Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems 



production system based on growing plants under controlled conditions, 2) a 

 food-processing system for deriving maximum edible content from all plant parts, 

 and, 3) a waste management system for recovering and recycling all solid, liquid, 

 and gaseous components necessary to support life. Research on the larger system, 

 illustrated in figure 3, is conducted primarily at ARC and KSC (4). 



Crew 

 Space 



Air 

 Purifier 



Figure 3. Schematic CELSS Diagram 



CELSS activities at ARC are directed toward basic research, predominantly on 

 plant productivity. Efforts focus on a number of areas, including increasing the 

 productivity of wheat cultivars, the control of potato tuberization, and the 

 formulation of mathematical models of soybean growth. 



CELSS research at KSC concentrates on the Breadboard Project, a pilot effort in 

 CELSS experimentation. The Breadboard facility consists of a >100 m 1 stainless 

 steel tank used to investigate the feasibility of closing the water, oxygen, and 

 carbon cycles, and to evaluate performance of the system. This operation 

 necessarily precedes development of more extensive ground-based manned 

 demonstration units and systems capable of operating in space. 



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