Page 87 - JCAU-5-3

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Regenerative algal futures

Manual for Spaceship Earth (1967) by Buckminster Fuller, used higher plants in extreme environments (Antarctica).
as well as The Last Whole Earth Catalogue (1968). The crew The project was carried out on EDEN ISS, which was a
was also inspired by William S. Burroughs who thought ground demonstration of plant cultivation technologies
that the countdown to ecological disaster had begun. for food production in space. The project encompassed
unique ideas and methodologies in fertigation, which
Whilst this high-budget enterprise was seen as a failure,
it could be argued that the experiment did not altogether researched oxygen-producing systems for Earth and for
interplanetary travel, experimenting with gravity as well as
fail, for over a period of 2 years the crew of eight people autonomous cultivation techniques.
survived in an enclosed ecosystem and successfully grew
vegetables, fruits, and a host of other crops (Zimmer, Another notable experiment, Euglena and Combined
2019). Most of the data and records of the experiment Regenerative Organic-Food Production in Space
mysteriously vanished, and the results from several of the (Eu: CROPIS), was a mini satellite from the German
experiments have never been published. This was due to Aerospace Centre by Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und
takeovers by different companies who had commercial Raumfahrt (DLR) program. Its purpose was to study
interests. There were many complex reasons proposed for plant life and food production for long manned space
Biosphere 2’s failure, none of which have, to this date, been flights (Häder, 2020). The experiment worked with the
scientifically proven (Hüpkes & Dürbec, 2022). The fact photosynthetic microalga Euglena gracilis, which is
the construction was made chiefly of concrete and was the considered to be an optimum organism for working with
project’s main downfall, as the concrete contained calcium gravity and liquid for photosynthetic growth (Häder, 2020).
hydroxide. The carbon dioxide was not reacting with the soil The species uses light (photoaxis) and gravity (gravitaxis)
within the biosphere and plants could not produce enough to maneuver in its environment (Häder & Hemmersbach,
oxygen, the carbon dioxide was reacting with calcium 2017; Häder et al., 2017). The organism was put on a rotating
hydroxide in the concrete, forming calcium carbonate and satellite, which mimics the axial rotation of the gravity
water (Cohen & Tilman, 1996; Marino and Odum, 1999). levels on the Moon and Mars. Both experiments (one to
To move forward with potential bioregenerative systems, it replicate lunar atmosphere and one replicating a Martian
must be realized that working with any living organism has atmosphere) lasted for 6 months (Schulze et al., 2016). The
its complexities in which mitigation of potential hazards objective was to produce biomass out of urine to fertilize
must be taken into consideration. crops, indicating a possible bioregenerative system. Due
to software upgrade issues on the satellite; this experiment
5. Current bioregenerative systems could not fulfill its objectives. The section of the vessel,
To understand what is needed on a damaged Earth, it is which was to propagate six tomato seeds, including “two
pertinent to look at bioregenerative systems that have been greenhouses hosting a symbiotic community of bacteria,
conceptualized for space. This gives us unique insights and single-celled microalgae (Euglena) and synthetic urine
allows us to consider and imagine how these technologies as a fertilizer” (Shulze et al., 2016), remained dormant.
could be applied to Earth. In space, humans require Biologist Jens Hauslage, who was the principal investigator
of the experiment and is based at the Institute of Aerospace
the essentials in terms of “requirements of the body.” Medicine, asserts that “in principle the experiment works,
Specifically, for survival, the body requires (per day) “1 kg and it is functional. Through our work on Eu: Cropis
of oxygen, 1 kg of food and 3 kg of water” (Anderson et al., we have developed a long-term test bed for biological
2018). This is documented in the in-depth NASA study
of The Baseline Life Support Values and Assumptions research in space” (Hauslage, 2018). The importance of
this experiment portrays that a bioregenerative system
Document (BVAD). To travel and live on another planetary could be feasible to house a system holding bacteria,
body, robust regenerative environments are needed which rejuvenating human liquid waste via microalgae leading
mirror biogeochemical cycles on Earth (Young & Sutton, to growth of higher plants (tomatoes) on a satellite. In
2021). It is feasible that for long-haul space travel or for principle, if it were not for the software upgrade issue, this
successful inhabitation in harsher environments, human experiment could indicate that future possibilities through
essentials (food, packaging, and waste management) life regeneration systems are possible in harsh gravitational
required for existence are not sustainable unless and environmental conditions. E. gracilis produces oxygen
regenerative systems are put into place. We will now look and biomass to protect the whole system against ammonia
at some related experiments and projects that can be seen concentrations (Hauslage, 2018). Artificial light (LED)
as foundational for bioregenerative algal futures.
is used in combination with a pressure tank to mimic
Rack-like unit for consistent on-orbit leafy crops the atmosphere on Earth, a type of “regolith” is applied
availability was an analogous experiment based on Earth and through inoculation of soil onto lava rock, allowing various

Volume 5 Issue 3 (2023) 5 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.179