Space habitats for bioengineering and surgical repair: addressing the requirement for reconstructive and research tissues during deep-space missions

Abstract

Numerous technical scenarios have been developed to facilitate a human return to the Moon, and as a testbed for a subsequent mission to Mars. Crews appointed with constructing and establishing planetary bases will require a superior level of physical ability to cope with the operational demands. However, the challenging environments of nearby planets (e.g. geological, atmospheric, gravitational conditions) as well as the lengthy journeys through microgravity, will lead to progressive tissue degradation and an increased susceptibility to injury. The isolation, distance and inability to evacuate in an emergency will require autonomous medical support, as well as a range of facilities and specialised equipment to repair tissue damage on-site. Here, we discuss the design requirements of such a facility, in the form of a habitat that would concomitantly allow tissue substitute production, maintenance and surgical implantation, with an emphasis on connective tissues. The requirements for the individual modules and their operation are identified. Several concepts are assessed, including the presence of adjacent wet lab and medical modules supporting the gradual implementation of regenerative biomaterials and acellular tissue substitutes, leading to eventual tissue grafts and, in subsequent decades, potential tissues/organ-like structures. The latter, currently in early phases of development, are assessed particularly for researching the effects of extreme conditions on representative analogues for astronaut health support. Technical solutions are discussed for bioengineering in an isolated planetary environment with hypogravity, from fluid-gel bath suspended manufacture to cryostorage, cell sourcing and on-site resource utilisation for laboratory infrastructure. Surgical considerations are also discussed.

Considerations for oral and dental tissues in holistic care during long-haul space flights

“…The lengthy space flights could result in progressive tissue degradation and an increased susceptibility to injury. Therefore, the field of regenerative dentistry, medicine, surgical repair and advancement of wound healing is highly important ( Iordachescu et al, 2023 ). Due to isolation, distance, and the absence of a possible emergency evacuation plan in space, the design of facilities, infrastructure and the specialized equipment required remain a challenging task to the rapidly developing field of regenerative bioengineering ( Iordachescu et al, 2023 ).…”

“…Therefore, the field of regenerative dentistry, medicine, surgical repair and advancement of wound healing is highly important ( Iordachescu et al, 2023 ). Due to isolation, distance, and the absence of a possible emergency evacuation plan in space, the design of facilities, infrastructure and the specialized equipment required remain a challenging task to the rapidly developing field of regenerative bioengineering ( Iordachescu et al, 2023 ). In addition to the above, the exposure to extensive cosmic radiation complicates the requirements for development of research facilities in during space missions ( Röstel et al, 2020 ).…”

Space-Based Data Centers and Cooling: Feasibility Analysis via Multi-Criteria and Query Search for Water-Bearing Asteroids Showing Novel Underlying Regular and Symmetric Patterns

“…Hence, they are suitable for hosting servers and computing payloads in the outer space environment. The use of friendly and radiation-resistance habitats has been found to be suitable for hosting humans, as seen in [2,[20][21][22][23]. Therefore, space habitats can support servers and computing payloads in a manner that overcomes the effects and challenges arising from space weather and radiation.…”