Spaceflight Life Support and Biospherics

by P. Eckart

Overview

Spaceflight Life Support and Biospherics is the introduction to space life support systems and artificial ecosystems that has so far been lacking. It is a source of information for everyone involved in the life support system design and development process - engineers, scientists, and students - as well as all those who are simply interested in this existing discipline. The structure of this book is such that it gives step-by-step answers to the basic questions concerning life support systems on any scale - from small microbial systems to the Earth's biosphere:
• Why life support system development and biosphere research?
• How does our natural life support system, the biosphere, work?
• What are the environmental conditions for life support systems in space?
• What are the fundamental terms and requirements of life support?
• Which physicochemical life support subsystems currently exist?
• Which are the potential bioregenerative life support technologies of the future?
• What are life support systems of future planetary habitats going to look like?
• What are the experiences of the largest artificial ecosystem - Biosphere 2?
• What are the potential terrestrial benefits of life support development? £/LIST£

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789048146598
Publisher:	Springer Netherlands
Publication date:	12/10/2010
Series:	Space Technology Library , #5
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of hardcover 1st ed. 1996
Pages:	444
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.04(d)

Table of Contents

Preface. Foreword. I: Rationale. II: Biosphere 1 - The Life Support System of the Earth. II.1. The Terrestrial Environment. II.2. Fundamentals of Ecology. II.3. Earth's Endangered Life Support System. III: The Extraterrestrial Environment. III.1. Radiation in Free Space. III.2. Gravity. III.3. Vacuum. III.4. Magnetic Fields. III.5. Local Planetary Environments. IV: Fundamentals of Life Support Systems. IV.1. Definitions. IV.2. Classification of Life Support Systems. IV.3. Design and Development Considerations. IV.4. Physico-Chemical vs. Bioregenerative Life Support. IV.5. Past and Present Life Support Systems. IV.6. Space Suits and Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVA). V. Physico-Chemical Life Support Subsystems. V.1. Atmosphere Management. V.2. Water Management. V.3. Waste Management. VI. Bioregenerative Life Support Concepts. VI.1. Bioregenerative Life Support and CELSS. VI.2. Microbial Systems. VI.3. Algal Systems. VI.4. Higher Plants. VI.5. Fungi and Conversion of Inedible Plant Material for Food Provision. VI.6. Animals as Human Food. VI.7. Aquaculture Systems. VI.8. Food Management and Processing. VII. Biosphere 2 - Lessons Learned for Future CELSS Research. VII.1. The Rationale of Biosphere 2. VII.2. Description of Biosphere 2. VII.3. The Biosphere 2 Test Module. VII.4. Fields of Research. VII.5. Initial Results. VIII. Future LifeSupport in Space. VIII.1. Future Manned Space Exploration. VIII.2. Space Station. VIII.3. Lunar Base. VIII.4. Martian Base. IX. Potential Terrestrial Applications Derived from the Development of Life Support Systems. IX.1. Introduction. IX.2. Basic Ecological Research. IX.3. Atmosphere, Water, and Waste Regeneration. IX.4. Biomass Production and Research. IX.5. Support of Terrestrial Analogs. Index.

Editorial Reviews

' ... may well become a standard textbook, for the pioneers of our first home beyond Earth.'
Arthur C. Clarke, CBE, Colombo, Sri Lanka
' The book provides a very concise and pleasing summary of what is known and what is needed for the further development of life support systems.'
Spaceflight, January 1995
' A book which should be on the desk of every scientist and engineer working on regenerative life support systems.'
Dr Donald Henninger, NASA-Johnson Space Center
' ... remarkable book not only covers life support technology ... , but also serves as a primer on principles of ecology and the nature of the space environment. It serves both as a reference for professionals and as an introductory text for those new to the field.'
Dr Wendell Mendell, NASA-Johnson Space Center
' I recommend it to all the future aerospace engineers and to the confirmed space engineers who want to be informed about the specific field of space engineering.'
Dr Christian Tamponnet, ESA-ESTEC, Noordwijk

From the Publisher

An introduction to space life-support systems and artificial ecosystems, for scientists, engineers, and students working with their design and development, but also for readers who are intrigued and can read (or skip) fairly simple chemical and mathematical equations. Explains such aspects as how the Earth's environment works, the environmental conditions necessary to live in space, the physico-chemical subsystems that currently exist, potential bio-regenerative technologies, future planetary habitats, the Biosphere 2 experiment in Arizona, and the potential terrestrial benefits of life-support development. Revised and expanded from Life Support and Biospherics published by Herbert Utze Publishers in Munich in 1994. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews