FEASIBILITY OF BIOMASS-BASED FUEL CELLS FOR MANNED SPACE EXPLORATION

The increasing quantity of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the decrease in fossil fuels availability are driving massive investigation of alternative, sustainable energy sources for Earth applications. Among others, different processes for the conversion of biomass into useful fuels are under development or have been already implemented in various Countries. The transfer of this technology to space is promising in view of the ambitious plans for future manned planetary exploration missions, where power generation represents a critical aspect.