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A closed life-support system for space coloniesIn 1975, a system design study was performed to examine a completely self-contained system for a permanent colony of 10,000 inhabitants in space. Fundamental to this design was the life support system. Since resupply from earth is prohibitive in transportation costs, it was decided to use a closed system with the initial supply of oxygen coming from processing of lunar ores, and the supply of carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen from earth. The problem of life support was treated starting with the nutritional and metabolic requirements for the human population, creating a food and water chain sufficient to supply these demands, adding the additional requirements for the animal and plant sources in the food chain, feeding back useful waste products, supplying water as required from different sources, and closing the loop by processing organic wastes into CO2. This concept places the burden of the system upon plants for O2 generation and waste processing the CO2 generation.
Document ID
19770064007
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Johnson, R. D.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, Calif., United States)
Jebens, H. J.
(Wisconsin, University Platteville, Wis., United States)
Sweet, H. C.
(Florida Technical University Orlando, Fla., United States)
Date Acquired
August 9, 2013
Publication Date
July 1, 1977
Subject Category
Man/System Technology And Life Support
Report/Patent Number
ASME PAPER 77-ENAS-18
Meeting Information
Meeting: Intersociety Conference on Environmental Systems
Location: San Francisco, CA
Country: US
Start Date: July 11, 1977
End Date: July 14, 1977
Sponsors: AIChE, ASMA, AIAA, SAE, ASME
Accession Number
77A46859
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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