Plasma for Crewed Transit and Planetary Habitation: Research Efforts at Kennedy Space Center

Abstract

Plasma-based space applications offer alternative means to Earth-based manufacturing for advanced chemical processing in low Earth orbit (LEO) and beyond. The deployment of plasma systems drives a number of interdisciplinary systems that support human life for crewed transit and planetary habitation. The main obstacle to terrestrially implementing plasma-based applications is economics. This article describes the economics for Earth and Space, the current state of the art, and future considerations from plasma science, economic, and engineering standpoints. The overarching goal of this article is to introduce the usefulness of plasma-space applications to achieve logistics reduction and Earth independence for crewed transit and planetary habitation. The discussion herein includes a subset of applications specifically being investigated at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC): plasma waste gasification, plasma-assisted nutrient recovery of inedible biomass via ash leaching, hydrogen plasma Lunar regolith reduction for oxygen liberation, plasma for space agriculture, the versatility of plasma-activated water (PAW) for space living, and plasma cleaning and processing. The pathway of plasma research from university laboratories and government funding to technology development for supporting human life is in its infancy and has the potential to influence future planetary colonization plans.