Functional architecture and development of the CAB bioregenerative system

The Bioregenerative Life Support program CAB (Controllo Ambientale Biorigenerativo) is a key element of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) Medicine & Biotechnology scientific program, set forth in the ASI Activity Plan 2006-2008 [01], [02], [03].

The CAB program team performed a one-year feasibility study of a controlled biological life support system (BLSS), allowing the regeneration of resources and the production of food for life support in long duration missions, under the prime contractorship of Thales Alenia Space - Italia, defining:

• State of art in the field
• Functional and technical requirements for the BLSS
• Functional architecture and preliminary sizing of a BLSS for planetary surface
• Development plan with associated scientific activities and technological demonstration.

This paper focuses on the description of functional architecture, preliminary sizing and development of the CAB system, mainly dealing with:

• Plant physiology versus space environment;
• Crop characterization for food production;
• Plant cultivation technologies - nutrient delivery, illumination, automation and robotics
• Air regeneration for production of O2, removal of CO2, trace gas monitoring and control;
• Water regeneration, management and monitoring
• Waste processing
• Storage of resources
• Control of environmental conditions(thermal-hygrometric, pressure, radiation, etc).