[spaceexp]

Building Better Life Support Systems for Future Space Travel

ISS - International Space Station logo.

May 3, 2019

Astronauts on future long-duration spaceflight missions to the Moon and Mars could rely on microalgae to supply essentials including food, water and oxygen. A new investigation aboard the International Space Station tests using the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris as a biological component of a hybrid life support system (LSS).

 Orion spacecraft in space above the Moon. Image Credits: NASA/ESA

As humans travel farther from Earth and for longer periods of time, bringing along sufficient supplies of food, water and oxygen becomes a challenge. Packing food that is nutritious and perhaps even tasty may prove harder still.

Current life support systems, such as the Life Support Rack (LSR), use physicochemical processes and chemical reactions to generate oxygen and water and remove carbon dioxide from the space station.

Image above: Chlorella vulgaris cells under the microscope. These microalgae have a variety of uses on Earth and may be part of life support systems on future space voyages. Image Credits: Institute of Space Systems – University of Stuttgart, Germany.

The Photobioreactor (PBR) investigation demonstrates creating a hybrid LSS by adding the biological processes of a microalgae, which has a photosynthetic efficiency up to ten times greater than more complex plants. These tiny plants could take concentrated carbon dioxide removed from the cabin atmosphere and use photosynthesis to produce oxygen and possibly even food for astronauts, according to Norbert Henn, a co-investigator and consultant at the Institute of Space Systems at University of Stuttgart.

The Institute of Space Systems began research on microalgae for space applications back in 2008 and started work on Photobioreactor in 2014, together with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Airbus.

“The use of biological systems in general gains importance for missions as the duration and the distance from Earth increase. To further reduce the dependency on resupply from Earth, as many resources as possible should be recycled on board,” said co-investigator Gisela Detrell.

Image above: The Photobioreactor chamber is used to cultivate microalgae aboard the International Space Station in a demonstration of creating hybrid life support systems that use both biological and physicochemical processes. Image Credits: Institute of Space Systems – University of Stuttgart, Germany.

Astronauts activate the system hardware aboard the space station and let the microalgae grow for 180 days. That span of time allows researchers to evaluate the stability and long-term performance of the Photobioreactor in space, as well as the growth behavior of the microalgae and its ability to recycle carbon dioxide and release oxygen, according to co-investigator Jochen Keppler. Investigators plan to analyze samples back on Earth to determine the effects of microgravity and space radiation on the microalgae cells.

“This is the first data from a flight-proven, long-term operation of a biological LSS component,” said Keppler. The algae’s resilience to space conditions has been widely demonstrated in small-scale cell culture, but this will be the first investigation to cultivate it in a PBR in space.

Chlorella, one of the most studied and widely characterized algae worldwide, is used in biofuels, animal feed, aquaculture, human nutrition, wastewater treatment and bio-fertilizer in agriculture.

Image above: The Photobioreactor science team from the Institute of Space Research. Top, left to right: Prof. Reinhold Ewald, Johannes Martin, Prof. Stefanos Fasoulas. Bottom, left to right: Jochen Keppler, Dr. Gisela Detrell, Harald Helisch. Image Credits: Institute of Space Systems – University of Stuttgart, Germany.

“Chlorella biomass is a common food supplement and can contribute to a balanced diet thanks to its high content of protein, unsaturated fatty acids, and various vitamins, including B12,” said co-investigator and biotechnologist Harald Helisch at the Institute of Space Systems. As for the taste, he adds, “if you like sushi, you will love it.”

The long-term goal is to facilitate longer space missions by reducing total system mass and resupply dependency, said co-investigator Johannes Martin. “To achieve this, future areas of focus include downstream processing of the algae into edible food and scaling up the system to supply one astronaut with oxygen. We’ll also be working on interconnections with other subsystems of the LSS, such as the waste water treatment system, and transfer and adaption of the technology to a gravity-based system such as a lunar base.”         

Astronauts still may have to pack their own wasabi.

Related links:

Photobioreactor (PBR): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7426

Institute of Space Systems (University of Stuttgart): https://www.irs.uni-stuttgart.de/index_en.html

German Aerospace Center (DLR): https://www.irs.uni-stuttgart.de/index_en.html

Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Michael Johnson/JSC/International Space Station Program Science Office/Melissa Gaskill.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch
Full article

[brinnanza]

I swear to god I am going to finish this fic; here’s a snippet

–

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Crowley says, knocking back the rest of his miraculously full cup of wine. He can feel his mood tipping toward maudlin, and he’d much rather drink straight through to the other side. “Tell me more about these priestesses of yours. They sound corruptible.”

“Oh, you leave them alone,” Aziraphale says, sounding much more like his usually prissy self now. “They’ve been through enough already, poor dears, all terrified of being the next virgin sacrifice for Delphi.”

“Sounds rough,” Crowley says dryly. “Seems there’s at least one surefire way to get out of being a virgin sacrifice.” He gives Aziraphale a leering grin, back on steadier ground now.

Aziraphale tuts at him. “I’m just saying, the girls are scared enough without setting a demon on them. Besides, I daresay your side has had quite the windfall just lately.”

“That had nothing to do with me,” Crowley says. It isn’t meant to be defensive, just a statement of fact, but Aziraphale’s mouth twitches wryly. “Gluttony and sloth are much more fun.”

[meltingpenguins]

I…. think  just volunteered to Mr Gaiman to do a thorough comparison of the german translation of GO to the original (Corgi Edition), because the german edition is a mess of apocalyptic levels.

[homoectoplasmic]

aziraphale and crowley are so gay and obviously together and I love them so much, but aziraphale is gay AND ace okay send post

[ladyyatexel]

[fyretrobarbie]

Feelin’ Groovy Barbie - Designed by Billy Boy* (1986)

[ladyyatexel]

[arieefineart]

Before crisis by Ariee

[ladyyatexel]

[ranma-official]

being a longtime follower of an average Tumblr blog is like walking into a cafe for a cup of coffee once and then continuing to go there every morning for nine years even though it’s now a mattress store

[thatdamnokie]

why do i want to fuck bill nye

[gplusbfics]

The red box

Garak has just seen his dying “father” Tolan, learned who his real father is, and then had a talk about secrets with Tain:

I continued to sit for a long time, listening to the sounds of the house. I heard nothing from downstairs, nothing from the outside. I rose and looked at Tain. His face had returned to the controlled half-smile. His jowls seemed to grow larger every time I saw him, and I wondered if I would ever look like that. He remained in his chair as I walked out of the room. I walked out into the night with my red box and all the way to the Tarlak Sector. I went to the children’s area and sat across from where Tolan and I had planted the Edosian orchids. At some point I opened the box and took out the mask. I studied the eyeless face and half expected it to talk to me, to explain why my life had become so complicated, so beyond my control. But it was obviously another “night person,” guarding its secrets. There were hooks that went over the ears, and I attached the mask to my face. I sat there and waited … but nothing was revealed. Finally the tears came.

- A Stitch in Time by Andrew Robinson

[azireffable]

crowley’s got a hammock set up in the yard of their little cottage in the south downs … sometimes, aziraphale swings in it. loves the wind caressing his face, the smell of grass and soil, songbirds singing in the distance … likes listening to crowley work and curse and grumble over his plants … only, then crowley finishes and walks quietly over to him. tells him to scooch, and aziraphale barely has time to protest before crowley is slipping in to the hammock next to him. fusses at him to be careful, lest they both go rolling out.

“i’m being careful, quit your nagging,” crowley replies, but it’s said with this cheeky grin that’s full of complete adoration. the tone of voice that makes aziraphale sigh, as if to say how do i ever put up with you? knows the answer would come in the form of a kiss and a “something called love, angel. maybe you’ve heard of it.”