Advancing Life Support for Human Exploration Beyond Low Earth Orbit
Key Ideas
  • The Next Generation Life Support project focuses on developing technologies for Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) and Extravehicular Activity (EVA) to extend human presence into the solar system.
  • Efforts are directed towards enhancing safety, performance, affordability, and vehicle self-sufficiency while minimizing consumables like water and oxygen, crucial for long-duration space missions.
  • Innovations include new glove concepts for space suits to improve mobility and durability, alternative carbon dioxide reduction technologies to increase oxygen recovery, and investigating in-situ food production for autonomous long-duration missions.
  • The project also explores In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) to extract resources on Mars, such as oxygen, hydrogen, and methane, reducing the reliance on supplies from Earth and enhancing sustainability in space exploration.
The Next Generation Life Support (NGLS) project is an initiative aimed at advancing life support technologies to enable human exploration beyond low Earth orbit into the solar system. The project focuses on developing new technologies for Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) and Extravehicular Activity (EVA) to provide critical capabilities for extended human presence in space. The primary goal is to enhance safety, performance, affordability, and vehicle self-sufficiency while reducing the reliance on consumables like water and oxygen, which are essential for sustaining life during long-duration missions. One of the key challenges addressed by the project is the development of robust and maintainable life support systems that maximize the recycling of water and oxygen. Current systems on the International Space Station (ISS) require frequent resupply due to their partial closure, leading to mass and logistics issues. NGLS is exploring innovative solutions to improve oxygen recovery and reduce the venting of resources. In the realm of space suits, NGLS is working on novel glove concepts to enhance mobility, fit, and durability for exploration missions. These advancements aim to address performance challenges, reduce injuries, and improve overall efficiency during extravehicular activities. Additionally, the project is investigating alternative carbon dioxide reduction technologies to increase oxygen recovery, with a focus on Bosch and Methane Pyrolysis methods. Furthermore, the project delves into in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) to extract resources on planetary surfaces like Mars. By harnessing resources such as oxygen, hydrogen, and methane from the local environment, NGLS aims to reduce the reliance on Earth-supplied consumables, thereby enhancing sustainability and autonomy in long-duration human space exploration. The endeavor also explores the feasibility of in-situ food production through biological processes, paving the way for self-sustaining missions beyond low Earth orbit.
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