Earth life support for aquatic organisms, system and technical aspects

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Biotechnology
• Space Exploration

Background:

• Bioregenerative Life Support (BLS) systems are crucial for space missions and understanding Earth's ecology.
• Achieving long-term stability in artificial ecosystems requires reliable monitoring of key parameters.
• Current monitoring methods face challenges with sensor reliability in closed aquatic systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an improved aquatic system for ground-based research on bioregenerative life support.
• To enhance the reliability of environmental monitoring in closed aquatic ecosystems.
• To assess the performance of opto-chemical sensors for long-term stability.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of an artificial lung (holofiber system) for controlled oxygen exchange.
• Integration of oxygen-producing aquatic plants.
• Deployment of novel opto-chemical sensors for monitoring pH, O2, and CO2 concentrations.

Main Results:

• Opto-chemical sensors demonstrated better long-term reliability compared to electrochemical sensors.
• The new sensor technique showed satisfactory performance in closed aquatic ecosystems.
• Preliminary data indicate progress towards achieving long-term stability in artificial model systems.

Conclusions:

• Opto-chemical sensors represent a significant advancement for reliable environmental monitoring in bioregenerative life support systems.
• The developed aquatic system shows promise for ground-based research and future space applications.
• Further research is warranted to fully validate the long-term performance and scalability of these systems.