Earth applications of closed ecological systems: Relevance to the development of sustainability in our global biosphere

Nelson, Mark D.; Allen, John P.; Ailing, A.; Dempster, William F.; Silverstone, S.

doi:10.1016/s0273-1177(03)80011-x

Cited by 31 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…For this reason Polyakov et al [10] also describe the concept of applying bioregenerative life support systems developed as space technology for establishing sustainable settlements in extreme habitats on Earth, for example, hot deserts which cover one fifth of our land area. This idea was first introduced by Nelson in 2003 [11]. As desertification and soil erosion is a major problem on Earth threatening arable soil, this approach is one possible solution to counter that.…”

Section: Potential Of Microalgae With Respect To Remote Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photobioreactors in Life Support Systems

Wagner

Braun

Slenzka³

et al. 2015

Microalgae Biotechnology

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Life support systems for long-term space missions or extraterrestrial installations have to fulfill major functions such as purification of water and regeneration of atmosphere as well as the generation of food and energy. For almost 60 years ideas for biological life support systems have been collected and various concepts have been developed and tested. Microalgae as photosynthetic organisms have played a major role in most of these concepts. This review deals with the potentials of using eukaryotic microalgae for life support systems and highlights special requirements and frame conditions for designing space photobioreactors especially regarding illumination and aeration. Mono- and dichromatic illumination based on LEDs is a promising alternative for conventional systems and preliminary results yielded higher photoconversion efficiencies (PCE) for dichromatic red/blue illumination than white illumination. Aeration for microgravity conditions should be realized in a bubble-free manner, for example, via membranes. Finally, a novel photobioreactor concept for space application is introduced being parameterized and tested with the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. This system has already been tested during two parabolic flight campaigns.

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Section: Potential Of Microalgae With Respect To Remote Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photobioreactors in Life Support Systems

Wagner

Braun

Slenzka³

et al. 2015

Microalgae Biotechnology

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“…A person in space needs at least 22.4 kg of food, water, and oxygen per day (Nelson et al, 2003). For a crew of three astronauts flying to Mars and back, with the fastest return currently achievable i.e., without landing on the Martian surface, an estimated 34 tonnes of supplies would be required.…”

Section: Implications Of Oxygenic Photosynthesis For Human Space Explmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photosynthesis at the forefront of a sustainable life

et al. 2014

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The development of a sustainable bio-based economy has drawn much attention in recent years, and research to find smart solutions to the many inherent challenges has intensified. In nature, perhaps the best example of an authentic sustainable system is oxygenic photosynthesis. The biochemistry of this intricate process is empowered by solar radiation influx and performed by hierarchically organized complexes composed by photoreceptors, inorganic catalysts, and enzymes which define specific niches for optimizing light-to-energy conversion. The success of this process relies on its capability to exploit the almost inexhaustible reservoirs of sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to transform photonic energy into chemical energy such as stored in adenosine triphosphate. Oxygenic photosynthesis is responsible for most of the oxygen, fossil fuels, and biomass on our planet. So, even after a few billion years of evolution, this process unceasingly supports life on earth, and probably soon also in outer-space, and inspires the development of enabling technologies for a sustainable global economy and ecosystem. The following review covers some of the major milestones reached in photosynthesis research, each reflecting lasting routes of innovation in agriculture, environmental protection, and clean energy production.

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“…Fuller wanted far more elegant efficiency than all of that and all the time, using a spacecraft as his design ideal (Nelson, Allen, Alling, Dempster, & Silverstone, 2003). Yet, in a contradictory manner, Fuller also knew the new megalopolis of today's global slums was quite real.…”

Section: Born In New England During 1895 Fuller Spent Much Of His Eamentioning

confidence: 99%

Ephemeralization as Environmentalism: Rereading R. Buckminster Fuller’s Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth

Luke

2010

Organization & Environment

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This study critically surveys the environmental thinking and design philosophy Of R. Buckminster Fuller by revisiting two of his major theoretical works, Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth and Utopia or Oblivion. It highlights Fuller's fascination with economic efficiency and environmental justice in his own pursuit of the practices of industrial design, urban planning, and vernacular engineering. In addition, the analysis stresses how the optimism and energy that Fuller gave to rethinking environmentalism so radically during the 1960s are vital qualities that contemporary green thinkers need to rekindle in their works today.As the United States readies the final countdowns for its last three manned space missions flying its now dwindled fleet of four space shuttle vehicles based on three-decade old designs, it is a suitable opportunity to consider the intellectual impact that both aeronautical and astronautical technology have had on the development of the modern environment movement in the 20th century. Al Gore Jr. always reminds the world how significant the riveting images of the famous 1968 "Earth Rise" photographs taken from the Apollo 8 crew capsule orbiting the Moon during December 1968 were for contemporary environmentalists, but they were not the real beginning of this major gestalt shift in ecological thought.Of course, the "view from space," as historians, philosophers, and other social scientists have noted (Berg, 1982;Deese, 2009;Höhler, 2010), seemed to give environmentalism a fresh set of goals and values during the 1960s. Yet it was also the case those earlier widespread opportunities for people to travel rapidly around the planet, using various new flying and new sailing technologies, provided equally radical changes in perspective. Those devices also allowed individuals to survey swiftly and systematically panoramic views of large bioregions and vast ecosystems around the Earth. After the 1890s, then, as dirigibles, submarines, dreadnoughts, and airplanes

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Earth applications of closed ecological systems: Relevance to the development of sustainability in our global biosphere

Cited by 31 publications

References 9 publications

Photobioreactors in Life Support Systems

Photobioreactors in Life Support Systems

Photosynthesis at the forefront of a sustainable life

Ephemeralization as Environmentalism: Rereading R. Buckminster Fuller’s Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth

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