OrbHab Paper
MELiSSA: The European Project Of A Closed Life Support System (2010)
ID: 175 Flag Paper
Title: MELiSSA: The European Project Of A Closed Life Support System
Authors: C. Lasseur, J. Brunet, H. de Weever, M. Dixon, G. Dussap, F. Godia, N. Leys, M. Mergeay, D. Van Der Straeten
Journal Name: Gravitational and Space Biology
Year of Publication: 2010
Page Number:
Category: biosphere
Availability: pdf
Detail Page: /papers/175
Web Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253263459_Melissa_The_European_project_of_a_closed_life_support_system
BoK Link: [[paper:175]]
Abstract
The MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support Alternative) project was initiated in 1989. It is intended as a tool to gain understanding of closed life support, as well as the development of the technology for a future life support system for long term manned space missions, e.g. a lunar base or a mission to Mars. The collaboration was established through a Memorandum of Understanding and is managed by ESA. It involves several independent organisations: Ghent University, EPAS, SCK, VITO (B), University of Clermont-Ferrand, SHERPA (F), University Autonoma of Barcelona (E), University of Guelph (CND). It is co-funded by ESA, the MELISSA partners, the Belgian, the Spanish and the Canadian authorities. The driving element of MELISSA is the production of food, water and oxygen from organic waste (inedible biomass, CO2, faeces, urea). Inspired by the principle of an "aquatic" ecosystem, MELISSA process comprises several sub-processes, called compartments, from the anoxygenic fermentor up to the photosynthetic units (i.e. algae and higher plants). The choice of this compartmentalised structure is required by the very high level of safety requirements and justified by the need of an engineering approach and to build deterministic control strategy. During the past 19 years of research and development, a very progressive approach has been developed to understand and control the MELISSA loop. This approach starts from the selection of processes, their characterisation and mathematical modelling, the validation of the control strategy, up to the demonstration on Earth, at pilot scale. The project is organised in 5 phases: Basic Research and Development, Preliminary flight experiment, Ground and space demonstration, Terrestrial transfer, Education and communication.
Title: MELiSSA: The European Project Of A Closed Life Support System
Authors: C. Lasseur, J. Brunet, H. de Weever, M. Dixon, G. Dussap, F. Godia, N. Leys, M. Mergeay, D. Van Der Straeten
Journal Name: Gravitational and Space Biology
Year of Publication: 2010
Page Number:
Category: biosphere
Availability: pdf
Detail Page: /papers/175
Web Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253263459_Melissa_The_European_project_of_a_closed_life_support_system
BoK Link: [[paper:175]]
Abstract
The MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support Alternative) project was initiated in 1989. It is intended as a tool to gain understanding of closed life support, as well as the development of the technology for a future life support system for long term manned space missions, e.g. a lunar base or a mission to Mars. The collaboration was established through a Memorandum of Understanding and is managed by ESA. It involves several independent organisations: Ghent University, EPAS, SCK, VITO (B), University of Clermont-Ferrand, SHERPA (F), University Autonoma of Barcelona (E), University of Guelph (CND). It is co-funded by ESA, the MELISSA partners, the Belgian, the Spanish and the Canadian authorities. The driving element of MELISSA is the production of food, water and oxygen from organic waste (inedible biomass, CO2, faeces, urea). Inspired by the principle of an "aquatic" ecosystem, MELISSA process comprises several sub-processes, called compartments, from the anoxygenic fermentor up to the photosynthetic units (i.e. algae and higher plants). The choice of this compartmentalised structure is required by the very high level of safety requirements and justified by the need of an engineering approach and to build deterministic control strategy. During the past 19 years of research and development, a very progressive approach has been developed to understand and control the MELISSA loop. This approach starts from the selection of processes, their characterisation and mathematical modelling, the validation of the control strategy, up to the demonstration on Earth, at pilot scale. The project is organised in 5 phases: Basic Research and Development, Preliminary flight experiment, Ground and space demonstration, Terrestrial transfer, Education and communication.