human space exploration
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Author(s):  
Aaron Berliner ◽  
Isaac Lipsky ◽  
Davian Ho ◽  
Jacob Hilzinger ◽  
Gretchen Vengerova ◽  
...  

Reinvigorated public interest in human space exploration has led to the need to address the science and engineering challenges described by NASA's Space Technology Grand Challenges (STGCs) for expanding the human presence in space. Here we define Space Bioprocess Engineering (SBE) as a multi-disciplinary approach to design, realize, and manage a biologically-driven space mission as it relates to addressing the STGCs for advancing technologies to support the nutritional, medical, and incidental material requirements that will sustain astronauts against the harsh conditions of interplanetary transit and habitation offworld. SBE combines synthetic biology and bioprocess engineering under extreme constraints to enable and sustain a biological presence in space. Here we argue that SBE is a critical strategic area enabling long-term human space exploration; specify the metrics and methods that guide SBE technology life-cycle and development; map an approach by which SBE technologies are matured on offworld testing platforms; and suggest a means to train the next generation spacefaring workforce on the SBE advantages and capabilities. In doing so, we outline aspects of the upcoming technical and policy hurdles to support space biomanufacturing and biotechnology. We outline a perspective marriage between space-based performance metrics and the synthetic biology Design-Build-Test-Learn cycle as they relate to advancing the readiness of SBE technologies. We call for a concerted effort to ensure the timely development of SBE to support long-term crewed missions using mission plans that are currently on the horizon.


Author(s):  
Aaron Berliner ◽  
Isaac Lipsky ◽  
Davian Ho ◽  
Jacob Hilzinger ◽  
Gretchen Vengerova ◽  
...  

Reinvigorated public interest in human space exploration has led to the need to address the science and engineering challenges described by NASA's Space Technology Grand Challenges (STGCs) for expanding the human presence in space. Here we define Space Bioprocess Engineering (SBE) as a multi-disciplinary approach to design, realize, and manage a biologically-driven space mission as it relates to addressing the STGCs for advancing technologies to support the nutritional, medical, and incidental material requirements that will sustain astronauts against the harsh conditions of interplanetary transit and habitation offworld. SBE combines synthetic biology and bioprocess engineering under extreme constraints to enable and sustain a biological presence in space. Here we argue that SBE is a critical strategic area enabling long-term human space exploration; specify the metrics and methods that guide SBE technology life-cycle and development; map an approach by which SBE technologies are matured on offworld testing platforms; and suggest a means to train the next generation spacefaring workforce on the SBE advantages and capabilities. In doing so, we outline aspects of the upcoming technical and policy hurdles to support space biomanufacturing and biotechnology. We outline a perspective marriage between space-based performance metrics and the synthetic biology Design-Build-Test-Learn cycle as they relate to advancing the readiness of SBE technologies. We call for a concerted effort to ensure the timely development of SBE to support long-term crewed missions using mission plans that are currently on the horizon.


Author(s):  
Santiago Andrés Plano ◽  
Víctor Demaría Pesce ◽  
Daniel Pedro Cardinali ◽  
Daniel Eduardo Vigo

2021 ◽  
pp. 89-100
Author(s):  
A.S. Kharlanov ◽  
R.V. Beliy

The paper describes the prospects for human space exploration. The growing role of private companies in the design of manned spacecraft is shown. An overview of these companies and their technological developments is given. The importance of international cooperation in space exploration is empha-sized.


Author(s):  
John B West

As earthlings, we take the oxygen in the air that we breathe for granted. Few people realize that this easy access to oxygen makes us unique in the whole universe. Nowhere else in our planetary system or in distant stars has stable oxygen ever been detected. However, the present plentiful supply of oxygen in our atmosphere was not always there. Long after the earth was formed some 4.5 billion years ago, the PO2 in the atmosphere was near zero, and it remained so for millions of years. But about 2 billion years ago, the PO2 dramatically increased to as high as 200 mmHg during the Great Oxygen Event, due to the activity of microorganisms, the cyanobacteria. Subsequently the oxygen level fell to the intermediate values that we have today. Here we also look to the future, for example, the next 50 years. This period will be special because it will include the beginnings of human space exploration, initially to the Moon and Mars. Neither of these has atmospheric oxygen. Nevertheless, plans to visit and live on both of these are developing rapidly. We consider the fascinating problems of how to how to ensure that sufficient oxygen will be available for groups of people . While it is interesting to discuss these issues now, we can expect that major advances will be made in the next few years.


Author(s):  
F. Javier Medina ◽  
Aránzazu Manzano ◽  
Alicia Villacampa ◽  
Malgorzata Ciska ◽  
Raúl Herranz

Plants are a necessary component of any system of bioregenerative life-support for human space exploration. For this purpose, plants must be capable of surviving and adapting to gravity levels different from the Earth gravity, namely microgravity, as it exists on board of spacecrafts orbiting the Earth, and partial-g, as it exists on the surface of the Moon or Mars. Gravity is a fundamental environmental factor for driving plant growth and development through gravitropism. Exposure to real or simulated microgravity produces a stress response in plants, which show cellular alterations and gene expression reprogramming. Partial-g studies have been performed in the ISS using centrifuges and in ground based facilities, by implementing adaptations in them. Seedlings and cell cultures were used in these studies. The Mars gravity level is capable of stimulating the gravitropic response of the roots and preserving the auxin polar transport. Furthermore, whereas Moon gravity produces alterations comparable, or even stronger than microgravity, the intensity of the alterations found at Mars gravity was milder. An adaptive response has been found in these experiments, showing upregulation of WRKY transcription factors involved in acclimation. This knowledge must be improved by incorporating plants to the coming projects of Moon exploration.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9424
Author(s):  
Grace L. Douglas ◽  
Raymond M. Wheeler ◽  
Ralph F. Fritsche

Food and nutrition are critical to health and performance and therefore the success of human space exploration. However, the shelf-stable food system currently in use on the International Space Station is not sustainable as missions become longer and further from Earth, even with modification for mass and water efficiencies. Here, we provide a potential approach toward sustainability with the phased addition of bioregenerative foods over the course of NASA’s current mission plans. Significant advances in both knowledge and technology are still needed to inform nutrition, acceptability, safety, reliability, and resource and integration trades between bioregenerative and other food systems. Sustainability goals on Earth are driving similar research into bioregenerative solutions with the potential for infusion across spaceflight and Earth research that benefits both.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Fahrion ◽  
Felice Mastroleo ◽  
Claude-Gilles Dussap ◽  
Natalie Leys

There are still many challenges to overcome for human space exploration beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) (e.g., to the Moon) and for long-term missions (e.g., to Mars). One of the biggest problems is the reliable air, water and food supply for the crew. Bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS) aim to overcome these challenges using bioreactors for waste treatment, air and water revitalization as well as food production. In this review we focus on the microbial photosynthetic bioprocess and photobioreactors in space, which allow removal of toxic carbon dioxide (CO2) and production of oxygen (O2) and edible biomass. This paper gives an overview of the conducted space experiments in LEO with photobioreactors and the precursor work (on ground and in space) for BLSS projects over the last 30 years. We discuss the different hardware approaches as well as the organisms tested for these bioreactors. Even though a lot of experiments showed successful biological air revitalization on ground, the transfer to the space environment is far from trivial. For example, gas-liquid transfer phenomena are different under microgravity conditions which inevitably can affect the cultivation process and the oxygen production. In this review, we also highlight the missing expertise in this research field to pave the way for future space photobioreactor development and we point to future experiments needed to master the challenge of a fully functional BLSS.


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