Implementation of biological elements in life support systems: rationale and development milestones

To ensure the complete autonomy of man in space, biological life support technologies must be developed. A survey of today's knowledge in biotechnology has been performed and technologies suited to long-duration manned missions in space have been identified. Regardless of whether they are to be used in a space vehicle or at a lunar or planetary base, most of those technologies require development times of 20 to 30 years. It is therefore essential to start development now to ensure that the life support system is ready when development of Moon or Mars bases begins.