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Solid Waste Management (SWM) systems of current and previous space flight missions have employed relatively uncomplicated methods of waste collection, storage and return to Earth. NASA's long-term objectives, however, will likely include human-rated missions that are longer in both duration and distance, with little to no opportunity for re-supply. Such missions will likely exert increased demands upon all sub-systems, particularly the SWM system. In order to provide guidance to SWM Research and Technology Development (R&TD) efforts and overall system development, the establishment of appropriate SWM system requirements is necessary. Because future long duration missions are not yet fully defined, thorough mission-specific requirements have not yet been drafted.

A Microwave Enhanced Freeze Drying Solid Waste (MEFDSW) processor was delivered to NASA-Ames Research Center by Umpqua Company having been funded through a Small Business Innovative Research Phase II program. The prototype hardware was tested for its performance characteristics and for its functionality with the primary focus being the removal of water from solid wastes. Water removal from wastes enables safe storage of wastes, prevents microbes from growing and propagating using the waste as a substrate and has potential for recovery and reuse of the water. Other objectives included measurements of the power usage and a preliminary estimate of the Equivalent System Mass (ESM) value. These values will be used for comparison with other candidate water removal technologies currently in development.

The use of biofilters for the control of air contaminants in Advanced Life Support (ALS) systems is currently being investigated by the Waste Processing and Resource Recovery research team of the New Jersey - NSCORT (NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training). Ammonia (NH3) was selected as a test air contaminant as it presents special challenges to the sustained operation of a biofilter. Ammonia loading to the ALS atmosphere will likely be from waste treatment (biological treatment of human, plant and food wastes) and food processing operations. This NH3 has the potential of causing adverse effects on plant growth and humans.

A microwave powered solid waste stabilization and water recovery prototype was delivered to Ames Research Center through an SBIR Phase II contract awarded to Umpqua Research Company. The system uses a container capable of holding 5.7 dm3 volume of waste. The microwave power can be varied to operate either at full power (130 W) or in a variable mode from 0% and 100%. Experiments were conducted with different types of wastes (wet cloth, simulated feces/diarrheal wastes, wet trash and brine) at different levels of moisture content and dried under varying microwave power supply. This paper presents the experimental data. The results provide valuable insight into the different operation modes under which the prototype can be used to recover water from the wastes in a space environment. Further investigations and testing of the prototype are recommended.

BIO-Plex is a ground-based test bed currently under development by NASA for testing technologies and practices that may be utilized in future long-term life support missions. All aspects of such an Advanced Life Support (ALS) System must be considered to confidently construct a reliable system, which will not only allow the crew to survive in harsh environments, but allow the crew time to perform meaningful research. Effective handling of solid wastes is a critical aspect of the system, especially when recovery of resources contained in the waste is required. This is particularly important for ALS Systems configurations that include a Biomass Production Chamber. In these cases, significant amounts of inedible biomass waste may be produced, which can ultimately serve as a repository of necessary resources for sustaining life, notably carbon, water, and plant nutrients. Numerous biological and physicochemical solid waste processing options have been considered.

The On-line Project Information System (OPIS) is a LAMP-based (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) system being developed at NASA Ames Research Center to improve Agency information transfer and data availability, largely for improvement of system analysis and engineering. The tool will enable users to investigate NASA technology development efforts, connect with experts, and access technology development data. OPIS is currently being developed for NASA's Exploration Life Support (ELS) Project. Within OPIS, NASA ELS Managers assign projects to Principal Investigators (PI), track responsible individuals and institutions, and designate reporting assignments. Each PI populates a “Project Page” with a project overview, team member information, files, citations, and images. PI's may also delegate on-line report viewing and editing privileges to specific team members. Users can browse or search for project and member information.

Distant and/or long-term missions, particularly Mars and lunar bases, will require a high degree of regenerative systems utilization. Bio-regenerative systems inherently lend themselves to integrative application, and can serve multiple processing functions in Advanced Life Support (ALS) systems. Striving for maximal use of bio-regenerative systems can reveal possibilities and relationships difficult to conceptualize within the context of a “unit process” methodology common to physico-chemical (P/C) systems. The required regenerative functions of biomass production and solid, liquid, and air processing are discussed, and a potential integrated ALS system scenario including “soil'based” plant production is developed to illustrate potential ramifications of biological (and P/C) system integration.

The On-line Project Information System (OPIS) is the Exploration Life Support (ELS) mechanism for task data sharing and annual reporting. Fiscal year 2008 (FY08) was the first year in which ELS Principal Investigators (PI's) were required to complete an OPIS annual report. The reporting process consists of downloading a template that is customized to the task deliverable type(s), completing the report, and uploading the document to OPIS for review and approval. In addition to providing a general status and overview of OPIS features, this paper describes the user critiques and resulting system modifications of the first year of OPIS reporting efforts. Specifically, this paper discusses process communication and logistics issues, user interface ambiguity, report completion challenges, and the resultant or pending system improvements designed to circumvent such issues for the fiscal year 2009 reporting effort.

Advanced Life Support (ALS) systems designed for long-duration manned space missions, particularly permanent bases on the Moon or Mars, are likely to employ extensive use of regenerative closed loop systems, including the production of higher plants for food. Such systems will produce substantial amounts of inedible plant material in addition to other standard mission wastes. Composting is one of the several methods currently under investigation for waste processing and resource recovery in ALS systems. While composting is a robust microbiological process that can be utilized to treat a variety of organic materials under a wide range of environmental conditions, both feedstock preparation and process control require optimization. For instance, initial waste feedstock composition, carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N), particle size, and moisture content are critical factors for ensuring optimal processing conditions and maximal rates of degradation.

The growth of Swiss chard in compost, Mars regolith simulant, and mixtures thereof, was studied for application in Advanced Life Support (ALS) systems, particularly Mars/lunar based operations. The purpose was to begin characterizing a sustainable biomass production method based on compost derived from inedible biomass. Compost would serve both as a means of recycling plant nutrients while improving the physical qualities of regolith as a plant growth medium. An outpost’s cropping area could be expanded by blending a minimal amount of compost (scarce, initially imported resource) and a maximal amount of regolith (plentiful local resource), consistent with adequate crop yields. Swiss chard was selected for the study as it is an ALS crop candidate for which there are little data.

A workshop entitled the “Life Support & Habitation and Planetary Protection Workshop” was held in Houston, TX in April, 2005. The main objective of the workshop was to initiate communication, understanding, and a working relationship between the Life Support and Habitation1 (LSH) and Planetary Protection (PP) communities regarding the effect of the implementation of Mars human exploration PP policies on the Advanced Life Support2 (ALS), Advanced Extravehicular Activity (AEVA), and Advanced Environmental Monitoring and Control (AEMC) programs. This paper presents an overall summary of the workshop that includes workshop organization, objectives, starting assumptions, findings and recommendations. Specific result topics include the identification of knowledge and technology gaps, research and technology development (R&TD) needs, potential forward and back contaminants and pathways, mitigation alternatives, and PP requirements definition needs.

Since the mid 1980s, NASA has developed advanced waste management technologies that collect and process waste. These technologies include incineration, hydrothermal oxidation, pyrolysis, electrochemical oxidation, activated carbon production, brine dewatering, slurry bioreactor oxidation, composting, NOx control, compaction, and waste collection. Some of these technologies recover resources such as water, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon, fuels, and nutrients. Other technologies such as the Waste Collection System (WCS - the commode) collect waste for storage or processing. The need for waste processing varies greatly depending upon the mission scenario. This paper reviews the waste management technology development activities conducted by NASA since the mid 1980s and explores the drivers that determine the application of these technologies to future missions.