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Research Containing: Life Support Systems

International Space Station acoustics – a status report

by cfynanon 9 June 2015in Technology Development & Demonstration No comment

It is important to control acoustic noise aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to provide a satisfactory environment for voice communications, crew productivity, and restful sleep, and to minimize the risk for temporary and permanent hearing loss. Acoustic monitoring is an important part of the noise control process on ISS, providing critical data for trend analysis, noise exposure analysis, validation of acoustic analysis and predictions, and to provide strong evidence for ensuring crew health and safety, thus allowing Flight Certification. To this purpose, sound level meter (SLM) measurements and acoustic noise dosimetry are routinely performed. And since the primary noise sources on ISS include the environmental control and life support system (fans and airflow) and active thermal control system (pumps and water flow), acoustic monitoring will indicate changes in hardware noise emissions that may indicate system degradation or performance issues. This paper provides the current acoustic levels in the ISS modules and sleep stations, and is an update to the status presented in 20031. Many new modules, and sleep stations have been added to the ISS since that time. In addition, noise mitigation efforts have reduced noise levels in some areas. As a result, the acoustic levels on the ISS have improved.

Related URLs:

A Novel Device Addressing Design Challenges for Passive Fluid Phase Separations Aboard Spacecraft

by cfynanon 9 June 2015in Physical Sciences No comment

Capillary solutions have long existed for the control of liquid inventories in spacecraft fluid systems such as liquid propellants, cryogens and thermal fluids for temperature control. Such large length scale, ‘low-gravity,’ capillary systems exploit container geometry and fluid properties—primarily wetting—to passively locate or transport fluids to desired positions for a variety of purposes. Such methods have only been confidently established if the wetting conditions are known and favorable. In this paper, several of the significant challenges for ‘capillary solutions’ to low-gravity multiphase fluids management aboard spacecraft are briefly reviewed in light of applications common to life support systems that emphasize the impact of the widely varying wetting properties typical of aqueous systems. A restrictive though no less typifying example of passive phase separation in a urine collection system is highlighted that identifies key design considerations potentially met by predominately capillary solutions. Sample results from novel scale model prototype testing aboard a NASA low-g aircraft are presented that support the various design considerations.

Related URLs:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12217-008-9091-7

Caenorhabditis elegans survives atmospheric breakup of STS-107, space shuttle Columbia

by cfynanon 9 June 2015in Education No comment

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a popular organism for biological studies, is being developed as a model system for space biology. The chemically defined liquid medium, C. elegans Maintenance Medium (CeMM), allows axenic cultivation and automation of experiments that are critical for spaceflight research. To validate CeMM for use during spaceflight, we grew animals using CeMM and standard laboratory conditions onboard STS-107, space shuttle Columbia. Tragically, the Columbia was destroyed while reentering the Earth's atmosphere. During the massive recovery effort, hardware that contained our experiment was found. Live animals were observed in four of the five recovered canisters, which had survived on both types of media. These data demonstrate that CeMM is capable of supporting C. elegans during spaceflight. They also demonstrate that animals can survive a relatively unprotected reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, which has implications with regard to the packaging of living material during space flight, planetary protection, and the interplanetary transfer of life.

Related URLs:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16379525

Microbial detection and monitoring in advanced life support systems like the International Space Station

by cfynanon 9 June 2015in Biology & Biotechnology No comment

Potentially pathogenic microbes and so-called technophiles may form a serious threat in advanced life support systems, such as the International Space Station (ISS). They not only pose a threat to the health of the crew, but also to the technical equipment and materials of the space station. The development of fast and easy to use molecular detection and quantification methods for application in manned spacecraft is therefore desirable and may also be valuable for applications on Earth. In this paper we present the preliminary results of the SAMPLE experiment in which we performed molecular microbial analysis on environmental samples of the ISS as part of an ESA-MAP project.

Related URLs:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02911866

Microgravity effects on thylakoid, single leaf, and whole canopy photosynthesis of dwarf wheat

by cfynanon 9 June 2015in Biology & Biotechnology No comment

The concept of using higher plants to maintain a sustainable life support system for humans during long-duration space missions is dependent upon photosynthesis. The effects of extended exposure to microgravity on the development and functioning of photosynthesis at the leaf and stand levels were examined onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The PESTO (Photosynthesis Experiment Systems Testing and Operations) experiment was the first long-term replicated test to obtain direct measurements of canopy photosynthesis from space under well-controlled conditions. The PESTO experiment consisted of a series of 21-24 day growth cycles of Triticum aestivum L. cv. USU Apogee onboard ISS. Single leaf measurements showed no differences in photosynthetic activity at the moderate (up to 600 micromol m(-2) s(-1)) light levels, but reductions in whole chain electron transport, PSII, and PSI activities were measured under saturating light (>2,000 micromol m(-2) s(-1)) and CO(2) (4000 micromol mol(-1)) conditions in the microgravity-grown plants. Canopy level photosynthetic rates of plants developing in microgravity at approximately 280 micromol m(-2) s(-1) were not different from ground controls. The wheat canopy had apparently adapted to the microgravity environment since the CO(2) compensation (121 vs. 118 micromol mol(-1)) and PPF compensation (85 vs. 81 micromol m(-2) s(-1)) of the flight and ground treatments were similar. The reduction in whole chain electron transport (13%), PSII (13%), and PSI (16%) activities observed under saturating light conditions suggests that microgravity-induced responses at the canopy level may occur at higher PPF intensity.

Related URLs:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16160842

Biological component of life support systems for a crew in long-duration space expeditions

by cfynanon 9 June 2015in Biology & Biotechnology No comment

Creation of effective life support systems (LSSs) is one of the main tasks of medico-biological support of long-duration space flight. Principles of development of such an LSS will be defined on the basis of number of parameters, including mass-overall and energetic limitations of interplanetary spacecraft, duration of expedition and crew size. It is obvious that including biological subsystems in LSS of long-duration interplanetary space flights will help to form a full-fledged environment for humans in the spacecraft. It would be an appropriate solution for long-term biological needs of humans and important for elimination of possible negative consequences of their long stay under artificial (abiogenous) environment. Experiments with higher plants, conducted on board “MIR” orbital complex and Russian segment of ISS, showed that plant organisms are capable of long-duration normal growth, full development and reproduction without deviations under real space flight environment. These results allow us to assume that greenhouses are potential candidates to be a biological subsystem to be included in the LSS for interplanetary space flight. Inclusion of greenhouse equipment in the spacecrafts will require a number of corrective actions in functional schemes of the existing LSS, i.e. it will lead to redistribution of material streams inside an LSS and increase in functional load of authorized systems. Furthermore, involvement of greenhouse in an LSS of an interplanetary spacecraft requires a number of technical tasks to be cleared. In the present review, we discuss the constructive, technological and mass-transfer characteristics of greenhouse as a component part of the LSS for crews of long-term interplanetary missions, in particular, Mars expedition.

Related URLs:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094576508000052

Development and swimming behavior of Medaka fry in a spaceflight aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107)

by cfynanon 9 June 2015in Biology & Biotechnology No comment

A space experiment aimed at closely observing the development and swimming activity of medaka fry under microgravity was carried out as a part of the S*T*A*R*S Program, a space shuttle mission, in STS-107 in January 2003. Four eggs laid on earth in an artificially controlled environment were put in a container with a functionally closed ecological system and launched on the Space Shuttle Columbia. Each egg was held in place by a strip of Velcro in the container to be individually monitored by close-up CCD cameras. In the control experiment, four eggs prepared using the same experimental set-up remained on the ground. There was no appreciable difference in the time course of development between space- and ground-based embryos. In the ground experiment, embryos were observed to rotate in place enclosed with the egg membrane, whereas those in the flight unit did not rotate. One of the four eggs hatched on the 8th day after being launched into space. All four eggs hatched in the ground unit. The fry hatched in space was mostly motionless, but with occasional control of its posture with respect to references in the experimental chamber. The fry hatched on ground were observed to move actively, controlling their posture with respect to the gravity vector. These findings suggest that the absence of gravity affects the initiation process of motility of embryos and hatched fry.

Related URLs:
http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&CSC=Y&NEWS=N&PAGE=fulltext&D=med4&AN=15459450
http://sfxhosted.exlibrisgroup.com/mayo?sid=OVID:medline&id=pmid:15459450&id=doi:&issn=0289-0003&isbn=&volume=21&issue=9&spage=923&pages=923-31&date=2004&title=Zoological+Science&atitle=Development+and+swimming+behavior+of+Medaka+fry+in+a+spaceflight+aboard+the+Space+Shuttle+Columbia+%28STS-107%29.&aulast=Niihori&pid=%3Cauthor%3ENiihori+M%3C%2Fauthor%3E&%3CAN%3E15459450%3C%2FAN%3E

Farming in space: environmental and biophysical concerns

by cfynanon 9 June 2015in Biology & Biotechnology No comment

The colonization of space will depend on our ability to routinely provide for the metabolic needs (oxygen, water, and food) of a crew with minimal re-supply from Earth. On Earth, these functions are facilitated by the cultivation of plant crops, thus it is important to develop plant-based food production systems to sustain the presence of mankind in space. Farming practices on earth have evolved for thousands of years to meet both the demands of an ever-increasing population and the availability of scarce resources, and now these practices must adapt to accommodate the effects of global warming. Similar challenges are expected when earth-based agricultural practices are adapted for space-based agriculture. A key variable in space is gravity; planets (e.g. Mars, 1/3 g) and moons (e.g. Earth's moon, 1/6 g) differ from spacecraft orbiting the Earth (e.g. Space stations) or orbital transfer vehicles that are subject to microgravity. The movement of heat, water vapor, CO2 and O2 between plant surfaces and their environment is also affected by gravity. In microgravity, these processes may also be affected by reduced mass transport and thicker boundary layers around plant organs caused by the absence of buoyancy dependent convective transport. Future space farmers will have to adapt their practices to accommodate microgravity, high and low extremes in ambient temperatures, reduced atmospheric pressures, atmospheres containing high volatile organic carbon contents, and elevated to super-elevated CO2 concentrations. Farming in space must also be carried out within power-, volume-, and mass-limited life support systems and must share resources with manned crews. Improved lighting and sensor technologies will have to be developed and tested for use in space. These developments should also help make crop production in terrestrial controlled environments (plant growth chambers and greenhouses) more efficient and, therefore, make these alternative agricultural systems more economically feasible food production systems.

Related URLs:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12577999

Wheat (Triticum Aesativum L. cv. USU Apogee) Growth Onboard the International Space Station (ISS): Germination and Early Development

by cfynanon 9 June 2015in Biology & Biotechnology No comment

A series of experiments to determine the effects of microgravity on growth and development of wheat were conducted during a 73-day period onboard the International Space Station. The experiment relied upon telescience for the remote operation, monitoring, and management of the experiment. Growth and development of wheat was measured directly by the ISS crew, estimated from analysis of telemetry data, and quantified with digital image analysis. On-orbit germination rates of stowed root modules containing seed cassettes were greater than 95%. Absolute growth rates of ~4.25 cm per day were observed in both the flight and ground control plants. Final height of plants on orbit was approximately 10% greater than comparable ground controls. The results suggest that early growth and development of wheat can be consistently achieved in long-duration space experiments.

Related URLs:

Status of the International Space Station (ISS) Trace Contaminant Control System

by cfynanon 9 June 2015in Biology & Biotechnology No comment

A habitable atmosphere is a fundamental requirement for human spaceflight. To meet this requirement, the cabin atmosphere must be constantly scrubbed to maintain human life and system functionality. The primary system for atmospheric scrubbing of the US on-orbit segment (USOS) of the International Space Station (ISS) is the Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS). As part of the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems' (ECLSS) atmosphere revitalization rack in the US Lab, the TCCS operates continuously, scrubbing trace contaminants generated primarily by two sources: the metabolic off-gassing of crew members and the off-gassing of equipment in the ISS. It has been online for approximately 95% of the time since activated in February 2001. The TCCS is comprised of a charcoal bed, a catalytic oxidizer, and a lithium hydroxide post-sorbent bed, all of which are designed to be replaced on-orbit when necessary. In 2006, all three beds were replaced following an observed increase in the system resistance that occurred over a period several months. The beds were returned to ground and subjected to a test, teardown and evaluation (TT&E) to investigate the root cause(s) of the decrease in flow rate through the system. In addition, various chemical and physical analyses of the bed materials were performed to determine contaminant loading and any changes in performance. This paper will mainly focus on the results of these analyses and how this correlates with what has been observed from archival sampling and on-orbit events. This has provided insight into the future performance of the TCCS and rate of change for orbital replacement units in the TCCS.

Related URLs:

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