Life support research and development for the Department of Energy Space Exploration Initiative

Long-term, manned space missions of the future will require an approach to life support systems in which most of the waste materials must be processed and recycled and/or local resources are utilized. The requirement for a reliable life support system has been recognized as an important component of the Space Exploration Initiative, and the Department of Energy (DOE), in conjunction with the National Aeronautics and Space Agency, is organizing a program in support of the development of this type of technology. It is quite likely that bioprocesses will be important components of the integrated system, and this will be the primary area of R D within the DOE national laboratories. Initial research will include investigation of microbial, enzymatic, and thermochemical processing of wastes. Other research areas of interest include water and air purification by plants, microbial detection systems, biophotochemical CO{sub 2} recycle, tissue cultures for food, single-cell protein, bioadsorbents for pollutant removal, and several others. The resulting innovative technology developed for space exploration could also be the basis for new approaches for the processing and recycle of waste materials on Earth.