Location
Howard Johnson Plaza-Hotel, Columbia/ Enterprise Rooms
Start Date
26-4-1995 2:00 PM
End Date
26-4-1995 5:00 PM
Description
Instead of physical / chemical approaches, various biological processes such as photosynthesis might also be considered for life support. This concept is not new (Myers, 1954), and extensive testing was conducted in the early 1960s to study algae for atmospheric regeneration in closed life support systems (Miller and Ward, 1966). Through photosynthesis, the algae would fix the CO2 into their tissue, while releasing O2 as a reaction waste product. Beginning in the 1970s, bioregenerative testing using was expanded to include higher plants, since plants are generally more palatable and adaptable to food processing. Moreover, waste water could be used to grow the plants and the water that evaporates from the leaf canopy then condensed to provide a source of pure water. Thus plants could provide four essential functions for a life support habitat: O2 production, CO2 removal, food production, and water purification.
Paper Session II-B - The Whys, Wherefores and Whims of a CELSS
Howard Johnson Plaza-Hotel, Columbia/ Enterprise Rooms
Instead of physical / chemical approaches, various biological processes such as photosynthesis might also be considered for life support. This concept is not new (Myers, 1954), and extensive testing was conducted in the early 1960s to study algae for atmospheric regeneration in closed life support systems (Miller and Ward, 1966). Through photosynthesis, the algae would fix the CO2 into their tissue, while releasing O2 as a reaction waste product. Beginning in the 1970s, bioregenerative testing using was expanded to include higher plants, since plants are generally more palatable and adaptable to food processing. Moreover, waste water could be used to grow the plants and the water that evaporates from the leaf canopy then condensed to provide a source of pure water. Thus plants could provide four essential functions for a life support habitat: O2 production, CO2 removal, food production, and water purification.
Comments
People Working in Space, the Needs and the Effects
Session Chairman: Wyck Hoffler, Deputy Director of Biomedical Operations and Research Office, Kennedy Space Center
Session Organizer: Rachel Webb