(4.1-014) CEEF (Closed Ecology Experiment Facilities)

Construction was completed on the Japanese Closed Ecology Experiment Facilities (CEEF) in 1998.

The CEEF system was designed to be materially closed with only power and information being exchanged with the outside world and is is composed of two parts: a Closed Plant Experiment Facility (CPEF) and a Closed Animal and Human habitation Experiment Facility (CAHEF). Each module can operate independently or together.

The CPEF has a Plant Cultivation Module (PCM), which consists of three plant chambers illuminated solely by electric lighting, one plant chamber illuminated by both natural and electric lighting, a space for preparation, an airlock, and a physical/chemical material circulation system. The total cultivation area of the PCM was 150 m2 . The CAHEF has an Animal and Human habitation Module (AHM), which consists of an animal room, a habitation room, closed corridor, an airlock, and a physical/chemical material circulation system^[1].

One of the interesting things about CEEF is that it introduced non-human animals (goats) into the experiment^[2]. The only other closed system experiment known to do so was Biosphere 2.

A number of short term (1 to 4 week) closed experiments were carried out in 2005 to 2007. The experiments contained two humans and two goats. Reports indicate that the humans were changed each week during various two and four week missions.

In 2016 CEEF was renamed EEF (Ecology Experiment Facilities) and is now used to study material cycles.

References:

1. CEEF: Closed Ecology Experiment Facilities, /papers/312 , Tako, Y. et al.

2. Review Of Research Into Bioregenerative Life Support System(s) Which Can Support Humans Living In Space, /papers/241 , Hong L. et al.