ASGSR Decadal Survey Workshop Series
Over the next two years the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) will be developing the next Decadal Survey on Life and Physical Sciences Research in space 2023-2032, which will serve as a critical framework to shape the upcoming vision and strategy plan for NASA’s research efforts in the area of biological and physical sciences in space.
The NASEM Decadal Survey committee will be reviewing the current state of knowledge in areas of space-related biological and physical sciences research, identify the most compelling scientific challenges and frontiers within Biological and Physical Sciences in Space Research, and develop a comprehensive research strategy to advance these areas of NASA’s portfolio. The full description of the NASEM Statement of Task can be found here.
Virtual Topical Town Halls - FALL 2020
- The goal of these Virtual Town Hall events were to engage the larger Biological and Physical Sciences in Space research community and to identify key subjects and larger research campaigns that should be submitted to the Decadal Survey effort as Concept Papers.
- The ideas that are derived from these town halls have been used as foundation for a series of smaller MicroLab Idea workshops to develop these ideas into concept papers
Want to learn more about these topics?
Please click the button to see talks about current capabilities, space access platforms and a series of Plus10 talks of where some researchers may see their work in 10 years’ time.
Tutorial for Writing a Concept Paper
MicroLabs –Interactive Writing Workshops - 2021
- MicroLabs will be highly interactive 150-minute virtual events that will be held as part of a series to help spur on creative thinking and facilitate the free exchange of ideas.
- Mentors from the ASGSR leadership and the Knowinnovation staff will help catalyze creative thinking and stimulate the emergence of ideas in these events.
- The goal of these MicroLabs will be to begin to outline major research campaigns that will be submitted to the NASEM portal as a Concept Paper.
Attendance at the MicroLab writing session is not mandatory to help with the writing process. - We anticipate hosting five of these MicroLabs topics that span the different subtopics within Biological and Physical Space Sciences (e.g., microbiology, animal, plant, fluid physics, complex fluids, combustion, material science, biophysics).
- If you would like to be a topic leader and help organize a concept paper on any of the following topics please sign up.
Portal for Concept Paper Submission at the National Academies
Microlab Workshops
Animal Research:
May 5, 2021 15:00 - 17:30 Eastern
Materials Research:
May 5, 2021 15:00 - 17:30 Eastern
Microbiology Research:
May 7, 2021 15:00 - 17:30 Eastern
Combustion Research:
May 7, 2021 15:00 - 17:30 Eastern
Plant Research
May 13, 2021 15:00 - 17:30 Eastern
Complex Fluids Research
May 13, 2021 15:00 - 17:30 Eastern
Fluid Physics Research
May 17, 2021 15:00 - 17:30 Eastern
Education, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
May 17, 2021 15:00 - 17:30 Eastern
Jump to a Specific Topic to Sign-up for MicroLab
Biological Sciences
Physical Sciences
Research Campaigns
- Artificial Intelligence/Automation
- Bioregenerative life support
- In Situ Resource Utilization
- Microbiome
- Space Manufacturing
- Spacecraft Fire Safety
Education, Diversity, Inclusion & Equity
Education, Diversity, Inclusion & Equity
Overall Theme
Specific Questions
Creating Safe Working Environments
How can NASA help encourage safe and equitable research working environments? How can “codes of conduct” policies be developed to help provide guidelines for interactions between team members or conference attendees to ensure a safe environment? How can we reduce harassment in the scientific workplace? How do we address the growing crisis of mental health amongst researchers and students?
Demographics in BPS
What groups of people are underrepresented in Biological and Physical sciences? How to we improve the diversity and inclusion of those researchers in BPS? How can we ensure that the voices of the most marginalized in Biological and Physical Sciences are represented in the current Decadal Survey process and in the next decade of research?
Graduate Fellowships in BPS
Can we create opportunities for young researchers or people approaching research for the first time the opportunity for being exposed to advanced facilities and resources and giving them the time to get confident with them and to express their potential?
Primary Writers: Elizabeth Blaber, RPI
Power and Responsibility
How can agencies, such as NASA, use their influence on those with whom they do business and affiliate conduct themselves with respect to issues associated with Equity, Diversity and Inclusion? Can NASA provide the needed motivation to help make changes at institutions through its solicitations/review/ award process?
Primary Writers: Anjali Gupta, Axiom Space and Rachel Clemens, CASIS
Retention of STEM students and researchers
How to we work towards inproving the retention of students in the areas of biological and physical sciences? How do we increase the accessibility of BPS research fields and reduce potential inclusion and economic barriers to pursuing a career in BPS research? How can these efforts to applied to extended missions where the stability of funding may hinder the inclusion and participation of all team members?
Primary Writer: Amber Paul, USRA, NASA-ARC, and ERAU
Science Outreach and Citizen Science
How could we reach a wide range of diverse audiences to encourage their interest in science and in pursuing science-related careers? How could NASA data, projects and personnel serve to attract and engage U.S.-based and international learners at all ages, from elementary school to postgraduate, as well as lifelong learners? How could we collaborate with citizen scientists to analyze the biological and physical sciences data and stimulate new discoveries? What programs, projects, collaborations and funding models are needed?
Primary Writer: Egle Cekanaviciute, NASA ARC
ANIMALS
Overall Theme
Specific Questions
Bone loss
What are the mitigation strategies and pharmacological approaches to reduce bone loss for long duration missions below LEO? What happens to compounds due to bone loss? Is there a threshold point where bone loss can not be remediated?
Carcinogenesis
Does exposure to lunar regolith or long duration space radiation affect cancer levels in animal hosts?
Primary Writer: Mihn Liem Phan, David Grant USAF Medical Center
Cardiovascular issues - blood flow
What are the integrated and combined effects of microgravity and radiation on cardiovascular health? Are there circulatory problems with long-duration flight? Blood clots? Can these be modeled using 3D printing in low blood flow conditions to model these effects? Are there vascular spasms and dialations during spaceflight and how does that affect the body? Does regulating animal metabolism change vascular system? What is the impact of changing CO2 levels on bloodflow? Can nanochips that interact with baroreceptors be sued to alter sensation of the baroreceptors to control cardiovascular response? Are there ways to modify gravity sensation to improve homeostatic control in response to microgravity?
Primary Writer: Josephine Allen, University of Florida
Cellular Physiology
Do changes in gravity continuum causes changes in cell shape? What is the impact of microgravity and radiation on cell architecture? What happens to cell differentiation in space? |
Cerebral Blood Flow- Eyesight
Study and develop countermeasures of cerebral blood flow issues due to microgravity that cause changes in eyesight and intracranial pressure. Can we develop non-invasive method to measure CBF AR and ICP? How can we build on research between blood brain barrier in mice during spaceflight? Are there cerebral vascular autoregulation changes during spaceflight? How does brain plasticity change in response to microgravity and mission stress? Can neural signal analysis be a means quantify traffic? Develop improved methods for monitoring brain health and physiology.
Countermeasures
What are the effects of reloading and adaptation after long-duration missions beyond LEO? Are there countermeasures that can help transition back to Earth gravity? What are the pharmacokinetics of drugs in spaceflight? Can neurotechnology-assisted performance (e.g. vagal nerve stimulation) be used to improve performance?
Crew Time Availability on Future Missions
Dedicating a set number of crew hours for scientific experiments. How do we improve access to crew-related samples?
Primary Writer: Elizabeth Blaber, RPI
Developing New Animal Models
Are there new animal model organisms that can be used for upcoming autonomous lunar missions? Due to limitations flying rodents beyond LEO are their alternatve models or cell culture systems that should be targeted for animal research? Should more invertegrate systems be used? Could invertebrates, such as insects, also serve as important food and nutrient resources for crew? Should other organisms such as zebra fish, insects or birds be used as models? By using other models can we increase number of replicates experiments and the n? What are the cross species comparisons and reponses to spaceflight effects? Could primates be used for spaceflight experimentation? Can the “twin study” approach be used on animal models for systems biology analysis of animals during space flights using animal twins or clones? What new challenges, if any, are there for conducting animal research for long duration missions in space and/or on the moon?
Effects of Lunar Regolith and Dust on Animals
Use of Marian precipitates for static discharge of Lunar dust. (Containment somehow to not interfere with human health or mice). What is the toxicity of lunar just/regolith? Examine the effects on immune cells health/macrophage? What is the reactivity of lunar dust/regolith? Are these effects consistent between cell types and animal models?
Genome Stability
Do changes in the genome occur in specific locations within the genome? How transient are these changes to the genome. Are there changes to apoptotic processes? Are there somatic genetic changes to telomeres or genes? How does spaceflight drive or alter the evolution of Earth-based life?
Primary Writer: Viktor Stolc, NASA Ames Research Center
Human Factors
How are human senses, such as smell, taste and hearing impacted for long-duration space flight? What is the sources of these changes? Can aromatherapies be used to alter psycho- or physiological benefits of space flight? Reducing stress of astronauts using a personal environment? Is there a connection or correlation between behavioral and cognitive functions? Can quantum computing be used to predict astronaut actions? How does the brain function in space as it works with computerized systems and different technologies? What are the effects of social isolation on team dynamics during long duration space flight? Are there similarities to PTSD as seen in space camping? Are there changes to circadian rhythms with long-duration space in different aspects of human physiology? What aspects of environmental design of spacecraft can impact human psychology? How does sleep deprivation impact astronaut abilities? Do there need to be new astronaut screening criteria established for longer duration missions? can robots help with socialization? For commercial space travel, what are the risks for minors and their physiology?
Primary Writer: Moniece Lowe, NASA Ames Research Center
Immune Functions
Immune function is known to be impacted by the spaceflight environment. Historically, much of the research in this area has focused on stress responses. However, virtually every other physiological system in the body has an immune component. For example, metabolic disease is known to have an inflammatory profile. Many of the cells involved in bone degradation involve immune populations. Even changes in behavior have been associated with changes in cytokine profiles. The importance of this cross system communication on immune function has not yet been explored.
Primary Writer: Michael Pecaut, Loma Linda University
Improving Crew Nutrition
Can food crops be used to supplement diets of crew on long duration missions? Can animals, such as insects, be used to supplement food supply? How do different diets affect microbiome of astronauts (keto, probiotics)?
Injuries in space environment
Can new cryo-tissue preservation or 3-D printing technologies be used to improve treatment of injuries in space? Is wound healing and/or regeneration (e.g. invertebrates) impacted in space environment. can organs be cloned in the space environment? Preservation of DNA in radiation and micro-G environments. What are the differences in damage and recovery of the genetics? Is there a point where injuries become too great for safe return to 1 g environment?
Microbiome of Animals
How is the microbiome impact in animal hosts during long-duration missions? Can we develop microbiome models for study of the effects of spaceflight on microbiome health? What are the natural dynamics of microbiome health in spaceflight? What perturbations become critical to damage healthy microbiome? Can probiotics be used to mitigate negative changes? How is the animal host microbiome being impacted by the microbiome of the built environment (e.g. ISS or Gateway)? Can you develop an analytical toilet to monitor the crew microbiome health? Are there changes in viral activation under long duration missions under a range of radiation conditions?
Primary Writer: Gina Roque Torres, Loma Linda University
Models to simulate spaceflight
Can new simulated models be used to more accurately mimic space flight environment? For example, can magnetic levitation be used instead of hindlimb suspension? Or floating levitated version of bedrest for rodent models? Can chimeric models with human cells and organs within animals hosts be used to provide an in vivo environment instead of a simplified in vitro environment? Most bed rest facilities have been shut down in US and now being conducted in Europe. Are we losing ability to use this approach for modeling space flight experiments on humans?
Primary Writer: Amber Paul, USRA, NASA-ARC, ERAU
Multigenerational Research
What are the effects on the health of the host animal and microbiome with multigenerational studies in the space environment? What impact on genetics would multi-generational animal experiments in space? Would multi-generational animals be safe if used for food supplements? are there specific parts of the life cycles impacted more than another (e.g. larval vesus embryonic, fertilization?) Are the reproductive processes similar during spaceflight during the multigeneration stages? Are there changes in life span during space flight? How is the aging process altered? Can computer modeling be used to simulate aging process? Telomere changes?
Primary Writer: April Ronca, NASA Ames Research Center
NASA Spaceflight Biobank
Development of a NIH equivalent Neurobiobank for tissue repository would be a valuable resource. Is the current biospecimen sharing program still the right paradigm moving forward? Do emerging -omics research needs lead to different next-generation approaches? How to develop protocols to safely preserve tissues without downstream damage to the samples?
New Technologies for In Situ Monitoring
How would the next generation sequencing and single cell high throughput techniques transform our understanding of cellular and molecular space adaptation? How could cellular and molecular engineering help with space adaptation? How can proteomics be used during flight to improve real time monitoring of physiological changes in space? Using proteomics to replace transcriptomics? What role can synthetic biology be used to mitigate negative effects of spaceflight? Use more real-time monitoring technologies (e.g. microbiome assessment). Can customized pharmaceuticals be synthesized in space? What is the role for personalized medicine for space flight travel? Can there be new non-invasice wearables for monitoring environmental or astronaut health? Develop more realistic tissues on a chip technology? Can we do in situ real time metabolomics to monitor animal and microbiome health? Can we create self-contained bioreactors that can replicate bone development, or cardiovascular system in a dish, replicate the physical/mechanical stimuli that are key for normal cellular and organ development/creation.
Partial Gravity on Animal Physiology
Partial Gravity to determine impacts in different environments. For examples, centrifuges that allow ⅙, ⅜ G to model for lunar and Mars bases. Can partial gravity mitigate any negative physiological effects? If so, what are the durations needed? Does the current technology and animal housing equipment work efficiently under partial gravity conditions? What happens to the central nervous system during spaceflight? Are there differences with partial gravity? Will partial gravity remediate SANS? How can neural connectivity loss be mitigated. How do the cumulative effects of both microgravity and radiation negatively impact animal health? Need to assess the changes across both gravity and radiation spectra? How doe these differences in radiation impact animal or human memory and cognitive abilities? Does the stress environment alter protein folding and function in space environment under different gravity ? How do the synergistic effects alter immune responses (or responses to vaccines or antibiotics)? Are there unique sex-based differences that arise during long-duration spaceflight conditions
Primary Writer: Anand Narayanan, Florida State University
Radiation on Animal Systems
What is the impact of radiation on systems biology or ecology of communities? How do changes in radiation throughout cis-lunar orbit impact animal health? Can shielding material be used to mitigate these effects? Can pharmacology (e.g. antioxidants) be used to mitigate negative effects? Can synthetic biology or genetic engineering be used to generate animal models that are more tolerant to radiation stresses? Platforms to examine unshielded exposure on animal models. Can we compare the effects of simulated microgravity and radiation on actual spaceflight conditions? Are there differences at cell level versus systems level? How does GCR impact neural performance? What are the effects of chronic radiation on reproduction and regeneration? Can studies be done with irradiated animals at BNL where groups of investigators can study multiple organ systems in the same animals, similar to the Rodent Research studies and past shuttle studies? What are the radiation effects on animal microbiomes?
Primary Writer: Sergio Santa Maria, NASA Ames, UNM
Rodent Experiments
beyond ISS
How does rodent research tie into commercial platforms and commercial research? How do we support rodent research needs for both NASA BPS/HRP, and pharma industry research?
MICROBIOLOGY
Overall Theme
Specific Questions
Antimicrobial Resistance
in Space
What are bacterial conjugation/transformation rates are needed to reduce virulence and antibiotic resistance and can they be exploited to reduce AMR? Can phage as alternative for antibiotic resistance in space and latent virus activation?
Bioenergy Production
Can microbes be used to create fuel cells (e.g. hydrogen) and generate energy for spacecraft systems? Can bacteria be engineered that could make silicon dioxide nanoparticles for use in fuel cells? Can microbes that can be used to degrade bio waste and remediation?
Biofilms in Space
How does biofilm development and growth occur during space flight and what are the best practices to control biofilm production? How does one identify the genes that control this aspect of biofilm formation? Can one screen genome sequences within a community and predict the functions of the biofilm? Could biofilms be used for nutrient cycling and breaking up algae/yeast cultures in bioreactors for increased efficiency? Can we manipulate biofilm formation for any targeted applications?
Primary Writer: Yo-Ann Velez Justiniano, NASA MSFC
Bioregenerative Life Support - Microbial Ecology
Could we use bioprinting microbes for life support systems? What are the right number of taxa needed to build successful multi-species microbial consortia? Is there enough ecological redundancy? How are non-bacterial components in microbial communities changing in space habitat? Are we capturing the microbial dark matter (i.e., unknown and currently uncultured microbes) in space flight habitats communities? Is there an ideal microbial ecological solution to culture plants and microbiomes together in regolith? What’s the minimum number of organisms needed to have a, self-sustaining rhizosphere ecosystem? The goal is to go quickly from extraterrestrial regolith to culturable-soil and what is the best practice to achieve that transition? Could we used microbes as central part of air revitalization systems? if we understood how microbes affect mechanical systems for spacecraft and habitats, e.g. life support systems and water recycling. Remediation of nutrients from waste streams. Reclaim phosphorus and nitrogen with microbes and recycle those resources.
Primary Writer: Ray Wheeler, NASA KSC
Engaging Non-NASA entities -commercialization
Involving more private industry to make microbe-related research potentially economically sustainable. … if we could pair the corporate side of commercial spaceflight with research needs. Match the dollars with the needs? … if space tourism were allowed to help finance space research? how to develop a synergistic approach between scientists/investors?
Improving ground simulations
How can we improve ground-based analogues on Earth to mimic the space ecosystems (incl stressors, conditions)?
In situ Resource Utilization
Lunar Regolith/Biomining
Can we use microbes to remediate Lunar regolith to help form soils that could be used for other applications (e.g. plant growth)? Can we utilize synthetic biology to extract resources from regolith (see BioAsteroid, BioRock missions)? Use microbes/Mats/biofilms to remediate/modify/process dust-lunar regolith on the moon? Could we utilize microbial processes to extract useful compounds from extraterrestrial surfaces? Can we use the microbes to process the material? Can we biomine metals for rare Earth metals using microbes and how can we scale up this process efficiently? How can we effectively develop techniques to biomine important resources on planetary/lunar surfaces (such as is being done in Chile with copper mines?)
Primary Writer: Luis Zea, University of Colorado
Microbe-Animal Interactions
How do host microbe communication mechanisms changing (e.g. quorum sensing) in plant, animal, and human microbiomes? How are non-bacterial components in microbial communities changing in space habitat? Could we improve understanding of how urinary tract infection-type of biofilm form under microgravity (as well as lunar and Martian gravities)? Could we control microbial pathogenicity in space during long term expeditions? How is the human microbiome changing over time – can we use microbiome including viruses to maintain astronaut health?
Primary Writer: Jamie Foster, University of Florida
Microbe-Plant
Interactions
What are the dynamics between microbes and plants in the plant growth systems on spacecraft and in habitats? Can microbes be used to augment plant growth? Can we use viral genes to enhance plant growth and potentially help with CO2 turn over – modify metabolism through viral infection to improve plant growth? What are host-microbe dynamics between plant and plant-growth promoting bacteria and fungi? What is the balance between function and stability as it relates to the design/management of constructed communities for promoting plant health?
Primary Writer: Aubrie O’Rourke, NASA KSC
Microbial Biomanufacturing
Materials and Medicine
Could we make specialised materials or monomers for other materials from microbial byproducts? 3-D printed materials? Biocement production developed that would help build structure for the space habitat ? Can synthetic biology be used to make on-demand products (ex., phrmaceuticials) and decrease resource needs in deep space? Can we develop a microbial biomanufacturing platform to rapidly and safely make a wide range of mission products such as nutrients, medicines, food components, polymers, etc. Could microbes be used to make self-healing materials? What about the production of probiotics during spaceflight?
Microbial Evolution - Adaptation in Space
How to protect and/or maintain microbial strains of high value (e.g., med & food production) from acquiring non-beneficial (to us) mutations on the surface of “add your favorite target location” (radiation + reduced gravity). This can be done via new technologies or biologically by protecting genetic material and cellular processes (proteins that “wrap around”). What are the long term impacts of multiple generations in space to understand how beneficial microorganisms change over time (e.g. perhaps level of beneficial interaction changes). we had the ability to determine upregulated genes as a function of the adaptations needed for non-Earth microbial life to reside (extant life) in brine and cryo-salt environments? Doesn’t need to be halophilic but in general the stress-driven relationships to the adaptation processes. If we could characterize how multiple stimuli in space impact microbial fouling and biofilm formation, corrosion and system performance. We could have point-to-point inter-planetary mapping of evolutionary changes between Martian microbes and those on Earth. The adaptations found on Mars could be sequenced and the data sent back to Earth, then DNA synthesized and put into model organisms for more robust characterization. We better understood biological adaptations microorganisms use to occupy ecological niches during long duration flight.
Microbiome of the Built Environment
Can we develop autonomous monitoring using -omics based techniques for microbial diversity analyses over time without crew? Can we have an autonomous integrated microbial monitoring system (iMMS)? Such iMMS system would help various scenarios such as meeting cleanliness requirements, curtailing biofilm/biocorrosion, developing countermeasures for eradicating problematic microorganisms that are pathogenic. Automated pathogen detection. What will be the procedures to deal with new pathogens that are introduced by incoming biology to spacecraft? Thus, the need for fully automated and integrated hardware with a range of capabilities is needed. A deeper understanding of microbe-microbe, microbe-environment, and microbe-inhabitant interactions is needed that would allow us to optimize the microbiome of the built environment to protect both infrastructure and human health. How should monitoring be done? Populations differ depending where on ISS samples are taken. What should the protocols be for monitoring MBE. What are the health risk to living in sterile environments, to reexposure to terrestrial environments? Can microbes be used as biosensors to changes in space craft habitats (e.g. volatiles)? What are the long-term cleaning procedures for cleaning spacecraft and are there potentially problematic microbe-derived volatiles (odors?). We understand how the microbiome of the closed system of deep Space flight will change over the five year mission? Could different materials or metals be used to prevent biofilm formation in areas where you don’t want microbes growing? Could anti biofilm coating/materials be used to prevent biofilm colonization and/or biocorrosion (nano engineered material)?
Nutritional or Health Applications of Microbes in Space
Could we use microorganisms to produce food, vitamins, nutrient for plants (bioleaching), life support system without running into problems caused by the bacteria themselves? Could we “bioprinters” to produce an in-house pharmaceutical factory. Could we engineer protective probiotics for the astronauts that could protect their gastrointestinal lining and maintain skin health. Could we make algae palatable as alternative food sources?
Radiation Impact on Microbes
What are radiation effects on biofilms and can there be protection by “dead cells” to remaining part of community? Could we identify/develop very stable strains that resist undesirable change in higher radiation environments. It would be great to be able to have multiple generations (seed-to-seed) that retain engineered traits reliably, and do not present safety concerns. Can we characterize space radiation resistance by extremophiles so as to understand how to get better cleaning and sterilization regimes? Also, this will help to genetically manipulate the food-grade microbes (cyanobacteria) and grow in space. We could have a whole cell-based radiation response database that would fully provide accurate risk evaluation for astronauts in a space environment.
Synthetic Biology for
Space Applications
Can existing microbes on board spacecraft be used for synthetic biology applications instead of relying on the culture of specific microbes that are brought on missions? To date, most minimal cell efforts focus on the science of early life as opposed to the development of robust application platforms. Could we bioengineer microorganisms that can survive and thrive under space conditions, make flexible and adaptable for space application need? Use “rational evolution” (directed evolution and synthetic biology) to engineer microbes for space applications. Can we design microbiomes for enhancing human and plant health in, deep space, the moon and Mars. Would the absence of a broad magnetic field, effect the microbial community during space flight?
Primary Writer: Helen Scott, Raytheon BBN Technologies
Viruses and Space Biology
A comprehensive study on phage dynamics and their roles in horizontal gene transfer in the space environment is needed. Could we control bacterial diseases on long term space flight with the viruses of the microbes?
Primary Writer: Upal Roy, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
PLANTS
Overall Theme
Specific Questions
Artificial Intelligence and
Automation for Plant Growth in Space
How can Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning be more broadly incorporated into plant science experimental design? How might we grow plants on the Moon to feed astronauts automatically or without taking too much crew time? How do we create plant health monitoring systems to limit crew time for plant growth? Can we develop hardware to detect problems plant health prognostics – stress detection early? Can we develop semi high-throughput screening for micro ecosystems that suit each artificial environment of interest and scale it up? How can we slow down plant metabolism and combine it with automation to keep plants in stasis when humans are not present? How do we figure out which parts of the plant to sample for automated monitoring? how much and how frequently is needed? Can artificial intelligence be used to assess microbes and viruses on plant hardware and crops?
Primary Writer: Ralph Fritsche, NASA KSC
Bioregenerative Life Support
How can we create regenerative closed systems for human habitation with plants as integral parts of the system? Can we use probiotics for the space craft to prevent opportunistic pathogens and how does air flow and environmental conditions be manipulated to maintained biodiversity? How might we choose the “right” organisms or appropriate level of ecological redundancy for this regenerative ecosystem? How might we select plants that work well together at the ecological level? What is the stability of a minimal ecosystem in an environment that is isolated and closed? How much mass can we afford to lose on a “closed loop” without compromising the stability of the system and how much do we need to “inject” in our system? Can we use human wastes as “fertilizer” and close the loop? How can we construct ecosystems that are resilient and meet human needs in space? How can we integrate nutrient cycling between humans and plants in space? How can we integrate nutrient cycling between humans and plants in space? What do plants produce in space that needs to be eliminated (in addition to ethylene)? What will it take to get astronaut urine and feces stream to plants? Technology needed to do so to support increased astroculture production.
Primary Writer: Ray Wheeler, NASA KSC
Building Industry and Government Agency Partnerships
Building Industry and Government Agency partnerships How is the U.S. Agricultural Service participating in this effort? What can the USDA bring to this endeavor of growing plants in space environments? How might we promote industry partnerships for developing automated farms in space?
Cross-contamination Protocols
How do we mitigate the potential spread of pathogens on different crops? What is the role of probiotics in plant microbiome control? Are there risks to brining Space-grown plants back to Earth? How might we design efficient sanitation logistics for plants? How might we include planetary protection with promoting plant microbiome while protecting them from pathogens? Can new plant pathogens evolve in space? How do space environments drive evolution of plants and microbes?
Growing Plants under Altered Gravity
How might we grow plants on Mars and the Moon? What are the effects of partial and hypergravity conditions on plant growth? Can aspects of plant be altered (e.g. pectin concentration) to cope with gravitational changes? Will the same crops be changing overall multi generations? With changes in the gravity continuum how does that change the metabolites generated in plants? What will our crops do under 0.17g or 0.38g after 5 or 10 or 50 generations? How extensive and complex must orbital studies be to ensure food safety on other worlds? How might we modify plants to make them better adapted for space environment? What is transpiration / gas exchange with respect to forced convection? How do solutions work differently on lunar or martian gravity vs microgravity? Are there better testing platforms on Earth for simulating microgravity environment for growing plants?
Human-tended Spaceflight
How might we find a way for scientists to be able to go to the ISS, Moon etc. to conduct plant experiments in the future?
In situ Resource Utilization for Plant Growth
How can we use microbes, plants, and other organisms to improve in-situ resource utilization on other planets? How do we create living soil on the Moon or any other planetary surface from Lunar or Martian regolith? In particular, how do we establish a soil ecosystem (including mycorrhizae ) that is sustainable? Possible mud mixtures? How deep does the regolith go on the Moon? How does the in-situ chemical reactivity of lunar regolith or Mars regolith influence plant growth or the types of plants we can grow? how can we condition the regolith to better promote plant growth? Regolith refurbishment? Can we have sample return of Moon lunar soils to improve lunar simulants to improve potential growth of crops in these simulant soils? How variable are lunar samples across the Moon to assess the heterogeneity? How do we process and use the lunar soils for crop growth? Sample return for Lunar samples dedicated to plant growth? How might we choose between using regolith as a growing medium versus established hydroponic techniques that require minimal media? Will transgenics and mutant plants be available for use in bioremediation or biomining on the lunar surface (in habitat like environments)? More specifically, which genetic modifications are needed? How might this community have a voice in the political and commercial discussion about Moon exploration that sees the Moon more as a resource and less as an environment (Extraction vs. Environment?)
Primary Writer: Dragos Zaharescu, Terraseeds Biosystems
Plant Microbiome
How do microbes interface with plants and the space craft surfaces? What are the mechanisms of microbial transfer (e.g. crew – materials – plants?); Are microbial biofilms (complex communities) needed for growing plants? How can we use the plant microbiome to help regulate the biodiversity on space craft? Understand the contribution of the microbiome to enhance plant growth. What are the organisms that could help the human microbiome as well? What are organisms that are critical for certain plants and break down inedible biomass? Can we design a series of engineered light-driven microorganisms to generate food, nutrients, medicines, natural products, and life-support for human exploration? How can we make space biological systems resistant to pathogens? How does the host plant change soil nutrition and microbiome? Monitor conditions as plants grow to find an optimal microbiome environment in a spatial and temporal scale. requires doing a survey on earth of core microbiomes (and chemistry and plant physiology) of a certain crop across environments and developmental stages – difference between recruitment in environment v. in sterile environment?
Primary Writer: Christina Khodadad, AMENTUM
Plants as Biofuels: Non-edible biomass recycling
How can plant material be used as alternative energy? How do we efficiently recover the nitrogen (and other nutrients) from plant waste? Is there any work on companion planting? How much biomass and waste will be generated? Can you end up with biofuel for future energy production? How might we deal with inedible biomass? Can we use inedible biomass for fuel production? How can we recycle plant waste to make new growth media? And how can we do it as automated as possible? Can we use non-edible biomass to maintain soil fertility (in lunar regolith or supplied soils), or as an artificial soil substrate (gel or dry solid) How might we capture material for recycling (cellulose, lignin, etc. ) capture carbon, water, and especially nitrogen and phosphate?
Psychological and Nutritional Benefits
How can we quantify the psychological benefits of plants in long duration missions? Can medicinal plants be cultivated? How might we create an “atlas” / catalog of plants linking nutrition to plant species? How might we reimagine the fruit? (e.g. only growing the fruit with stem cells, like is done for cultured meat). How can we make the whole process of producing food with plants more efficient? Can we move beyond the limitations of photosynthesis? Are there plant alternatives (e.g. growing populations of plant cells)? Can we grow plants without photosynthesis? Can we have alternate ways of producing food if the main system fails? Can we modify the environment to force the plants into producing certain nutrients? Does plant nutritional value change in crops grown in space conditions? How can plants known as hyperaccumulators in phytoremediation be utilized for increased rate of mineral or nutrient sequestration for human diet supplementation? Can we engineer consumable lichens (or other fungi) that are beneficial sources of nutrient supplementation for humans (vitamin crusts)? Is it beneficial to grow plants that are known for medicinal or antimicrobial properties in the use of topical or medicinal treatments through duration of space exploration?
Radiation Effects on Plants
How do charged particles affect how plants grow? How does radiation impact multiple generations of plants grown in space environment? Do plants require the same protection from space radiation as animals?
Seed Storage in Space
What will the status of seed stasis and long term stability of seeds be in 15-20 years? How will be best preserve seed stocks over long duration missions? What are seed’s viability in high radiation environments? And after multi-generations in space? Can seeds be propagated vegetatively? Will we be able to prepare a seed generation strong enough to adapt to microgravity stress from Earth? Or will they be able to adapt only on space?
Space Craft Materials and Plant Growth
Are there negative or positive impacts that spacecraft materials have on growing plants in space environment? Plant growth limitations in space (bioengineering to make suitable): instead of adapting atmosphere to plant, could try to adapt plant to environment. Can you use bioengineering of algae, plants, mycelium for building of materials (e.g. 3D printing of these materials for new items needed by crew, e.g. crew)? How might we design watering systems for space (aeroponics, hydroponics,…)? Crop screening to check for inherent problems linked to the environment (e.g. Tokyo Bekana not doing well in space) Can we use plants in a BLSS with ISRU material to produce fiber-based materials? Can we concentrate CO2 in places where plants are to provide the plants with more CO2 while decreasing levels for crew? How can we increase growth chamber yield by using more internal planes within the cube shape as a space for crop growth?
Primary Writer: Chris Escobar, SpaceLab Technologies
Space Plant Repository - Database
How might we create a knowledge repository and learn from what others are doing in a more efficient way? (e.g. GeneLab for plants). Process, curate and annotate, existing knowledge. Invest in production and curation of high quality data for training future plans.
STEM Education in Plant Research
How can we continue to provide educational opportunities for students in space plant biology? Need training in data science for upcoming scientists! we need to combine data skills AND fundamental biology skills (this is needed especially in rural communities and smaller towns)? Does this mean we need more “generalists”? How do we build infrastructure to provide mentorship in locations with need?
Sustainable Crop Systems- Genetic Engineering
How much genetic diversity, both within species and among species, is required for sustainable crop systems? As a corollary, what animals besides humans will be needed for sustainable crop systems? Are invertebrates (e.g. pollinators) needed or can pollination be automated? How does pollination ecology work in space, and how will it work long term? How are multiple generations of crops grown in space impacted? How might we optimize yield vs nutrition? What are the impact of changes in pressure or atmopsheric composition (O2/CO2 levels) on crop growth? How might we bring engineering principles (reliability, sustainability, efficiency) to biological organisms? (deviation from a given environment, physiology, etc)? How can we improve the efficiency of photosynthesis? Does the lack of buoyancy-driven convection have an effect on nutrient uptake? Can we make the inedible parts of the plant edible by removing compounds that are not proper for consumption? Creating plants that are more tolerant to both too much and too little water (or, more broadly, variation in resource availability?). How can we incorporate living pollinators and other invertebrates into plant systems to improve ecosystem services in artificial habitats? Can we use new resources (or evolved function) in space environments to drive biological systems to evolve novel functions? Can we have space specific products that otherwise can not be easily produced on earth? what does continuous propagation in space require? What scale of production can we envision for space agriculture? Should we send up extreme-drought-resistant plants? Is there a way to maximize nitrogen fixation rates? How can we use genetic engineering to overcome plant growth issues in space? Can we graft dwarf cultivars (or crops) based on compatibility to drought tolerant species that are better adapted for certain soil or drought conditions? How might we deal with genetic drift? How can we direct that to maintain growth, yield, nutrition, while encompassing the selection for enhanced tolerance.? How might we be able to engineer organisms to fight microbial resistance? How will we control the transposon / retro element emergence and enhanced variation that we may see with radiation / genome instability that will be a consequence of spaceflight. How might we get fungi to grow in space to our benefit? How can we promote accelerated growth of plants? How can we create artificial environments on the moon and/or Mars that will be more favorable for plant growth (e.g. an artificial forest)?
Primary Writer: Natasha (Sng) Haveman, University of Florida
Translating Plant Space Biology to Earth
How can we apply scientific advances for space to improve sustainability on Earth? How can we scale up these processes to improve sustainability on Earth?
COMBUSTION
Overall Theme
Specific Questions
Spacecraft Fire Safety: Computational Modeling of Accidental Fires
Could we develop a reliable and verified computational tool to evaluate the likelihood and impact of an accidental fire? Could we develop solid fuel chemical kinetic mechanisms and vehicle models to better predict fires in microgravity? Could we develop predictive capability to estimate flammability of materials (and flame propagation) within a defined uncertainty and for a range of g-loading?
Spacecraft Fire Safety: Better fire detectors and extinguishers
How can we develop a safe (for crew and equipment) an effective fire extinguisher? How can we develop reliable and robust fire detectors? Could we develop a fire extinguisher that doesn’t contaminate the atmosphere or destroy electronic components? Could we develop an effective and easy to use fire extinguisher for the astronauts?
Spacecraft Fire Safety:
Materials
Could we develop and test new fire-safe materials for exploration missions at higher O2 and lower pressure? Could we develop coatings that significantly improve material fire resistance? Could we develop the capability to test material flammability in partial gravity? Would be useful to study material flammability and flame spread on the lunar surface (in low gravity). Could we develop better flammability screening test than NASA Test 1, which is not a conservative test for microgravity spacecraft environments (forced flow) or Lunar gravity levels (buoyant flow)? Could we develop a robust fire detection and suppression systems that did not damage spacecraft or habitats in any way? What is the impact of a range of gravity levels on material flammability? Spacecraft fire safety (zero-gravity) and Mars/lunar (partial gravity) fire safety must be better understood.
Fundamental Combustion
Could we predict the combustion behavior from different fuels under different conditions (P & T, e.g. subcritical, transcritical and supercritical) and with various blends? This effort should include both chemical and physical effects. Could we develop way to facilitate test combustion /fluid/ chemical processes in the vacuum environment? Would be valuable to make significant improvements into the solid phase degradation chemistry of materials? Could we repeatedly and cheaply study near thermodynamically critical combustion phenomena (i.e., high-pressure transcritical and supercritical combustion for space propulsion) in low-g? Could we better understand high-quality nanoparticle/nanomaterial synthesis through combustion (e.g., flame spray pyrolysis) in microgravity? Would we explore and develop new flame systems like SOFBALL and cool diffusion flames? Need to understanding combustion under extreme conditions (e.g., elevated pressure and transcritical combustion, extreme temperature) under microgravity conditions.
Primary Writer: Joshua Heyne, University of Dayton
Improved Flight Testing Platforms for Combustion Research
How can we enhance ground-based facilities to accommodate more sophisticated diagnostics for fundamental combustion studies (e.g. redesigned 5-sec drop tower)? How can we Improve facilities/platforms that test combustion /fluid/ chemical processes in the vacuum environment? How can we develop Lunar facilities to study fundamental combustion geometries, akin to an ISS rack. Develop reduced-gravity combustion research center at a reduced gravity platform to test all of these ideas (size of space lab) – equipped with tools and data acquisition?
Improving control technologies
Could we develop temperature and environment control technologies using thermo-electric or catalytic systems driven by combustion processes?
In situ Resource Utilization: Fuel Production
What affective technologies to synthesize fuels and oxidizers ?Can we develop ISRU applications to better understand O2 or regolith reduction reactions for propellant production (i.e. CO2 -> CH4, or O2 production)? can we develop and study special new fuels that can be generated/synthesized? Can we develop technologies that could reduce the fuel consumption significantly so long duration missions will be possible? Can we evelop capabilities for liquefaction and storage of O2, CH4 (combustion products)?
In situ Resource Utilization: Life Support
Could we use ISRU for energy production (fuel, oxygen), propulsion (fuel, oxygen), or human consumption (water, oxygen)? Could we develop ISRU applications test bed to better understand O2 or regolith reduction reactions for propellant production (i.e. CO2 -> CH4, or O2 production)? Could we understand complex heterogenous materials (i.e. logistical trash, complex reactor feedstocks, mixed gas streams), and potentially convert to inert / useful products for either spacecraft venting or commodity usage? Could we understand processes for plasma combustion (low power systems) for solid to gas conversion, water treatment, or ISRU regolith applications? Could we use ISRU to create building materials to expand habitat space?
Can we develop technologies to use waste resources to synthesize products for human consumption (e.g., water, oxygen)? Can we understand complex heterogenous materials (i.e., logistical trash, complex reactor feedstocks, mixed gas streams), and potentially convert to inert / useful products for either spacecraft venting or commodity usage? Can we understand processes for plasma combustion (low power systems) for solid to gas conversion, water treatment, or ISRU regolith applications? Could we use ISRU to create building materials to expand habitat space? Could we develop way to recycle materials to reuse them to make new parts?
Material Properties and Synthesis
Can we develop combustion applications for synthesizing manufacturing materials? Could we develop new opportunities for (nano?) material synthesis in micro-g combustion processes?
Propulsion
Could we identify new energetic processes and energy storage to reduce space travel time and support heavy lift-off capabilities?Can we develop N/H-based systems to avoid flying carbon-containing fuels for energetics and synthesize fuel as necessary?
Primary Writer: Bhekuzulu Khumalo, Banzi Solutions
COMPLEX FLUIDS
Overall Theme
Specific Questions
Additive Manufacturing
in Space
What are the next generation 3-D printing uses of complex fluids?
Can you make new materials in microgravity? Mix biomaterials with other materials that wouldn’t mix on Earth?
Could involve 3D printing, insight about LCs and polymer mechanics/control?
Can there be 3D printing of composite materials in space?
Could we eliminate convection in space for additive manufacturing and materials processing?
Could we get reliable and predictive means to produce materials using additive manufacturing/ processing?
Primary Writer: Ranganathan Narayanan, University of Florida
Artificial Life
How do we tackle complex fundamental problems that involve far-from-equilibrium phenomena, complexity, and cooperativity to imagine lifelike materials and machines of technological importance? How do we progress beyond studying these systems using equilibrium thermodynamics and statistical mechanics and instead develop deeper understandings based on nonequilibrium statistical mechanical phenomena, and dynamics? How do we study soft condensed matter systems with lifelike properties such as recognition capability; chemical, temperature, or light sensitivity, and the ability to change shape? How can we enable both nodes in these systems and groups of systems to “think” and communicate? How do we understand, control, and use such a complex dynamical system so that it does not destroy itself chaotically? How can we better understand motility-induced phase separation in polymers and biological systems? How does this apply to self-organizing biological systems?
Primary Writer: Sujit Datta, Princeton University
Fuel Production -
Energy Storage
Can porous electrodes from complex fluids be used to store energy? Can different kinds of materials be used for energy storage and transduction? Soft materials can store energy mechanically, but they are responsive to many things like temperature, electromagnetic fields?
Granular Materials
Can we improve understanding how to interact with granular matter (asteroids) in a microgravity environment in terms of having the fundamental theory to understand the strength of granular material in space and how that will impact how we can land on, impact with, and sample bodies made of aggregations of such material? How did the solar system assemble from small bits into the panoply of objects we now observe? Could we reliably switch a granular material from fluid (to transfer material between locations) to solid (to anchor it in place) in low-gravity conditions, something that’s impossible on Earth? Can we develop a predictive theory of zero g granular materials to understand and manipulate them? What are the complex materials that can be made from materials gathered from the Moon, Mars, or asteroids? Can we learn about fundamentals of granular materials in low gravity of space, the Moon? What if we move soil physics experiments to space or the Moon?
Primary Writers:
Karen Daniels, NC State University
Paul Sánchez, UC Boulder
Machines Made Out of Machines
How can we better understand networks that utilize complex dynamics and cooperativity to self-repair and self-replicate? How can we better understand networks that operate as distributed engines, with the ability to compute and learn? What effects does nonlinear behavior have on these systems? What is the impact of a network where nodes have their own power source and are connected to neighbors either chemically or physically? What effect might energy potentials and chemical activity have to produce assembly via hydrodynamics and motors?
What can we learn from systems exhibiting spontaneous chirality?
Lunar Regolith -
Dust Issues
Could we utilize the inherent properties of colloids (ex: electrostatics) for advanced filtration (i.e. dust mitigation) and sorting/separation strategies? Could we generate mechanical rigidity with native regolith (with small amounts of water)? How could we study the dynamics of particles during the gelation or solidification process?
Scalable Self-Sustaining Ecosystems
Could we make synthetic active materials that are autonomous that behave like living things. Response is stimulus specific? Could we utilize microgravity to aid in development of materials by design, for example, utilizing active matter? How can we better understand the fundamental dynamical organizational principles for granular, disordered, or suspended particle systems? How do we better understand systems that recycle their own building material using only an external power source? What are the universal principles of such systems across scales from cellular to planetary systems? What do we need to measure to understand the nonequilibrium organizational principles governing these systems? In addition to fundamental knowledge, how can this apply to hierarchical additive manufacturing, recycling, conservation, and biomedical applications?
FLUID PHYSICS
Overall Theme
Specific Questions
Controlling Fluids for
Life Support
Can we reliably and predictably control fluids (gasses, liquids, ?) in space like we do on earth?
Can we develop fluids controls (controls for guiding flow or controlling the flow rate?) for delivering water and nutrients and oxygen to the roots of plants? Would need two phase (does it mean multicomponent immiscible)flows on a large scale for providing food for the crew?Wouldn’t be great if we can manage the movement of bubbles and drops in space? Are there ways to get “sticky water” (or microbes) out of pipes, crevices in a reliable way for long duration flight? Can we use foams instead of liquids to optimize surface area (i.e. soap foam / liquid gas foam)?
Can we use solid open cell foams for holding and transporting liquids? Can there be ‘quick and dirty’ laboratory in space for microgravity research for fluid physics? How can we make two phase flow simpler and smaller than today’s current technology?
Computer Modeling-
Data Repository
With enough computational power would we be be able to accurately model full duration (months to years) fluid systems during missions? Are we able to design using only CFD simulations space fluid systems and processes?
Could we have efficient HVAC systems using only CFD simulations for accurate correlations? Could we generate a data repository for all available data on the planet, assesses them, puts them in a context, checks their validity, and provides well documented reference case for coordinated computations with CFD tools of all kind?
Effects over Gravity
Continuum
What is the impact of different variable g-level experiments — mainly lunar and Mars — to understand better fluid handling issues in planetary habitats? This should include granular mechanics since they act as fluids under certain conditions. It would also help us understand canyon formation on Mars and ocean mechanics on icy moons. Do compact heat exchangers that can operate efficiently at lunar and martian g-levels work similarly? A full understanding of interfacial and microscale fluid physics across the full gravitational continuum (0G, lunar G, Mars G, hyperG) is needed. Could we understand fluid behaviour under various g and jitter environment and various condition like phase change? Could we have a full understanding of the behavior (e.g., phase change) of cryogenic fluids (most probably hydrogen, methane, oxygen as propellants) in different acceleration environments?
Primary Writer: Bonnie Dunbar, Texas A&M University
Fluid Separation
How to do a liquid-liquid separation in microgravity? Could we manage two phase flow and transport of Cryo storage tank in space to preserve propellants and enable long duration long distance human exploration feasible? Can we deal with “pure” or “clean” fluids, but real and/or dirty fluids? Could we understand and mitigate engineering and human problems associated with dust on the Moon and Mars? Could we fully close the loop on ECLSS, recapturing all moisture in a habitat? also with “dirty” systems as opposed to pristine surfaces?
Primary Writer: Roberto Zenit, Brown University
Heat and Energy Transfer
in Space
Can we develop cooling of enclosed spaces, or thermal management of high power density systems all require transfer of fluid and specially in two-phase form? Transfer and management of cryogenics propellants in space are also impacted by phase-change process that is impacted in microgravity? Can we develop system where cryogenic fluids flowed like water in-space and on extra-terrestrial surfaces?
Primary Writer: TBD
Fuel or Oxygen Synthesis
Can atmospheric capture (i.e. Mars CO2) be used addressed for fuel production / O2 production plant? Could we remove water from resources and separate hydrogen using knowledge that we have currently? Can we figure out the carbon production problems with the Bosch process?
Processing in situ Resources
Can we use convert logistical mission waste to useful gas and water to reduce mass, volume and power for long duration human spaceflight? Waste conversion or solid to gas conversions: require applying energy (i.e. heat/thermo chemical, plasma/power) and convert solid to gas that requires solid/gas separation and condensing? Can we figure out the carbon production problems with the Bosch process?
Refueling in Space
Could we refill rocket stages and landers on orbit? Wouldn’t it be great if we have a space infrastructure to fuel and refuel spacecraft on their way to new exploration missions? Transfer and management of cryogenics propellants in space are also impacted by phase-change process that is impacted in microgravity? Can we develop system where cryogenic fluids flowed like water in-space and on extra-terrestrial surfaces? Could we manage two phase flow and transport of Cryo storage tank in space to preserve propellants and enable long duration long distance human exploration feasible? Could we demonstrate in-space zero-boiloff and cryogenic propellant transfer in space?
Primary Writer: Qussai Marashdeh, Tech4Imaging
Simulant Fluids
Can we show that simulant fluids correctly represented other fluids across temperature regimes? Could we simulate full scale cryogenic storage and transfer from the microscale physics through system-level dynamics for mission length scenarios?
Thermal Management Systems
What if we had a fluids based multiphase passive thermal management system that would not activate but rather deactivate in a specific temperature bandwidth (e.g. for battery thermal management)? Are oscillating heat pipes (OHP) integrated into spacecraft and aircraft structures capable of capturing and spreading high heat loads/fluxes and modulating that heat flow as needed to affect the necessary goal, such as steering a probe through the ice layer of Europa for instance? What if we had had efficient thermal radiators for deep space to help freeze CO2 out of cabin atmosphere? Efficient way of using liquid sorbents in microgravity to remove CO2 from cabin atmosphere? What about thermal management of deployable systems, inflatable structures, modular systems, so-called “origami” thermal devices? Pumps were optimized for areas with low convective heat transfer. Can we figure out a system that doesn’t require extensive heat rejection but also high compression ratio? Are we able to design a heat pump for the HVAC system of the Moon Village Houses? Wouldn’t it be great if we can find novel ways to enhance heat transfer in space?
Primary Writer: Ranganathan Narayanan, University of Florida
MATERIALS
Overall Theme
Specific Questions
Artificial Intelligence / Automation
Would be great if there were a platform in LEO or otherwise accessible for robotically operated high temperature or otherwise dangerous to human research. Would be great if we had an on-board embedded supercomputer, integrated with machine learning, that could do real-time simulations of materials in space so as to be able to recommend various courses of action. Could the supercomputer be integrated with the space module in such a way so as to enable different surfaces to adapt or change density or shape in the space module itself (e.g., soft materials).
Biological Interactions
with Materials
What is the long-term impact of biological processes (e.g. metabolism) on space craft materials? Glassy materials will be essential for colonization: panels, tools, screens. Colonization of specifc materials may be critical for microbial ecosystem growth and may be impacted differently under spaceflight conditions. WIBGI we could develop materials to support hydroponics for plant cultivation. WIBGI…we understood how to treat surfaces to influence development/evolution of a healthy microbiome in spacecraft and habitations. WIBGI we could build parts such as the water recovery system with materials that are not affected by the corrosion biofilms cause. How does corrosion differ outside of Earth’s environment? WIBGI we could develop seals that resist dust contamination of living quarters? Bioprinting WIBGI… we could manufacture tissues and organs exploiting microgravity to create perfect spheroids/cellular constructs (grow organs/tissue in zero-gravity). WIBGI: multifunctional spacecraft walls (life support interior, radiation protection, etc) Can superparamagnetic grains communicate with nerve signalling in prokaryotic cells?
Computational Modeling
for Materials
What is the long-term impact of biological processes (e.g. metabolism) on spacecraft materials? Glassy materials will be essential for colonization: panels, tools, screens. Colonization of specific materials may be critical for microbial ecosystem growth and may be impacted differently under spaceflight conditions. WIBGI we could develop materials to support hydroponics for plant cultivation. WIBGI…we understood how to treat surfaces to influence development/evolution of a healthy microbiome in spacecraft and habitations. WIBGI we could build parts such as the water recovery system with materials that are not affected by the corrosion biofilms cause. How does corrosion differ outside of Earth’s environment? WIBGI we could develop seals that resist dust contamination of living quarters? Bioprinting WIBGI… we could manufacture tissues and organs exploiting microgravity to create perfect spheroids/cellular constructs (grow organs/tissue in zero-gravity). Could we develop multifunctional spacecraft walls (life support interior, radiation protection, etc)? Can superparamagnetic grains communicate with nerve signalling in prokaryotic cells?
Energy Generation / Power
Propulsion Systems
Could we thermoelectric generators with an efficiency up to 50%. We could investigate multiple technologies for energy conversion and generating electricity. Could we build solar panels that can survive heavy radiation environment for extended periods of time (like 50-100 years). Could we design a space umbrella for thermal management of the Earth (without changing the orbit of the Earth). WIBGI…We could harvest solar energy in space and then transmit to Earth to simultaneously generate energy and reduce global warming. Can we make better energy storage materials? WIBGI We could identify materials, suitable for interstellar flights. WIBGI we could develop high-temperature materials/coatings for space propulsion systems. Could there be high temperature materials suitable for use in nuclear thermal propulsion. Wouldn’t it be great if there were high-temperature superconductors in permanently shadowed areas on the Moon?
Extraterrestrial Manufacturing - Maintenance
Fully integrated 3D printing facility or research of metal 3D printing in transit or on the Moon. Fabrication of tools with ISRU to shape or develop new tools. X-ray tomography would be very helpful for analyzing 3D-printed parts (metal, ceramic, biological). Can we use commercialized materials created in space s in terrestrial markets, or enabled novel in-space uses. How do we qualify parts made in space? Can provide feedback on processing parameters and quality, to iteratively improve 3D printing? How does g jitter impact parts made in space? Wouldn’t it be great if we had non-destructive evaluation tools such as x ray CT and such to evaluate space manufactured items. Could we directly access defect formation processes at a solid-liquid interface?
Fundamental Studies
Would be great if we could control or at least understand the processes of phase change in electro deposition/ solidification/ precipitation/sublimation. WIBGI We could use microgravity experiments to explore the fundamental processes occurring at phase-change interfaces? Could we conduct crystal growth experiments on systems with very high melting temperatures and free surfaces and at larger length scales? Would we connect morphology of solidification to processing conditions, including dendrite interactions, grain evolution, etc. Improve Understanding the effect of the bubble on the marangoni instability and its effect on phase transformation in solder materials – further effect on the mechanical properties of solder.
Primary Writer: Ranganathan Narayanan, University of Florida
Manufacturing from Regolith
Can we build metals, ceramics and glasses from regolith materials? What amount of energy is required to melt regolith? Can we use small reactors (e.g. nuclear?) as power sources to melt regolith by electrolysis? On Earth, an incredible amount of glass is made via float process – melt glass as continuous ribbon on molten metal bath. How could this be achieved (or an alternate process) in reduced gravity? What glass compositions would be achievable with naturally occurring elements in lunar/Martian regolith? What separation process would be needed to get desired composition? Does the available material imply limitations on achievable mechanical/optical properties, given which glasses can be synthesized? Does the available material imply limitations on achievable mechanical/optical properties, given which glasses can be synthesized? Would additional materials from Earth have to be brought to Moon? Could we be able to efficiently convert ice regoliths into oxygen to create a human-friendly atmosphere for space laboratories. Look at regolith composition and potential toxic volatiles in regolith from different locations on Moon. Could we could mine resources from asteroids/comets instead of using earth’s resources. How would sintering work with Lunar regolith? Would be valuable to conduct corrosion studies in microgravity, electrochemistry for extraction.
Primary Writer: Aleksandra Padinska, Penn State
New Platforms for Material Science
Free flyers dedicated to material science studies. Could we develop facility on ISS for high T non-contact float zone furnace for directional solidification – metals, glasses, semiconductors. Could we advanced thermophysical property characterization facility. How do materials function across micro, partial and hyper gravity conditions. Would be great to conduct physical science experiments at various levels of gravity for long durations (hours or longer)?
Novel Material Applications
Could materials like wood (or bamboo) or textiles be used? What could replace these common materials if needed? How does wood behave in partial or microgravity environments? Could we use chitin (derived from insects and mix with in situ materials? WIBGI… combining nano/micro technology – i.e. incorporate graphene properties with elastic/hydrophobic/hydrophilic property of polymers to create a new super material. We could build photosensitive organic LCEs (Liquid Crystalline Elastomers) nanorobot that can be controlled remotely by laser to be used at the molecular level. Develop self-healing materials such as metals as well as self-constructing materials. Use of magnetocaloric material in space for pumping the heat out/in without moving parts.
Radiation Protections
Could we develop light material capable of shielding astronauts from high energy particles. Can spinning large centrifuge be populated with high density electrostatic charge to produce magnetic shielding from the solar wind? Could we develop lightweight radiation shielding materials to protect crew during long-distance spaceflight. Would be great if we had a range of materials that could resist swift heavy ions, high energy radiation. Could we create space suits that could minimize the effects of galactic cosmic radiation in humans.
Recycling of Materials
Processes to reduce waste to zero. Would be great if we had mature foundry and smelting capabilities for mining and recycling in space. Would be great if we had polymer recycling and reuse could effectively meet raw material needs for manufacturing of materials in space. Could we build energy harvesting devices in place from existing, in-situ materials to mine and refine raw materials?