Biological life support systems for space crews: Some results and prospects

Abstract

A set of problems of biomedical support for humans in the extreme environment of a space flight is a challenge for space biology and medicine. Designing robust and efficiently functioning life support systems (LSS) is among these problems. The paper gives an overview of the experiments with manned ground-based biological LSS (BLSS) performed in Russia and abroad. The basic data on the photoautotrophic components of BLSS (higher plants) were obtained in a series of experiments conducted on board the orbital complex Mir for 630 days in total and in the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) (a series of experiments with total duration of 820 days). Analysis of the results obtained on Earth and during the space flights leads to the conclusion that some BLSS components, e.g., greenhouses, can be integrated even now into the systems that are currently used for the life support of space crews.