Use of New Technologies in the Development of Spacecraft Life Support Systems

Abstract

Currently, the task of developing new technologies and using them in the life support system of spacecraft to improve existing systems for producing oxygen and hydrogen, regenerating water from atmospheric moisture condensate and from astronauts’ waste products, removing harmful microimpurities, and growing rapidly multiplying microalgae on the spacecraft itself is an urgent task. The use of microalgae biomass solves the problem of utilizing carbon dioxide, formed during the life of astronauts, replenishing the spacecraft atmosphere with oxygen, and providing astronauts with food. The author has developed a separator, tested during flight tests, for purification of fuel liquid or technical contaminated water from harmful solids or microbes in the tank with liquid fuel or technical contaminated water to maintain clean fuel liquid and maintain drinking water supplies, applying a new technology of the use of the negative charged micro-dispersed hydrogen bubbles, formed during the process of electrolysis, and action on them electrostatic force, aroused between electrodes, in conditions of microgravity. The developed oxygen and hydrogen generator makes it possible to economically and simply separately produce oxygen and hydrogen for the long-term provision of the spacecraft cabin atmosphere with oxygen and drinking water during a long flight, applying a new technology of using positively charged oxygen and negatively charged hydrogen bubbles, formed during electrolysis, and of the action on them of the electrostatic force arising between the electrodes in microgravity. A concentrator has also been developed that produces a concentrate of rapidly reproducing microgravity microalgae to utilize the carbon dioxide, emitted by astronauts and produce oxygen, as well as adding this concentrate as a high-calorie nutritional supplement to the diet of the spacecraft crew to obtain sufficient oxygen, water, and algae biomass concentrate for the performance of astronauts during a long space flight. Obtaining a concentrate of rapidly multiplying microalgae under microgravity conditions in a concentrator is carried out by applying new technology for using micro dispersed negatively charged hydrogen bubbles formed during electrolysis at the cathode and an aqueous solution saturated with them-catholyte, as well as the electrostatic force of attraction that occurs between the electrodes. The article presents the life support system of a spacecraft, which includes previously developed and using new technologies: a separator for cleaning of the fuel liquid and obtaining drinking water by cleaning the fuel liquid and technical dirty water from solid harmful impurities or microbes, to restore drinking water from urine astronauts in microgravity conditions in quantities sufficient for the consumption of this water by astronauts during long-term space flights; a generator that makes it possible to economically and easily separately produce oxygen, hydrogen and drinking water to replenish oxygen and drinking water to the atmosphere of the spacecraft cabin, and a concentrator connected to a space photo bioreactor that grows microalgae in microgravity, which contributes to the utilization of carbon dioxide released during the breathing of astronauts, and the production of oxygen to replenish the oxygen reserves in the atmosphere of the cabin of the spacecraft, which makes it possible to obtain a concentrate of rapidly multiplying microalgae and add this concentrate as a food additive to the crew's diet and replenish the space photo-bioreactor with a part of the concentrate and a purified nutrient solution in order to obtain a sufficient amount of biomass for a long flight.