Crewed Space Research Articles

Development and implementation of a simulated microgravity setup for edible cyanobacteria

Regenerative life support systems for space crews recycle waste into water, food, and oxygen using different organisms. The European Space Agency’s MELiSSA program uses the cyanobacterium Limnospira indica PCC8005 for air revitalization and food production. Before space use, components’ compatibility with reduced gravity was tested. This study introduced a ground analog for microgravity experiments with oxygenic cyanobacteria under continuous illumination, using a random positioning machine (RPM) setup. L. indica PCC8005 grew slower under low-shear simulated microgravity, with proteome analysis revealing downregulation of ribosomal proteins, glutamine synthase, and nitrate uptake transporters, and upregulation of gas vesicle, photosystem I and II, and carboxysome proteins. Results suggested inhibition due to high oxygen partial pressure, causing carbon limitation when cultivated in low-shear simulated microgravity. A thicker stagnant fluid boundary layer reducing oxygen release in simulated microgravity was observed. These findings validate this RPM setup for testing the effects of non-terrestrial gravity on photosynthetic microorganisms.

Automated Psychotherapy in a Spaceflight Environment: Advantages, Drawbacks, and Unknowns.

Various behavioral and mental health issues have been reported by space crews for decades, with the overall number of mental health complications expected to be higher than is publicly known. The broad range of mental health complications encountered in space is expected to grow as people venture deeper into space. Issues with privacy, dual relationships, and delayed communications make rendering effective psychological therapy difficult in a spaceflight environment and nearly impossible in deep space. Automated psychotherapy offers a way to provide psychotherapy to astronauts both in deep space and low Earth orbit. Although automated psychotherapy is growing in popularity on Earth, little is known about its efficacy in space. This viewpoint serves to highlight the knowns and unknowns regarding this treatment modality for future deep space missions, and places an emphasis on the need for further research into the applicability and practicality of automated psychotherapy for the spaceflight environment, especially as it relates to long-duration, deep space missions.

Onboard Burn Targeting and Guidance of NASA Human Flight Vehicles

The mission requirements of crewed space vehicles flown by NASA drove the development of new techniques for burn targeting and guidance for ascent, rendezvous, lunar landing, and deorbit. The Saturn V Iterative Guidance Mode used an approximately optimal steering law that could adjust the trajectory to compensate for performance issues while meeting trajectory constraints at propulsion-system cutoff. Hypersurface targeting provided constraints for the Saturn V Trans-Lunar Injection burn. E Guidance, in quadratic- and linear-acceleration forms, provided closed-loop descent and ascent guidance for the Apollo Lunar Module. The Space Shuttle’s Powered Explicit Guidance algorithm was more flexible than Apollo-era guidance algorithms, and it had better convergence characteristics, enabling it to support challenging abort profiles. The Space Launch System has built on the heritage of the Space Shuttle’s guidance algorithm. The Orion spacecraft’s Two-Level Targeter enables onboard, autonomous targeting of an entire mission profile subject to three-body dynamics in cislunar space. Orion uses Shuttle-derived guidance as the basis for an orbit-guidance package with more capability than guidance algorithms of previous vehicles.

Space Environments Applied to the Gateway Program

NASA’s Gateway is a crewed space station with a planned mission duration of 15 years in lunar orbit. It is an international collaboration, including partnerships with the European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, and Japan Aerospace Explorations Agency. Additionally, the program relies on important partnerships with industry for designing and building hardware. This complex mission poses significant challenges related to space environments. Gateway’s hardware will be directly exposed to the extremes of space weather posing challenges to avionics and materials as well as operations planning. The space environments are defined in the “Design Specification for Natural Environments” and applied through program requirements to all design partners. This paper describes the space environments applicable to the Gateway program, the flow of the environments to system requirements, and the challenges that the program is currently facing with regard to the space environments.

Space radiation research with heavy ions at HIMAC

The HIMAC (Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba) was originally designed principally for carbon ion therapy, but heavy ion research projects in medicine, physics, chemistry and biology have been conducted under a collaborative research framework since 1994. One major application is space radiation research. The radiation in space of greatest interest for human space exploration consists of energetic protons and heavy ions which can affect the health of space crew and lead to the failure of electronic devices. Ground-based experiments at heavy ion accelerators are crucial for ensuring mission crew safety and for understanding the biological effects of long-term exposure to space radiation. HIMAC provides a range of linear energy transfer (LET) beams from protons to Xe ions at energies up to 800 MeV/u, representing the most biologically-significant components of the space radiation field. At HIMAC a variety of radiation detectors and instruments are characterized and calibrated for dosimetry using specific mono-energetic heavy ion beams, the performance of shielding materials for mitigating space radiation dose is evaluated, radiation hardness of electronic devices is tested to ensure their safe operation in space, and the radiobiological studies are conducted to understand biological effects in humans during long-term space activities. HIMAC is an indispensable simulator of space radiation for the new decade of space exploration.

AstrobeeCD: Change detection in microgravity with free-flying robots

This work presents AstrobeeCD, a system for 3D scene change detection toward near-real-time environmental awareness of space outposts using the Astrobee free-flying robot in microgravity. Assistive free-flyer robots autonomously caring for future crewed space habitats must be able to detect day-to-day interior changes to track inventory, detect and diagnose faults, and monitor the outpost status. A set of image and depth data from one time step is used to reconstruct a 3D model of the environment. The 3D model is used as the basis for comparison for free-flyer environment surveys at future time steps, where an image-based change detection algorithm identifies inconsistencies against the 3D model. Change detection is demonstrated using real image and pose data collected by an Astrobee robot in a test environment on Earth at NASA Ames Research Center and from microgravity aboard the International Space Station. Change detection computation time and performance are quantitatively evaluated on the test data captured on Earth, and it identifies scene changes more quickly than a point cloud clustering-based algorithm applied to data from the same surveys.

Development of Jets rig dedicated for an Active Launch Escape Abort System Wind Tunnel Model

The development of space launch systems requires rigorous testing and validation of safety mechanisms to ensure the protection of human life and mission-critical assets. One such safety mechanism is the Active Launch Escape/Abort System (ALEAS), designed to swiftly extract crew and spacecraft from a malfunctioning launch vehicle. To evaluate the performance of ALEAS, wind tunnel testing is indispensable. This paper presents the development of a specialized Jets Rig tailored for wind tunnel testing of an ALEAS model. The primary objectives of this research activity include the design, construction, and validation of a Jets Rig that can accurately simulate the propulsion dynamics of an ALEAS system within a wind tunnel environment. The Jets Rig incorporates a special instrumentation and control systems to replicate the complex operational conditions experienced during a launch abort scenario. By achieving this, it enables a comprehensive assessment of ALEAS performance, including thrust duration and plume interaction effects, among others. Key aspects of this study encompass the aerodynamic and structural considerations involved in designing the Jets Rig, the integration of high-fidelity sensors and data acquisition systems, and the development of advanced computational models for predictive analysis. Additionally, the research explores the challenges and solutions associated with the scalability of the Jets Rig to accommodate varying scales of ALEAS models. The findings from this project hold significant implications for advancing the safety and reliability of crewed space missions. A comprehensive understanding of ALEAS performance in a wind tunnel setting allows for the refinement of design parameters, algorithms, and the enhancement of abort system efficiency. Ultimately, the successful development of this dedicated Jets Rig contributes to the broader mission of ensuring the safe exploration of space and the protection of human life in the challenging and dynamic environment of space launch.

Proceeding toward the maximum of solar cycle 25 with a radiation environment similar to the previous cycle

The Sun exhibited lower-than-average activity levels, including a weak maximum and a prolonged minimum in the solar cycle (SC) 24. Thiswas following a 60-year trend of weakening solar activity, leading to speculations that we could be moving into another secular minimum scenario like the Dalton or the Gleissberg periods. During such periods, the fluxes of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) increase significantly, introducing radiation hazards for long-term crewed space explorations. In our previous work, we predicted the level of solar activity, and thus, the radiation environment for SC25 will be similar to SC24. In this paper, we show that, to date, the radiation environment observed by CRaTER has been similar to SC24, as we predicted. Furthermore, we predict that if the radiation environment remains similar to SC24, the maximum value for permissible mission duration (PMD) for SC25 will be 917-230+234 days based on NASA’s latest permissible exposure limit (PEL).

Autonomous Droid for Terrestrial Research and Intelligence (ATRi)

ATRi (Autonomous droid for Terrestrial Research and Intelligence) is an autonomous and sentient droid designed to assist space crews with various activities and experiments. The artificially intelligent droid autonomously navigates inside crewed space capsules and utilizes voice and visual recognition algorithms to receive commands, record basic readings, and assist the crew in performing various experiments. ATRi's machine learning algorithms can be tailored to the specific astronaut(s) it will accompany in the space capsule. This personalized approach not only assists astronauts but also fosters a sense of companionship. This paper provides details about the physical and algorithmic characteristics of the droid and outlines how it can be trained and deployed in any crewed space capsule. The droid will be powered by a sentient program that incorporates visual recognition (including facial recognition and video recording capabilities), natural language processing, voice recognition, and speech synthesis. Six microphones and two cameras are embedded to capture audio/voice commands and visuals. While the current version of the droid is fixed to the space capsule, future iterations are envisioned to be highly mobile in zero-gravity environments within any crewed space capsule. This mobility is facilitated by a sophisticated motion control system that enables the droid to align in any direction, rotate, and navigate inside the crewed space module. In addition to assisting the crew, ATRi will document all activities inside the capsule through photos and videos. It can process images and videos, automatically categorize them, and periodically communicate the information to ground control.

New world, or out of this world? Columbus – an exploratory study of HASS and STEM success factors in the first “space” race

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which interdisciplinary (HASS, i.e. non-STEM) factors—in particular, accounting, stakeholder management and accountability—enable, influence and motivate large human exploration ventures, principally in maritime and space fields, utilizing Columbus’s and Chinese explorations of the 1400s as the primary setting.Design/methodology/approachThe study analyzes archival data from narrative and interpretational history, including both academic and non-academic sources, that relate to two global historical events, the Columbus and Ming Chinese exploration eras (c. 1400–1500), as a parallel to the modern “Space Race”. Existing studies on pertinent HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences) and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) enablers, influencers and motivators are utilized in the analysis. The authors draw upon the concepts of stakeholder theory and the construct of accountability in their analysis.FindingsFindings suggest that non-STEM considerations—politics, finance, accountability, culture, theology and others—played crucial roles in enabling Western Europe (Columbus) to reach the Americas before China or other global powers, demonstrating the pivotal importance of HASS factors in human advancements and exploration.Research limitations/implicationsIn seeking to answer those questions, this study identifies only those factors (HASS or STEM) that may support the success or failure in execution of the exploration and development of a region such as the New World or Space. Moreover, the study has the following limitation. Relative successes, failures, drivers and enablers of exploratory ventures are drawn almost exclusively from the documented historical records of the nations, entities and individuals (China and Europe) who conducted those ventures. A paucity of objective sources in some fields, and the need to set appropriate boundaries for the study, also necessitate such limitation.Practical implicationsIt is observable that many of those HASS factors also appear to have been influencers in modern era Space projects. For Apollo and Soyuz, success factors such as the relative economics of USA and USSR, their political ideologies, accountabilities and organizational priorities have clear echoes. What the successful voyages of Columbus and Apollo also have in common is an appetite to take risks for an uncertain return, whether as sponsor or voyager; an understanding of financial management and benefits measurement, and a leadership (Isabella I, John F. Kennedy) possessing a vision, ideology and governmental apparatus to further the venture’s goals.Originality/valueWhilst various historical studies have examined influences behind the oceangoing explorations of the 1400s and the colonization of the “New World”, this article takes an original approach of analyzing those motivations and other factors collectively, in interdisciplinary terms (HASS and STEM). This approach also has the potential to provide a novel method of examining accountability and performance in modern exploratory ventures, such as crewed space missions.

Considerations for oral and dental tissues in holistic care during long-haul space flights.

The health of astronauts during and after the return from long-haul space missions is paramount. There is plethora of research in the literature about the medical side of astronauts' health, however, the dental and oral health of the space crew seem to be overlooked with limited information in the literature about the effects of the space environment and microgravity on the oral and dental tissues. In this article, we shed some light on the latest available research related to space dentistry and provide some hypotheses that could guide the directions of future research and help maintain the oral health of space crews. We also promote for the importance of regenerative medicine and dentistry as well highlight the opportunities available in the expanding field of bioprinting/biomanufacturing through utilizing the effects of microgravity on stem cells culture techniques. Finally, we provide recommendations for adopting a multidisciplinary approach for oral healthcare during long-haul space flights.

ОПЕРАТИВНОЕ ПСИХОЛОГИЧЕСКОЕ СОПРОВОЖДЕНИЕ ЭКИПАЖА В КОСМИЧЕСКОМ ПОЛЕТЕ: ИСТОРИЯ СТАНОВЛЕНИЯ, СОВРЕМЕННОЕ СОСТОЯНИЕ, ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ РАЗВИТИЯ

Psychological support to the Russian space crews is aimed to provide an optimal ambience for successful work of each cosmonaut throughout a mission. They include assessment of cosmonaut's mental and emotional state, planning and implementing measures against the negative spaceflight factors, and psychological stress reduction. Complication and extension of mission programs pose new requirements to accuracy of the downloaded psychological data. Advanced digital technologies present a way of getting additional information for dynamic psychological diagnostics. At the moment, the psychological support practice is undergoing a revision. The paper summarizes the experience of psychological monitoring of the Soviet and Russian space crews, outlines the processes of psychological support attuning to the new, constantly changing conditions, and possible associated difficulties.

Mapping of Communication in Space Crews

(1) Background: Starting in 1993, the sociomapping method was used in the Czech Army to map communication. After initial pilot tests in military aviation, where we verified the reliability and validity of the basic subjective scales (for example, by correlations with physiological data), this method was utilized for communication mapping in the HUBES (Human Behavior in Extended Spaceflight) experiment conducted between 1994 and 1995, and since then has been repeatedly used in experiments simulating long-term space flights. (2) Methods: In this article, we summarize the key findings obtained through sociomapping in eight space experiments with crews including women, conducted between 2015 and 2023, including five experiments at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) and in three stages of the SIRIUS project (Scientific International Research in Unique Terrestrial Station). (3) Results: The median test-retest correlation for both the frequency and quality of communication was 0.64, ranging widely from −0.74 to 1. The quantity and quality of communication showed a moderately strong correlation (0.40). Control charts demonstrated diverse developmental trends in crew communication across the experiments. Sociomapping allowed for more detailed visualization of the structure and dynamics of communication throughout the missions, as well as the detection of subgrouping and isolation of individuals in the crews. (4) Conclusions: The experiments showed that scaled assessments of mutual communication in terms of both quantity (frequency) and quality are a reliable and valid tool that enables the capture of significant one-time fluctuations and/or long-term trends. The experiments highlighted the possibility of increased risk of significant fluctuations and gradual deterioration of communication in the second half of the mission, which, however, does not have to be the rule, especially in shorter isolations. Continuous monitoring of communication through simple rating scales allows for timely intervention and stabilization of communication.

Investigation of microgravity vortex phase separator for spacecraft liquid amine CO2 removal system

Spacecraft cabin atmosphere revitalization, more specifically CO2 removal, is a key technology to pursue long-duration, crewed space missions, such as the ones to the Moon and Mars. The ISS currently uses the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) as the primary system that employs solid sorbent (zeolite) to remove CO2 from cabin air. However, CDRA cannot meet high reliability and low maintenance requirements. Liquid sorbents may be used as an alternative to solid sorbents and are estimated to attain 65 % less power, weight, and volume than solid based CO2 scrubbers. Liquid amines (liquid sorbent) are currently being researched by NASA for CO2 capture, however their implementation for space applications depends on an effective gas-liquid separation method under microgravity conditions. The Vortex Phase Separator (VPS) offers a new approach for a liquid amine CO2 removal system, and initial investigation of the prototype VPS system demonstrated up to 90.3 % CO2 removal from a humid CO2 stream at 1.47 l/min flow rate. Tests were conducted to determine the CO2 removal efficiency considering several operating parameters, including the liquid amine flow rate, initial fill (charge) level, and temperature; CO2 flow rate; extended-time operation; and CO2-amine pre-mixing length. Results provided key insights on design, operation, and performance aspects of a subscale system, and demonstrated the feasibility of the microgravity VPS for liquid amine CO2 removal system as an alternative, novel spacecraft air revitalization approach.

Protecting Astronauts From Space Radiation

Astronauts on missions to the International Space Station, the moon, and beyond are exposed to several hazards, one of which is space radiation. Space radiation is composed of tiny particles from various sources that spread out in all directions throughout the solar system. These particles have a wide range of energies, and some of them are a serious concern for the safety of space crews. Radiation that passes through the shielding on spacecraft and into the human body can damage cells and may lead to the development of cancer or other negative health effects. To protect astronauts, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is trying to better understand the space radiation environment so they can minimize the effects of radiation exposure on astronauts. This article describes the kinds of space radiation and the approaches that NASA is using or studying to keep astronauts as safe as possible.

Connecting with the Outside World: Psychosocially Supportive Aspects of Operational Communication Between Isolated Crews in Space and Mission Control on the Ground

Connecting with the Outside World: Psychosocially Supportive Aspects of Operational Communication Between Isolated Crews in Space and Mission Control on the Ground

Time-integrated radiation risk metrics and interpopulation variability of survival

Task Group 115 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection is focusing on mission-related exposures to space radiation and concomitant health risks for space crew members including, among others, risk of cancer development. Uncertainties in cumulative radiation risk estimates come from the stochastic nature of the considered health outcome (i.e., cancer), uncertainties of statistical inference and model parameters, unknown secular trends used for projections of population statistics and unknown variability of survival properties between individuals or population groups. The variability of survival is usually ignored when dealing with large groups, which can be assumed well represented by the statistical data for the contemporary general population, either in a specific country or world averaged. Space crew members differ in many aspects from individuals represented by the general population, including, for example, their lifestyle and health status, nutrition, medical care, training and education. The individuality of response to radiation and lifespan is explored in this modelling study. Task Group 115 is currently evaluating applicability and robustness of various risk metrics for quantification of radiation-attributed risks of cancer for space crew members. This paper demonstrates the impact of interpopulation variability of survival curves on values and uncertainty of the estimates of the time-integrated radiation risk of cancer.

Distributed Supervisory Coordination and Function Allocation Between Multi-Teams in Crewed Space Exploration with Time Delays

Function allocation and distributed task coordination are complex challenges facing many multi-team systems. These challenges are intensified in the case of human expeditions to and exploration of Mars, due to the impact of one-way light-time communication delays that can exceed 20 minutes. Research to identify, enhance, and support new requirements for task coordination and communication include considerations to mitigate the impact of delays through improved state monitoring and crew coordination and knowledge sharing techniques. Effective coordination for human cislunar and Mars exploration operations, including servicing, assembly, and maintenance activities, require effective and adaptive function and task allocation constrained by available bandwidth and crew member workload capability. The authors describe some of their previous research and ongoing activities, including improvements to time-delayed information and data displays to support mission control and spaceflight crew member situational awareness when conducting both routine operations and real-time responses to emerging anomalies.

Application of a Psychosocial Approach to the Identification and Strengthening of Adaptation Mechanisms of Humans and a Small Social Group during the Isolation Experiment “SIRIUS 2017–2023”

TOPIC: The task of the 21st century is the implementation of manned flights in Earth’s orbit with the view to building orbital and planetary bases. This requires addressing the impacts on people and small social groups in terms of psychological, psychosocial, physiological and health. The author presents her own comprehensive research and intervention approach to exploring and supporting the operation of the space crew in the four-month isolation period of “SIRIUS-18/19”, which can be used in the future for manned flights into deep space. GOAL: The main goal is to present three main areas, within the implementation of social research, designed to analyze the operation of the crew in a simulated space flight: 1. WORKING CONDITIONS, WORKING ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL ATMOSPHERE; 2. the STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS OF RELATIONSHIPS and TIES; 3. a set of other specific areas. The key outputs of the comprehensive analysis of the “SIRIUS-19” crew operations concerning the level of satisfaction with the working environment and conditions, the structure and dynamics of relationships and other specific areas are presented. The suitability of the implementation of intervention activities for isolated crews is pointed out. The purpose is to contribute to the preparation of human crews for manned flights in deep space and to reduce the risks of damage to human biopsychosocial health. METHODS: For a comprehensive analysis, a set of the author’s own questionnaire methods, verified over 25 years in the normal and extremely demanding conditions of specific professions, was used. The diagnostic and intervention method sociomapping, based on fuzzy theory and the mathematical modeling of outputs, was used for the analysis of the structure and dynamics of relationships as it is a technique suitable for the analysis of nonlinear dynamical systems. The methodology enabled the author to obtain a comprehensive view of the experimental situation from a psychosocial and sociological point of view. RESULTS: The model of the author’s analytical approach confirmed the legitimacy of its implementation in the case of isolation experiments. A comprehensive analysis of the “SIRIUS-18/19” crew’s work environment yielded outputs from the 10 main and 48 sub-areas analyzed. The analysis of the six-member, gender-mixed, multicultural crew in the area of structure and dynamics of relationships focused on 35 areas; a total of 344 sociomaps were created. The files were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively using control diagrams. CONCLUSIONS: Outputs have the potential to be used in other isolation experiments as sociotechnical measures for project organizers and as verification of the need to introduce work with the crew in the form of development workshops using the sociomapping method.

Crew Interaction in Extended Space Missions

Detection of the extent of common values in a cohesive space crew has become an important trend in modern space psychology. It is known from the works of Ch. Osgood that the semantic differential scale is a reliable way to obtain objective information on the emotional attitudes towards a topic of interest. Within the frame of the Russian space experiment “Interactions” on the International Space Station (ISS), a computerized survey, the Personal Self-Perception and Attitudes (PSPA), was developed for analyzing the subjects’ emotional attitudes toward their social environment. In the course of the PSPA procedure, the crewmembers rate each other and themselves (in the past, present, and future) using the criteria previously personally chosen. These criteria should be regarded as their personal values. A total of 30 subjects have already completed the study on board the ISS. The main tasks of the study are: (1) to define individual and group values and the extent of group identification reflected in sharing these values; (2) to determine the impact of cross-cultural factors on mutual perceptions and self-perceptions in space crews and with the Mission Control Center (MCC); (3) to study changes in the space crews’ group cohesiveness and structure as they are exposed to the stress of the extended space mission environment. The data obtained indicate an increase in a “psychological distance” between the crew and the MCC personnel versus increased crew cohesion. The results gained made it possible to identify the most significant categories of values common to the subjects from the professional cosmonaut group. The priority of these shared values for each subject is an important condition for the formation of a cohesive crew.