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This paper describes the development and ground-test results of three passively controlled life support systems for experiments currently onboard ISS, and scheduled for flight on STS-107 as part of the Space Media Inc. (SMI) Science and Technology Research Student (STARS®) global education program. Two experiments use the Autonomous Biological System (ABS) technology, which has been tested during two 4-month Mir experiments. One ABS will house embryos and fry of the Japanese Medaka Fish, Oryzias latipes, A second ABS contains a complex ecosystem experiment. The third system uses a passive life support system based on agar gel for the harvester ant Pogonomyrmex occidentalis. Thermal control, lighting and still and streaming digital imaging during the experiments are provided by the Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus - Isothermal Containment Module (GBA-ICM).

President Bush’s recent announcement of the Exploration Initiative dictates manned bases on the Moon and eventually Mars. A ground swell of credible privately funded space projects is also reaffirming the notion that was for a time taken for granted but in recent years has seemed further and further from being realized – that humans will live permanently in space. A human mission to Mars, or a base on the Moon or Mars is a lengthier more complex mission than any space endeavor undertaken to date. Simulation Based Acquisition is a fundamental part of preparing for such a mission. Ground simulations provide a relevant, analogous environment for testing technologies and learning how to manage complex, long duration missions, while addressing inherent mission risks.