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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Demonstration of Fluid Dynamics for Plant Growing Systems in Varied Gravity Environments Through Scaled Capillary Models

A key aspect to the success of human health and performance is having a reliable and nutritious food supply. Dating back to the early days of human exploration, food was often one of the determining factors of whether a mission was successful. As humans begin to explore space, keeping astronauts well-nourished and satisfied through their meals will ensure that they are able to conduct research and push the bounds of the human presence of our universe. Currently, food supplies for shorter mission durations rely solely on pre-packaged foods and resupplies. While reliance on this type of food delivery is not an issue for short human space missions to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), once humans begin long-term missions to explore the lunar surface and beyond, a more sustainable and self-reliant food supply will be needed.

Capillary↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Excavation of Exploration Toilet Fecal Canister from ISS Operations and Future Mission Impacts

Space exploration requires accommodations for crew members similar to survival on Earth including food and water, clothing, and protection from the environment. In addition, allowances for biological processes such as breathing, defecation and urination must be provided. In a micro-gravity environment, these are particularly challenging. Optimizing the consumables needed for these activities is a vital part of the spacecraft design as well as providing mass/volume for science cargo and the crew needs such as food and clothing. NASA has collected use rates for the consumables needed for defecation and urination over the decades of human-rated space travel. Most recently, the exploration toilet demonstration on International Space Station (ISS) provided data on defecation in the form of a returned canister which collected 13 days of fecal deposits, wipes, gloves and compaction plates. The canister was excavated by a dedicated team of engineers at Johnson Space Center (JSC) to provide the latest information on deposit size and weight, number of wipes and gloves used, and compaction efficiency which directly relates to the number of canisters needed. Although this is only one canister, the data found has been directly applied to manifest decisions for the Orion Artemis-2 mission. Future canisters will add to this data set. Details on what was found and how it compares to historical numbers as well as how it will be used for exploration missions will be covered in this paper.

Toilet↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Excavation of Exploration Toilet Fecal Canister From ISS Operations and Future Mission Impacts

Space exploration requires accommodations for crew members similar to survival on Earth including food and water, clothing, and protection from the environment. In addition, allowances for biological processes such as breathing, defecation and urination must be provided. In a micro-gravity environment, these are particularly challenging. Optimizing the consumables needed for these activities is a vital part of the spacecraft design as well as providing mass/volume for science cargo and the crew needs such as food and clothing. NASA has collected use rates for the consumables needed for defecation and urination over the decades of human-rated space travel. Most recently, the exploration toilet demonstration on International Space Station (ISS) provided data on defecation in the form of a returned canister which collected 13 days of fecal deposits, wipes, gloves and compaction plates. The canister was excavated by a dedicated team of engineers at Johnson Space Center (JSC) to provide the latest information on deposit size and weight, number of wipes and gloves used, and compaction efficiency which directly relates to the number of canisters needed. Although this is only one canister, the data found has been directly applied to manifest decisions for the Orion Artemis-2 mission. Future canisters will add to this data set. Details on what was found and how it compares to historical numbers as well as how it will be used for exploration missions will be covered in this paper.

Toilet↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Excavation of Exploration Toilet Fecal Canister from ISS Operations and Future Mission Impacts

Space exploration requires accommodations for crew members similar to survival on Earth including food and water, clothing, and protection from the environment. In addition, allowances for biological processes such as breathing, defecation and urination must be provided. In a micro-gravity environment, these are particularly challenging. Optimizing the consumables needed for these activities is a vital part of the spacecraft design as well as providing mass/volume for science cargo and the crew needs such as food and clothing. NASA has collected use rates for the consumables needed for defecation and urination over the decades of human-rated space travel. Most recently, the exploration toilet demonstration on International Space Station (ISS) provided data on defecation in the form of a returned canister which collected 13 days of fecal deposits, wipes, gloves and compaction plates. The canister was excavated by a dedicated team of engineers at Johnson Space Center (JSC) to provide the latest information on deposit size and weight, number of wipes and gloves used, and compaction efficiency which directly relates to the number of canisters needed. Although this is only one canister, the data found has been directly applied to manifest decisions for the Orion Artemis-2 mission. Future canisters will add to this data set. Details on what was found and how it compares to historical numbers as well as how it will be used for exploration missions will be covered in this paper.

Toilet↗
NASA NTRS2005

Thermal Insulation Test Apparatuses

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) seeks to license its Thermal Insulation Test Apparatuses. Designed by the Cryogenics Test Laboratory at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, these patented technologies (U.S. Patent Numbers: Cryostat 1 - 6,742,926, Cryostat 2 - 6,487,866, and Cryostat 4 - 6,824,306) allow manufacturers to fabricate and test cryogenic insulation at their production and/or laboratory facilities. These new inventions allow for the thermal performance characterization of cylindrical and flat specimens (e.g., bulk-fill, flat-panel, multilayer, or continuously rolled) over the full range of pressures, from high vacuum to no vacuum, and over the full range of temperatures from 77K to 300K. In today's world, efficient, low-maintenance, low-temperature refrigeration is taking a more significant role, from the food industry, transportation, energy, and medical applications to the Space Shuttle. Most countries (including the United States) have laws requiring commercially available insulation materials to be tested and rated by an accepted methodology. The new Cryostat methods go beyond the formal capabilities of the ASTM methods to provide testing for real systems, including full-temperature differences plus full-range vacuum conditions.

Berman, Brion↗
NASA NTRS2019

New Technologies for Enabling Food Production Beyond LEO

NASA has identified the need for robust and sustainable ‘Pick-and-Eat’ systems for supplementing crew diets with fresh leafy green crops in near-term LEO (Low Earth Orbit), cislunar, and lunar missions. Spaceflight plant growth systems have been primarily designed for conducting space biology studies, but these systems are not optimal for sustained food production. Improved water and nutrient delivery subsystems that do not use bulky and non-reusable media are needed for decreasing the mass of the food production system. Autonomous technologies for monitoring plant health and food safety are needed for ensuring that the food produced is suitable supplementing crew diets with fresh, nutritious salad crops. Improved plant imaging techniques used for high-throughput phenotyping can be leveraged for monitoring plant health. Near-real-time measurements of the microbial ecology of food production systems are needed for assessing food safety. Furthermore, newly identified plant species and cultivars with improved growth habits and contents of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals when grown in spaceflight environmental conditions are needed. These improvements in food production technologies will enable the design of sustainable life support systems for manned exploration missions beyond Low Earth Orbit.

Monje Mejia, Oscar A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Caffeine Consumption Aboard the International Space Station

INTRODUCTION: Caffeine is the most widely used performance-enhancing drug on Earth and astronaut crews have access to liquid coffee. While caffeine is a potent countermeasure to improve alertness and performance, it can also interfere with sleep. This can lead to performance deficits on the following day, driving a cycle of caffeine use to counter the effects of caffeine-induced sleep disruption. Caffeine availability may be limited during future Artemis and/or Mars missions. Accordingly, it is important that we 1) determine the prevalence of caffeine use among astronauts, 2) characterize the impact of caffeine on performance, and 3) characterize the impact of caffeine on sleep. Our aim in this study is to describe the use of caffeine aboard the ISS and begin to examine the relationship between caffeine use and sleep and performance outcomes. METHODS: Daily caffeine consumption was determined from food and beverage intake tracking for 25 astronauts on 6 month International Space Station (ISS) missions. Data were recorded using the ISS Food Intake Tracker iPad App or other detailed recording technique. On average, crew recorded dietary intake on 179.7±68.6 (mean±SD) days inflight. RESULTS: Astronauts consumed 97±92 mg caffeine per day. All astronauts (25/25) in this study consumed caffeine at some point during flight, though the frequency, amounts, and regularity differed across crewmembers. Approximately a quarter of crewmembers were regular caffeine consumers (6/25), i.e., they ingested at least 90 mg caffeine (equivalent to one cup of coffee) on 90% of inflight days.

fatigue↗
NASA NTRS1992

Controlled ecological life-support system - Use of plants for human life-support in space

Scientists and engineers within NASA are conducting research which will lead to development of advanced life-support systems that utilize higher plants in a unique approach to solving long-term life-support problems in space. This biological solution to life-support, Controlled Ecological Life-Support System (CELSS), is a complex, extensively controlled, bioengineered system that relies on plants to provide the principal elements from gas exchange and food production to potable water reclamation. Research at John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is proceeding with a comprehensive investigation of the individual parts of the CELSS system at a one-person scale in an approach called the Breadboard Project. Concurrently a relatively new NASA sponsored research effort is investigating plant growth and metabolism in microgravity, innovative hydroponic nutrient delivery systems, and use of highly efficient light emitting diodes for artificial plant illumination.

Chamberland, D.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Novel Microgreen Crop Testing for Space

Long-duration missions beyond low-Earth orbit will encounter challenges in maintaining adequate nutrition and crew acceptability in the food system. In situ production of fresh produce can supplement nutrient deficiencies in the prepackaged diet. Currently, there are a relatively small number of crops that can be reliably grown in space for space crop production efforts. An intriguing area of new investigation involves novel types of microgreens that have the potential to be sources of calories, fat, carbohydrates, and protein. These sources of nutrition are not obtainable in significant quantities with current pick and eat crops. Many microgreen cultivars are also sources of nutrients of interest, such as Vitamins B1, C, and K, and elements such as potassium. Microgreens should be selected to address specific nutritional deficits, as identified by NASA’s Human Research Program, with an emphasis on having a diversity of crops to meet nutritional requirements and crew acceptability. To achieve this, the concept of Crop Readiness Level (CRL) has been developed to gauge readiness of crops for spaceflight applications. CRL includes assessing environmental compatibility, food safety considerations, relevant nutritional analysis, and sensory analysis. Recent testing at Kennedy Space Center has focused on advancing the CRL of a variety of novel microgreens. These varieties were grown under 150 µmol m -2 s -1 PPFD from LED lights, 3000 ppm CO 2 , and 23°C to simulate an ISS environment. Crops were harvested and yield was assessed. Then, baseline microbiological and nutritional analysis (Vitamins B1, C, K; mineral analysis; proximate analysis) and sensory evaluation were performed. These baseline data are essential to selecting candidate crops for future missions and assessing crop production hardware and changes in environmental conditions on future crop performance and nutritional quality.

nutrition↗
NASA NTRS2023

Legume Crop Testing for Space

Long-duration missions beyond low-Earth orbit will encounter challenges in maintaining adequate nutrition and crew acceptability in the food system. In situ production of fresh produce can supplement nutrient deficiencies in the prepackaged diet. Currently, there are a relatively small number of crops that can be reliably grown for space crop production efforts. Recent challenges with Veggie plant growth technical demonstrations, such as interveinal chlorosis and necrosis of Tokyo Bekana Chinese cabbage when grown under elevated CO 2 (~3000 ppm) and narrow-band LED lighting, have highlighted the necessity to conduct rigorous ISS-relevant crop screening on the ground. Additionally, crops should be selected to address specific nutritional deficits, as identified by NASA’s Human Research Program, with an emphasis on having a diversity of crops to meet nutritional requirements and crew acceptability. To achieve this, the concept of Crop Readiness Level (CRL) has been developed to gauge readiness of crops for spaceflight applications. CRL determination includes assessing environmental compatibility, food safety considerations, relevant nutritional analysis, and sensory analysis. Recent testing at Kennedy Space Center has focused on advancing the CRL of a variety of legumes. Twenty-four varieties of peas ( Pisum sativum ) and beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) were grown under 300 μmol m -2 s -1 PPFD from LED lights, 3000 ppm CO2, and 23 °C to simulate an ISS environment. Crops were harvested and size and yield were assessed. Then, baseline nutritional analysis (Vitamins B1, C, K; elemental analysis; proximate analysis) and sensory evaluation were performed on eight down-selected varieties. These baseline tests will help in selecting candidate crops for future missions and assessing crop production hardware and changes in environmental conditions on future crop performance and nutritional quality.

LaShelle E Spencer↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Selection Factors for Space Crops

NASA is actively researching space crop production to determine its potential to contribute to food system security on long duration missions beyond Low Earth Orbit. Our near-term focus is on nutrient and variety supplementation of prepackaged food with fresh produce that requires little or no processing. The longer-term goal is caloric replacement to become less dependent on Earth, and this will require cultivation of staple crops, processing and cooking equipment, integration with spacecraft air, water, and power systems, and automation. There are numerous technology and knowledge gaps remaining for sustainable space crop production systems, but one high-impact area is in the development of crops specifically customized to meet the needs of controlled environment crop production, astronaut health and well-being, and space-unique environments. Modern crop breeding and genome engineering tools are allowing for rapid development of new genotypes with incredible specificity. Targeted aspects to optimize crops for space have been identified and characterized into five categories: plant growth and development, plant physiology, produce nutrition, produce organoleptic acceptability, and postharvest characteristics. Within each category there are several targets that further the development of crop production systems for spaceflight, such as crop size and harvest index, tolerance to specific environmental stresses, optimizing target nutrients that are low or degrade in the packaged diet, maintenance time requirements, and less indigestible structural material. NASA-funded PIs are already beginning to develop candidate crops, and spaceflight testing and validation of novel space crops is on the horizon. Crops developed for space also have the potential to benefit terrestrial controlled environment agriculture crop production systems. This research was supported by NASA’s Space Biology and Human Research Programs.

Space Crop Production↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Selection Factors for Space Crops

NASA is actively researching space crop production to determine its potential to contribute to food system security on long duration missions beyond Low Earth Orbit. Our near-term focus is on nutrient and variety supplementation of prepackaged food with fresh produce that requires little or no processing. The longer-term goal is caloric replacement to become less dependent on Earth, and this will require cultivation of staple crops, processing and cooking equipment, integration with spacecraft air, water, and power systems, and automation. There are numerous technology and knowledge gaps remaining for sustainable space crop production systems, but one high-impact area is in the development of crops specifically customized to meet the needs of controlled environment crop production, astronaut health and well-being, and space-unique environments. Modern crop breeding and genome engineering tools are allowing for rapid development of new genotypes with incredible specificity. Targeted aspects to optimize crops for space have been identified and characterized into five categories: plant growth and development, plant physiology, produce nutrition, produce organoleptic acceptability, and postharvest characteristics. Within each category there are several targets that further the development of crop production systems for spaceflight, such as crop size and harvest index, tolerance to specific environmental stresses, optimizing target nutrients that are low or degrade in the packaged diet, maintenance time requirements, and less indigestible structural material. NASA-funded PIs are already beginning to develop candidate crops, and spaceflight testing and validation of novel space crops is on the horizon. Crops developed for space also have the potential to benefit terrestrial controlled environment agriculture crop production systems. This research was supported by NASA’s Space Biology and Human Research Programs.

Space Crop Production↗
NASA NTRS1993

The role of bioregenerative life-support systems in a manned future in space

Thus far in the manned space program, human life support has depended on storage of air, water, food, and energy. There are no refrigerators on Shuttle, and fresh foods are limited to what can be stowed in lockers for the first 3 days of a mission, when spoilage becomes a factor. Oxygen is stored, CO2 is scrubbed, and water is stored and treated. As we approach the Space Station era, life support will be a combination of storage and resupply. Duty cycles will be 90 days, and physico-chemical (P/C) systems will be important for recycling oxygen and water. Nutritionists seek a capability for refrigerated storage of fresh food on Station. However, most food still will be thermostabilized, rehydratables that can be stored at room temperature. Present Shuttle food is not much more sophisticated than repackaged camp food, and tends to be high in salt content. Hopefully, menus will be healthier on Station, where dietary countermeasures against biomedical responses to chronic microgravity might be implemented, and certainly need to be studied.

NASA Discipline Number 93-10↗
NASA NTRS2003

Academy Sharing Knowledge (ASK). The NASA Source for Project Management Magazine, Volume 11, March 2003

APPL is a research-based organization that serves NASA program and project managers, as well as project teams, at every level of development. In 1997, APPL was created from an earlier program to underscore the importance that NASA places on project management and project teams through a wide variety of products and services, including knowledge sharing, classroom and online courses, career development guidance, performance support, university partnerships, and advanced technology tools. ASK Magazine grew out of APPL's Knowledge Sharing Initiative. The stories that appear in ASK are written by the 'best of the best' project managers, primarily from NASA, but also from other government agencies and industry. Contributors to this issue include: Teresa Bailey, a librarian at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Roy Malone, Deputy Director in the Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) Office at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), W. Scott Cameron, Capital Systems Manager for the Food and Beverage Global Business Unit of Procter and Gamble, Ray Morgan, recent retiree as Vice President of AeroVironment, Inc., Marty Davis, Program Manager of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland, Todd Post, editor of ASK Magazine, and works for EduTech Ltd. in Silver Spring, Maryland, Dr. Owen Gadeken, professor of Engineering Management at the Defense Acquisition University, Ken Schwer, currently the Project Manager of Solar Dynamics Observatory, Dr. Edward Hoffmwan, Director of the NASA Academy of Program and Project Leadership, Frank Snow, a member of the NASA Explorer Program at Goddard Space Flight Center since 1992, Dr. Alexander Laufer, Editor-in-Chief of ASK Magazine and a member of the Advisory Board of the NASA Academy of Program and Project Leadership, Judy Stokley, presently Air Force Program Executive Officer for Weapons in Washington, D.C. and Terry Little, Director of the Kinetic Energy Boost Office of the Missile Defense Agency.

Source record↗