LSS vs MELiSSA - discussion

[Marco2001]

This current discussion is about
Life Support Systems (LSS)
versus
Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA).

Life Support Systems (LSS) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_support_system
Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MELiSSA

Other links:
http://www.onb.it/writable/editoriale/Hublitz%20&%20Bucklin_2_2005_Mars_Greenhouse_Design....pdf
http://spaceclimate.net/Mars.Life.Support.combo.pdf
http://chview.nova.org/station/life-sup.htm
http://settlement.arc.nasa.gov/designer/regen.html
http://www.ces.uoguelph.ca/ CESRF - Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility
http://www.tomatosphere.org/teacher-resources/biological-life-support-systems.cfm

LSS looks like this:                                          MELiSSA looks like this:
 

Each of those systems has it good and bad points.
LSS for instance is good becouse it can immidiately be switched ON/OFF if needed. You can easily adjust the settings as you wish.
But it lacks reliability (it breakes) so it needs maintance and it cannot be produced in-situ on Mars. Morover it produces toxic side-products that over time acumulate. You need also a lot of power to run them. The efficiency is moderate (~60-80% I think). LSS is therefore good for short missions.

On the other hand - biological life support, cannot be switched ON/OFF and you have limited adjusting options. But it's won't breake, need only minimal maintance, and can be produced on-site (and even grow if base needs more). Morover - it does not produce toxic side-products...in fact, it uses them. You need only 1/10 of energy to run it (or less...). The efficiency can run up-to 99%. BLSS is therefore good for long-duration missions.


In my opinion simple chemical LSS is good to start the base untill BLSS will be fully operational. LSS could also support BLSS in case of an emergency (for instance - base depreasurization). LSS and BLSS could complete each other.

Biological life support systems based on plant growth offer the advantage of producing fresh food for the crew
during a long surface stay on Mars. Greenhouses on Mars are also used for air and water regeneration and waste
treatment. Operating a greenhouse at reduced internal pressure leads to mass and therefore cost savings. A major
challenge in developing a Mars greenhouse is its interaction with the thin and cold Mars environment.

Rationale of Biological Life Support Systems Consumables for human space missions amount to
approximately 31 kg of oxygen, water and food per astronaut and per day as listed in Table 1. Simultaneously,
the same amount of waste is created. Physico-chemical life support systems can provide oxygen, reduce carbon
dioxide and recycle water, whereas biological life support systems can fulfill all these functions and additionally
produce food (Eckart, 1996).

[thedubman]

Good post.

[Danscall]

Good indeed, but won't the biological components of a MELiSSA be too large scale for small missions? I can certainly see them being used in a colonisation effort of Mars, but I wouldn't expect it until settlements are filling and tenting small craters.

[profit004]

I think he knows and I am pretty sure he said that.   I think marco is just a mars head and loves to post anything about mars even if it really does not have a place in hypers current vision.