experimental comparison of absorber and conductive floor automotive near field antenna measurement systems

Large truncated spherical near-field systems with conductive or absorbing floors are typically used in the measurement of the performances of vehicle-installed antennas. The main advantage of conductive floor systems is the ease of accommodation of the vehicle under test, but their performances are affected by the interaction with the reflecting ground floor. Instead, absorbing-based systems emulating free-space conditions minimize the effect of the interaction with the floor, but generally require longer setup times, especially at lower frequencies (70–400 MHz), where bulky absorbers are typically used to improve reflectivity levels. Considering scaled measurements of a vehicle model, the performances of these two typical implementations are analyzed in the 84–1500 MHz range and compared to free-space measurements. Absorbers with different dimensions and reflectivity have been installed in the scaled measurement setup, and measured data have been investigated with proper post-processing to verify the applicability to realistic systems. Figures of merit of interest for automotive applications, like gain and partial radiated powers, have been compared to free-space to evaluate the impact of different scenarios.

The Effects of Moderate Neuromuscular Blockade Combined with Transverse Abdominal Plane Block on Surgical Space Conditions During Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery: A Randomised Clinical Study

Background Deep neuromuscular blockade may be beneficial on surgical space conditions during laparoscopic surgery. The effects of moderate neuromuscular blockade combined with transverse abdominal plane block (TAPB) on the surgical space conditions during laparoscopic surgery has not been described. We investigated if moderate neuromuscular blockade combined with TAPB would be associated with similar surgical space conditions compared with deep neuromuscular blockade. Methods Eighty patients undergoing elective laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer were randomly divided into two groups. The intervention group was treated with moderate neuromuscular blockade (train-of-four (TOF) count between 1 and 3) combined with TAPB (M group), while the control group was treated with deep neuromuscular blockade (D group), with a TOF count of 0 and a post-tetanic count (PTC) ≥ 1. Both groups received the same anesthesia management. The distance between the sacral promontory and the umbilical skin during the operation was compared between the two groups. The surgeon scored the surgical space conditions according to a five-point ordinal scale. Patients’ pain scores were evaluated eight hours after the operation. Results The 95% confidence intervals of the difference in the distance from the sacral promontory to the umbilical skin between the groups were − 1.45–0.77cm. According to the preset non-inferior standard of 1.5cm, (-1.45, ∞) completely fell within (-1.50, ∞), and the non-inferior effect test was qualified. There was no significant difference in the surgical rating score between the two groups. The dosage of rocuronium in group D was significantly higher than that in group M (P < 0.01). The M group had significantly lower pain scores than the D group eight hours after the operation (P < 0.05). Conclusions In laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery, moderate neuromuscular blockade combined with TAPB can provide surgical space conditions similar to those of deep neuromuscular blockade, and at the same time, reduces the use of muscle relaxants, relieves postoperative pain within 4 hours after operation, shorten the time to extubation and stay in PACU. Trial registration: chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR2000034621), registered on 12, July, 2020

Opportunities and challenges in additive manufacturing used in space sector:a comprehensive review

Purpose The purpose of this study is to compile the successful implementation of three-dimensional (3D) printing in the space for the manufacturing of complex parts. 3D printing is an additive manufacturing (AM) technique that uses metallic powder, ceramic, or polymers to build simple/complex parts. The parts produced possess good strength, low weight, excellent mechanical properties and are cost-effective. This saves a considerable amount of both time and carrying cost. Thereof the challenges and opportunities that the space sector holds for AM is worth reviewing to provide a better insight into further developments and prospects for this technology. Design/methodology/approach The potentiality of 3D printing for the manufacturing of various components under space conditions has been explained. Here, the authors have reviewed the details of manufactured parts used for zero gravity missions, subjected to onboard International Space Station conditions and with those manufactured on earth. Followed by the major opportunities in 3D printing in space which include component repair, material characterization, process improvement and process development along with the new designs. The challenges such as space conditions, availability of power in space, the infrastructure requirements and the quality control or testing of the items that are being built in space are explained along with their possible mitigation strategies. Findings These components are well comparable with those prepared on earth which enables a massive cost saving. Other than the onboard manufacturing process, numerous other components and a complete robot/satellite for outer space applications were manufactured by AM. Moreover, these components can be recycled on board to produce feedstock for the next materials. The parts produced in space are bought back and compared with those built on earth. There is a difference in their nature i.e. the flight specimen showed a brittle nature and the ground specimen showed a denser nature. Originality/value The review discusses the advancements of 3D printing in space and provides numerous examples of the applications of 3D printing in space and space applications. The paper is solely dedicated to 3D printing in space. It provides a breakthrough in the literature as a limited amount of literature is available on this topic. The paper aims at highlighting all the challenges that AM faces in the space sector and also the future opportunities that await development.

Optimization of the Measurement Technique for Emissions in Reverberation Chamber Using the Equivalence Principle

This paper presents an optimization of a method to reconstruct the radiated emissions of an equipment under test by the measurement of the electric field samples collected on the walls of a reverberation chamber. This means that only the orthogonal component of the electric field is necessary to obtain the radiative behavior of the device in free space conditions. The use of the equivalence principle allows one to reduce the number of equivalent sources used to reconstruct the radiation of the device. In fact, in the previous version of the method, the sources are placed into the entirety of working volume of the reverberation chamber. In the current version of the method, only the surface surrounding the equipment under test is discretized. The analytical implementation of the method is proposed for a particular stirring action: the multiple monopole source stirring technique. This technique is based on an array of monopoles placed onto the walls of the cavity, and therefore no further hardware is needed for the reconstruction of the radiated emissions. The method is experimentally validated in a real scenario.