Life Support: Tech for Sustainable Space Missions
Breathing Life into Space: The Convergence of Bioregenerative Systems and ISRU Space exploration is no longer just about pushing the boundaries of human curiosity. It's about creating sustainable, self-sufficient outposts beyond Earth, capable of supporting long-term missions and even permanent settlements. This vision hinges on two crucial pillars: Bioregenerative Systems (BRS) and In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), a powerful synergy that promises to revolutionize our approach to space exploration. Bioregenerative Systems: Imagine a miniature ecosystem thriving within a spacecraft or lunar base, producing life-sustaining resources like oxygen, food, and even water. This is the essence of BRS – closed-loop systems that mimic natural processes to create a self-contained environment. Plants, algae, and bacteria work in harmony, generating breathable air through photosynthesis,...