Initial design of laboratories for sustainable habitation

Abstract

An effectiveandself-sustainableartificialhabitat designisessentialforhumanspaceflightand expansionofmankindintoorbitortowardsothercelestialbodies.Therearetwoapproaches that needtobeimplementedinfuturesustainablehabitats:theuseofre-cyclingtechnologies in ordertogainexperienceinclosed-loopprocesses andtheprimaryproductionofresource materialsusingInSituResourceUtilisation(ISRU)principles.Variousproductswillbeprovided and, whereapplicable,recycledinsuchasystemtakingintoaccountbasichumanfactors requirementssuchascrewworkloadcapacity,safetyandwell-being,namely: higher plants(e.g.vegetables,fruits,crops), animalhusbandry(e.g.fishery,insects), fuel gases(e.g.hydrogen,oxygen), buildingmaterials(e.g.structuralandinsulationmaterials), consumables(e.g.clothes), base maintenanceservices(e.g.waterorwasterecycling)andpowersupply. Althoughthetheoryofclosed-loophabitatshasbeenthesubjectofmanyresearch campaigns,thepracticalimplementationandrealisationwithinarealhabitatstillneedsto be established. The paperdealswiththeinterdisciplinaryDLRstudyofaterrestrialFacilityof LaboratoriesforSustainableHabitation(FLaSH).Thefirsthabitatdesignworkshophas been heldinDLR'sConcurrentEngineeringFacility(CEF)oftheInstituteofSpaceSystems. The studyobjectivessuchasascenarioset-upofselectedhabitatmodulesorinput–output relationshipswerefulfilledwiththesupportofexpertsfromthedomainsofair,water,waste, greenhouse,animal,foodprocessing,humanfactors,living,sickbay,ISRU,workshop,design andconfiguration.