ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development. Biotechnology and Agro-Industry Division, Casaccia Research Center, Rome, Italy; University of Tuscia, DAFNE - Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, Viterbo, Italy.
ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development. Biotechnology and Agro-Industry Division, Casaccia Research Center, Rome, Italy.
Life Sci Space Res (Amst). 2023 Feb;36:8-17. doi: 10.1016/j.lssr.2022.10.006. Epub 2022 Oct 28.
Space exploration beyond the Low Earth Orbit requires the establishment of Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSSs), which, through bioprocesses for primary resource recycling, ensure crew survival. However, the introduction of new organisms in confined space habitats must be carefully evaluated in advance to avoid unforeseen events that could compromise the mission. In this work, we have designed and built an experimental chamber, named Growing/Rearing Module (GRM), completely isolated and equipped with micro-environmental monitoring and control systems. This unit is specially intended for the study of single bioprocesses, which can be composed to design functional BLSSs. GRM can be implemented with specific devices for the biological system under study and the control of environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, lighting and if required, pressure of gaseous components. GRM was validated in experiments of both microgreen cultivation, as a source of fresh food for astronauts, and rearing of the decomposer insect Hermetia illucens for bioconversion of organic waste. During the study of each bioprocess, the environmental and biological data were recorded, allowing to make preliminary assessments of the system efficiency. The GRM, as a completely confined environment, represents the first self-consistent unit that allows to fine-tune the optimal parameters for the operability of different bioprocesses. Furthermore, the upgradability according to the mission needs and the functional integrability of modules differently equipped are the keys to GRM versatility, representing a valuable tool for BLSSs' design.
超越近地轨道的空间探索需要建立生物再生生命支持系统 (BLSS)，通过主要资源回收的生物过程，确保机组人员的生存。然而，必须事先仔细评估在封闭空间栖息地引入新生物体，以避免可能危及任务的不可预见事件。在这项工作中，我们设计并构建了一个名为生长/饲养模块 (GRM) 的实验室，该实验室完全隔离，并配备了微环境监测和控制系统。该单元专门用于研究单个生物过程，可以组合设计功能齐全的 BLSS。GRM 可以与研究中的生物系统的特定设备一起实现，并控制环境参数，如温度、湿度、光照，如果需要，还可以控制气态成分的压力。GRM 在微绿栽培实验和分解昆虫 Hermetia illucens 的饲养实验中得到了验证，用于宇航员的新鲜食品和有机废物的生物转化。在每个生物过程的研究过程中，记录了环境和生物数据，以便对系统效率进行初步评估。GRM 作为一个完全封闭的环境，是第一个能够微调不同生物过程可操作性的最佳参数的自洽单元。此外，根据任务需求进行升级和不同设备的模块功能集成是 GRM 多功能性的关键，代表了 BLSS 设计的有价值工具。
