The CEEF, closed ecosystem as a laboratory for determining the dynamics of radioactive isotopes.

Nuclear power generation is now confronted with a very difficult situation all over the world because of the problems of radioactive waste disposal and of the accidents, which have occurred. Nuclear power generation now supplies nearly 30% of total electric power demand in Japan. Therefore it is very difficult to change quickly the construction plans of nuclear facilities already designed. A nuclear fuel reprocessing center is now under construction in Rokkasho-Mura in Aomori Prefecture. If this center starts its operation, small amounts of 14CO2 are expected to be released into the atmosphere and will enter the global cycle. The simulation experiment of 14C trace amounts which enter into ecosystems is now being planned using stable isotope 13C within CEEF (Closed Ecology Experiment Facilities).     

Technical review of the Laboratory Biosphere closed ecological system facility.

Laboratory Biosphere is a 40 m3 closed life system that commenced operation in May 2002. Light is from 12,000 W of high pressure sodium lamps over planting beds with 5.37 m2 of soil. Water is 100% recycled by collecting condensate from the temperature and humidity control system and mixing with leachate collected from under the planting beds. Atmospheric leakage was estimated during the first closure experiment to be 0.5-1% per day in general plus about 1% for each usage of the airlock door. The first trial run of 94 days was with a soybean crop grown from seeds (May 17, 2002) to harvest (August 14, 2002) plus 5 days of post-harvest closure. The focus of this initial trial was system testing to confirm functionality and identify any necessary modifications or improvements. This paper describes the organizational and physical features of the Laboratory Biosphere.     

Initial experimental results from the Laboratory Biosphere closed ecological system facility.

An initial experiment in the Laboratory Biosphere facility, Santa Fe, New Mexico, was conducted May-August 2002 using a soil-based system with light levels (at 12 h per day) of 58-mol m-2 d-1. The crop tested was soybean, cultivar Hoyt, which produced an aboveground biomass of 2510 grams. Dynamics of a number of trace gases showed that methane, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen gas had initial increases that were substantially reduced in concentration by the end of the experiment. Methane was reduced from 209 ppm to 11 ppm, and nitrous oxide from 5 ppm to 1.4 ppm in the last 40 days of the closure experiment. Ethylene was at elevated levels compared to ambient during the flowering/fruiting phase of the crop. Soil respiration from the 5.37 m2 (1.46 m3) soil component was estimated at 23.4 ppm h-1 or 1.28 g CO2 h-1 or 5.7 g CO2 m-2 d-1. Phytorespiration peaked near the time of fruiting at about 160 ppm h-1. At the height of plant growth, photosynthesis CO2 draw down was as high as 3950 ppm d-1, and averaged 265 ppm h-1 (whole day averages) during lighted hours with a range of 156-390 ppm h-1. During this period, the chamber required injections of CO2 to continue plant growth. Oxygen levels rose along with the injections of carbon dioxide. Upon several occasions, CO2 was allowed to be drawn down to severely limiting levels, bottoming at around 150 ppm. A strong positive correlation (about 0.05 ppm h-1 ppm-1 with r2 about 0.9 for the range 1000-5000 ppm) was observed between atmospheric CO2 concentration and the rate of fixation up to concentrations of around 8800 ppm CO2.     

Analysis of nitrogen flow in rice cultivation in CEEF.

In order to control the material circulation in the Closed Ecology Experiment Facilities (CEEF), it is necessary to clarify material flow in the Closed Plant Experiment Facility (CPEF) of CEEF. We tried to grow rice plants and measure the nitrogen contents in rice plant and nutrient solution in plant cultivation bed to trace the material balance in CPEF. The measurements were carried out under the condition of 750 ppm (v/v) CO2 at 26/19 degrees C in the plant cultivation room. The measurements showed the absorbed nitrogen amount in plant was less than the outflow nitrogen amount from nutrient solution. This difference between absorbed and outflow quantity reached to 17%.     

The Mini-Earth facility and present status of habitation experiment program.

The history of construction of the CEEF (the Mini-Earth), the configuration and scale of the CEEF are initially described. The effective usable areas in plant cultivation and animal holding and habitation modules and the accommodation equipment installed in each module are also explained. Mechanisms of the material circulation systems belonging to each module and subsystems in each material circulation system are introduced. Finally the results of pre-habitation experiments conducted until the year 2004 for clarifying the requirements in order to promote final closed habitation experiments are shown.     

Effects of lighting and air movement on temperatures in reproductive organs of plants in a closed plant growth facility

Temperature increases in plant reproductive organs such as anthers and stigmas could cause fertility impediments and thus produce sterile seeds under artificial lighting conditions without adequately controlled environments in closed plant growth facilities. There is a possibility such a situation could occur in Bioregenerative Life Support Systems under microgravity conditions in space because there will be little natural convective or thermal mixing. This study was conducted to determine the temperature of the plant reproductive organs as affected by illumination and air movement under normal gravitational forces on the earth and to make an estimation of the temperature increase in reproductive organs in closed plant growth facilities under microgravity in space. Thermal images of reproductive organs of rice and strawberry were captured using infrared thermography at air temperatures of 10–11 °C. Compared to the air temperature, temperatures of petals, stigmas and anthers of strawberry increased by 24, 22 and 14 °C, respectively, after 5 min of lighting at an irradiance of 160 W m⁻² from incandescent lamps. Temperatures of reproductive organs and leaves of strawberry were significantly higher than those of rice. The temperatures of petals, stigmas, anthers and leaves of strawberry decreased by 13, 12, 13 and 14 °C, respectively, when the air velocity was increased from 0.1 to 1.0 ms⁻¹. These results show that air movement is necessary to reduce the temperatures of plant reproductive organs in plant growth facilities.     

Modeling gas exchange in a closed plant growth chamber.

Fluid transport models for fluxes of water vapor and CO2 have been developed for one crop of wheat and three crops of soybean grown in a closed plant growth chamber. Correspondence among these fluxes is discussed. Maximum fluxes of gases are provided for engineering design requirements of fluid recycling equipment in growth chambers. Furthermore, to investigate the feasibility of generalized crop models, dimensionless representations of water vapor fluxes are presented. The feasibility of such generalized models and the need for additional data are discussed.     

The MELISSA pilot plant facility as as integration test-bed for advanced life support systems.

The different advances in the Micro Ecological Life Support System Alternative project (MELISSA), fostered and coordinated by the European Space Agency, as well as in other associated technologies, are integrated and demonstrated in the MELISSA Pilot Plant laboratory. During the first period of operation, the definition of the different compartments at an individual basis has been achieved, and the complete facility is being re-designed to face a new period of integration of all these compartments. The final objective is to demonstrate the potentiality of biological systems such as MELISSA as life support systems. The facility will also serve as a test bed to study the robustness and stability of the continuous operation of a complex biological system. This includes testing of the associated instrumentation and control for a safe operation, characterization of the chemical and microbial safety of the system, as well as tracking the genetic stability of the microbial strains used. The new period is envisaged as a contribution to the further development of more complete biological life support systems for long-term manned missions, that should be better defined from the knowledge to be gained from this integration phase. This contribution summarizes the current status of the Pilot Plant and the planned steps for the new period.     

Application of crop gas exchange and transpiration data obtained with CEEF to global change problem.

In order to predict carbon sequestration of vegetation with the future rise in atmospheric CO2 concentration, [CO2] and temperature, long term effects of high [CO2] and high temperature on responses of both photosynthesis and transpiration of plants as a whole community to environmental parameters need to be elucidated. Especially in the last decade, many studies on photosynthetic acclimation to elevated [CO2] at gene, cell, tissue or leaf level for only vegetative growth phase (i.e. before formation of reproductive organs) have been conducted all over the world. However, CO2 acclimation studies at population or community level for a whole growing season are thus far very rare. Data obtained from repeatable experiments at population or community level for a whole growing season are necessary for modeling carbon sequestration of a plant community. On the other hand, in order to stabilize material circulation in the artificial ecological system of Closed Ecology Experiment Facilities (CEEF), it is necessary to predict material exchange rates in the biological systems. In particular, the material exchange rate in higher plant systems is highly variable during growth periods and there is a strong dependence on environmental conditions. For this reason, dependencies of both CO2 exchange rate and transpiration rate of three rice populations grown from seed under differing conditions of [CO2] and day/night air temperature (350 microL CO2 L-1, 24/17 degrees C (population A); 700 microL CO2 L-1, 24/17 degrees C (population B) and 700 microL CO2 L-1, 26/19 degrees C (population C)) upon PPFD, leaf temperature and [CO2] were investigated every two weeks during whole growing season. Growth of leaf lamina, leaf sheath, panicle and root was also compared. From this experiment, it was elucidated that acclimation of instantaneous photosynthetic response of rice population to [CO2] occurs in vegetative phase through changes in ratio of leaf area to whole plant dry weight, LAR. But, in reproductive growth phase (i.e. after initiation of panicle formation), the difference between photosynthetic response to [CO2] of population A and that of population B decreased. Although LAR of population C was almost always less than that of population A, there was no difference between the photosynthetic response to [CO2] of population A at 24 degrees C and that of population C at 26 degrees C for its whole growth period. These results are useful to make a model to predict carbon sequestration of rice community, which is an important type of vegetation especially in Asia in future global environmental change.     

事件触发控制在倒立摆系统中的仿真与实验

从理论、仿真、实验3个角度考虑了事件触发控制对于一级直线倒立摆系统的控制效果,进而说明事件触发控制的可行性与实用性。首先,借助线性矩阵不等式给出了事件条件参数的设计方法,并对触发时间间隔下界进行了估计。其次,通过Simulink仿真说明了在无量化效应时理论结果的有效性。最后,通过实验研究了量化效应的影响,发现其对于基于模型控制器的负面作用。实验结果表明,对于实际倒立摆系统,混合型事件条件及零阶保持控制器更加适用,它们可以在保证系统稳定性的前提下有效降低信息的通信频率。上述结果体现了事件触发控制的潜在实用价值。      

Animal research facility for Space Station Freedom.

An integrated animal research facility is planned by NASA for Space Station Freedom which will permit long-term, man-tended experiments on the effects of space conditions on vertebrates. The key element in this facility is a standard type animal habitat which supports and maintains the animals under full bioisolation during transport and during the experiment. A holding unit accommodates the habitats with animals to be maintained at zero gravity; and a centrifuge, those to be maintained at artificial gravity for control purposes or for gravity threshold studies. A glovebox permits handling of the animals for experimental purposes and for transfer to a clean habitat. These facilities are described, and the aspects of environmental control, monitoring, and bioisolation are discussed.     

Operations of a spaceflight experiment to investigate plant tropisms

Plants will be an important component in bioregenerative systems for long-term missions to the Moon and Mars. Since gravity is reduced both on the Moon and Mars, studies that identify the basic mechanisms of plant growth and development in altered gravity are required to ensure successful plant production on these space colonization missions. To address these issues, we have developed a project on the International Space Station (ISS) to study the interaction between gravitropism and phototropism in Arabidopsis thaliana. These experiments were termed TROPI (for tropisms) and were performed on the European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS) in 2006. In this paper, we provide an operational summary of TROPI and preliminary results on studies of tropistic curvature of seedlings grown in space. Seed germination in TROPI was lower compared to previous space experiments, and this was likely due to extended storage in hardware for up to 8 months. Video downlinks provided an important quality check on the automated experimental time line that also was monitored with telemetry. Good quality images of seedlings were obtained, but the use of analog video tapes resulted in delays in image processing and analysis procedures. Seedlings that germinated exhibited robust phototropic curvature. Frozen plant samples were returned on three space shuttle missions, and improvements in cold stowage and handing procedures in the second and third missions resulted in quality RNA extracted from the seedlings that was used in subsequent microarray analyses. While the TROPI experiment had technical and logistical difficulties, most of the procedures worked well due to refinement during the project.     

Dosimetry during the first IBIS facility flight.

The dosimetry of cosmic rays was performed during the first experimental flight of the IBIS facility. Different thermoluminescent detectors (TLD) have been used to measure the contribution of the low linear energy transfer component (LET < 10 keV/micrometer) and plastic nuclear track detectors (PNTD) for the high linear energy tranfer (LET) component. Several parameters of tracks have been measured to determine the LET spectra of primary and secondary charged particles. The total absorbed dose rate (TLD+PNTD) during the flight was 0.23 mGy/day and the dose equivalent rate using the ICRP 60 was 0.52 mSv/day. The corresponding mean quality factor was 2.4. These results are in agreement with those obtained aboard the MIR station with a tissue equivalent proportional counter.     

MEMS陀螺仪随机漂移仿真和试验

为了提高使用精度,研究了某微机电系统(MEMS,Micro Electro Mechanical System)陀螺仪的随机漂移模型.应用时间序列分析方法对经过预处理的陀螺仪量测数据进行建模,提出采用状态扩增法设计Kalman滤波器.进行速率试验和摇摆试验,验证了在静态和恒定角速率条件下,滤波后的误差均值和标准差分别为滤波前的55%和12%.针对在摇摆运动时随着振幅的增加滤波效果下降的问题,设计了自适应Kalman滤波器,分析了衰减因子的选取原则.仿真结果表明:常值衰减因子法和自适应衰减因子法都能显著改善摇摆运动时的滤波效果,而自适应衰减因子法的精度更高.     

Vegetable production facility as a part of a closed life support system in a Russian Martian space flight scenario

A Manned Mars Mission scenario had been developed in frame of the Project 1172 supported International Science & Technology Center in Moscow. The Mars transit vehicle (MTV) supposed to have a crew of 4–6 with Pilot Laboratory compartment volume of 185 m³ and with inner diameter of 4.1 m. A vegetable production facility with power consumption up to 10 kW is being considered as a component of the life support system to supply crew members by fresh vegetables during the mission. Proposed design of conveyor-type plant growth facility (PGF) comprised of 4-modules. Each module has a cylindrical planting surface and spiral cylindrical LED assembly to provide a high specific productivity relative to utilized onboard resources. Each module has a growth chamber that will be from 0.7 m to 1.5 m in length, and a crop illuminated area from 1.7 m² to 4.0 m². Leafy crops (cabbage, lettuce, spinach, chard, etc.) have been selected for module 1, primarily because of the highest specific productivity per consumed resources. Dietitians have recommended also carrot crop for module 2, pepper for module 3 and tomato for module 4. The maximal total PGF light energy estimated as 1.16 kW and total power consumption as about 7 kW. The module 1 characteristics have been calculated using own experimental data, information from the best on ground plant growth experiments with artificial light were used to predict crop productivity and biomass composition in the another modules. 4-module PGF could produce nearly 0.32 kg per crew member per day of fresh edible biomass, which would be about 50% of recommended daily vegetable supplement. An average crop harvest index is estimated as 0.75. The MTV food system could be entirely closed in terms of vitamins C and A with help of the PGF. In addition the system could provide 10–25% of essential minerals and vitamins of group B, and about 20% of food fibers. The present state of plant growth technology allows formulating of requirements specification for the flight-qualified modules.     

Simulation of the MELiSSA closed loop system as a tool to define its integration strategy

Inspired by a terrestrial ecosystem, Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA) is a project focused on a closed-loop life support system intended for future long-term manned missions (Moon and Mars bases). Started by the ESA in 1989, this 5-compartment concept has evolved through a mechanistic engineering approach designed to acquire both theoretical and technical knowledge. In its current state of development, the project can now start to demonstrate the MELiSSA loop concept at pilot scale. Thus, an integration strategy for a MELiSSA Pilot Plant (MPP) has been defined, describing the different test phases and connections between compartments. The integration steps are due to be started in 2008 and completed with a complete operational loop in 2015. The ultimate objective is to achieve a closed liquid and gas loop fulfiling 100% of oxygen requirements and at least 20% of food requirements for one-man. Although the integration logic could start with the most advanced processes in terms of knowledge and hardware development, this logic needs to be expanded to encompass a high-level simulation policy. This simulation exercise will make it possible to run effective demonstrations of each independent process, followed by progressive coupling with other processes in operational conditions mirroring as far as possible the final configuration.     

Pigment composition and concentrations within the plant (Ceratophyllum demersum L.) component of the STS-89 C.E.B.A.S. Mini-Module spaceflight experiment.

The Closed Equilibrated Biological Aquatic System (C.E.B.A.S.) Mini-Module, a Space Shuttle middeck locker payload which supports a variety of aquatic inhabitants (fish, snails, plants and bacteria) in an enclosed 8.6 L chamber, was tested for its biological stability in microgravity. The aquatic plant, Ceratophyllum demersum L., was critical for the vitality and functioning of this artificial mini-ecosystem. Its photosynthetic pigment concentrations were of interest due to their light harvesting and protective functions. "Post-flight" chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations within Ceratophyllum apical segments were directly related to the quantities of light received in the experiments, with microgravity exposure (STS-89) failing to account for any significant deviation from ground control studies.     

ECOSIMP2 model: prediction of CO2 concentration changes and carbon status in closed ecosystems.

The ECOSIMP2 model, simulating the Plant-Soil-Atmosphere interactions, was developed as a tool for the management of an experimental artificial ecosystem. It consists in three main carbon compartments for production, consumption and decomposition of the biomass. The main biological parameters concern photosynthesis (apparent Km, CO2 compensation point), the harvest index, the rate of consumption, and the kinetics of litter decomposition. From realistic assumptions of kinetics of soil compartments, a steady-state case was obtained, simulating a terrestrial ecosystem. The stability of the atmospheric CO2 concentration was studied after a virtual enclosure of the system in a 20-m high greenhouse. In natural lighting the conditions of stability are severe because of the small size of the atmospheric compartment which amplifies any imbalance between carbon fluxes. The positive consequence of that amplification for research on artificial ecosystems was emphasized.     

The legacy of Biosphere 2 for the study of biospherics and closed ecological systems.

The unprecedented challenges of creating Biosphere 2, the world's first laboratory for biospherics, the study of global ecology and long-term closed ecological system dynamics, led to breakthrough developments in many fields, and a deeper understanding of the opportunities and difficulties of material closure. This paper will review accomplishments and challenges, citing some of the key research findings and publications that have resulted from the experiments in Biosphere 2. Engineering accomplishments included development of a technique for variable volume to deal with pressure differences between the facility and outside environment, developing methods of atmospheric leak detection and sealing, while achieving new standards of closure, with an annual atmospheric leakrate of less than 10%, or less than 300 ppm per day. This degree of closure permitted detailed tracking of carbon dioxide, oxygen, and trace gases such as nitrous oxide and ethylene over the seasonal variability of two years. Full closure also necessitated developing new approaches and technologies for complete air, water, and wastewater recycle and reuse within the facility. The development of a soil-based highly productive agricultural system was a first in closed ecological systems, and much was learned about managing a wide variety of crops using non-chemical means of pest and disease control. Closed ecological systems have different temporal biogeochemical cycling and ranges of atmospheric components because of their smaller reservoirs of air, water and soil, and higher concentration of biomass, and Biosphere 2 provided detailed examination and modeling of these accelerated cycles over a period of closure which measured in years. Medical research inside Biosphere 2 included the effects on humans of lowered oxygen: the discovery that human productivity can be maintained with good health with lowered atmospheric oxygen levels could lead to major economies on the design of space stations and planetary/lunar settlements. The improved health resulting from the calorie-restricted but nutrient dense Biosphere 2 diet was the first such scientifically controlled experiment with humans. The success of Biosphere 2 in creating a diversity of terrestrial and marine environments, from rainforest to coral reef, allowed detailed studies with comprehensive measurements such that the dynamics of these complex biomic systems are now better understood. The coral reef ecosystem, the largest artificial reef ever built, catalyzed methods of study now being applied to planetary coral reef systems. Restoration ecology advanced through the creation and study of the dynamics of adaptation and self-organization of the biomes in Biosphere 2. The international interest that Biosphere 2 generated has given new impetus to the public recognition of the sciences of biospheres (biospherics), biomes and closed ecological life systems. The facility, although no longer a materially-closed ecological system, is being used as an educational facility by Columbia University as an introduction to the study of the biosphere and complex system ecology and for carbon dioxide impacts utilizing the complex ecosystems created in Biosphere '.The many lessons learned from Biosphere 2 are being used by its key team of creators in their design and operation of a laboratory-sized closed ecological system, the Laboratory Biosphere, in operation as of March 2002, and for the design of a Mars on Earth(TM) prototype life support system for manned missions to Mars and Mars surface habitats. Biosphere 2 is an important foundation for future advances in biospherics and closed ecological system research.     

刚性车轮月面牵引通过性的模型试验

以重塑模拟月壤为介质,利用深空探测车车轮牵引特性实验台,研究了月面巡视探测器的刚性轮齿车轮与模拟月壤的交互作用,分析了车轮转速、轮上载荷等试验因素对车轮牵引通过性的影响.研究结果表明,当车轮转速较低时,挂钩牵引力随滑转率的增加而不断提高;当车轮转速较高时,存在着临界滑转率点.轮上载荷的增加有利于提高车轮的挂钩牵引力,但对挂钩牵引力系数的影响较小.