Focus Areas - Human Life Support - Details

UNDERWATER LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS

Life support technology applications ranging from submersibles and habitats, submarines, to AUBA including semi-closed and closed systems. Such topics for this area are carbon dioxide removal methods, atmospheric gas monitoring and control methods, decompression considerations, biomedical and safety issues and electronic applications.

BIOMASS PRODUCTION

Within any controlled habitat isolated from direct access to earth-based life supporting resources is a biomass production sub-system. This will be important for supplying higher plants for food, supplying oxygen and scrubbing carbon dioxide, and providing water as a result of transpiration. The overall objectives of biomass production research are to conduct studies on monitoring, modeling, controlling and improving plant production.

FOOD PROCESSING AND NUTRITION

One aspect of long duration separation of humans from normal food supply channels is nutrition. A varied diet is essential for good nutrition and important for psychological health. Nutrition, palatability, and food processing capabilities will, therefore, have a major influence on what crops are ultimately chosen and what waste is generated. The overall objective of the food processing and nutrition research is to develop processes and food products suitable for long-term life support requirements.

WASTE PROCESSING AND RESOURCE RECOVERY

The waste processing and resource recovery system will have components which serve to keep the atmosphere clean and breathable, treat wastewater, provide potable water, minimize the amount of residual solid waste, and recover nutrients for use in plant growth operations. The overall objective for the waste processing and resource recovery research is to increase the knowledge base associated with current waste treatment practices and develop new technologies which will increase the efficiency and effectiveness.

SYSTEMS STUDIES AND MODELING

Optimization of and confidence in the use of any controlled habitat based life support system will stem from a robust understanding not only of each part of the system but of its interactions as a whole. Failure to explicitly examine interactions between system components can result in unanticipated effects. Multi-disciplinary cooperation and systems level integration are very important in designing this system. The overall objective of the systems studies and modeling research is to facilitate and conduct analyses at the systems level and to collaborate at the subsystem level to develop operational and control models.

EXTRA VEHICULAR ACTIVITY (EVA)

Research in the area of technologies for EVA applications, including such topics as system requirements/models, oxygen supply systems, carbon dioxide removal methods, regenerable thermal control, environmental protection garments/materials, atmospheric gas monitoring, compact power sources, airlock concepts, decompression considerations, biomedical sensing, intelligence enhancement systems/displays, safety issues and crew time efficiency.