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Two-week closed habitation experiments were repeated three times using Closed Ecology Experiment Facilities (CEEF) to evaluate the capability of advanced life support systems. The CEEF is a two-manned system. Four crew members, termed econauts, inhabited the CEEF, taking turns at one-week shifts in pairs. Each econaut underwent three habitations. In order to evaluate the state of health of the crew, medical examinations were carried out before, immediately after and two months after the series of habitations. Physical data such as blood pressure, body temperature and body weight were monitored during each habitation. In 2005, though calorie intake and expenditure were well balanced, a temporary reduction in body weight was observed. As a countermeasure in 2006, econauts began their habitation diet one week before habitation to adapt their condition. As a result, total serum cholesterol significantly decreased after the series of habitations.

The Nitrogen Fixation System (NFS) which produces ammonia and nitric acid from nitrogen and water has been developed. The NFS is one essential part of material circulation system of the CEEF (Closed Ecological Experiment Facility) the first Japanese CELSS experiment facility. Basically, physico-chemical and some new technologies are utilized as elemental processes in the NFS. Low pressure ammonia synthesis, ammonia enrichment with PSA and water electrolysis with SPE are such new technologies. We designed and installed the NFS as a subsystem of CEEF. The capacity of the NFS is 125g/day as fixed nitrogen. First operation of NFS is expected to be done early fiscal year of 1996 in CEEF.

The closed ecology experiment facility (CEEF) has a small positive pressure control system consisting of rubber buffers and a mechanical subsystem. In the present study, effects of small temperature disturbances caused by changes of surrounding conditions on the pressure control system are investigated experimentally and in numerical simulations. Though solar radiation causes a pressure disturbance in the facility, choosing the proper diameter of ducts which connect the rubber buffers to the modules, the rubber buffers can follow fluctuations of low frequency, like daily atmospheric fluctuations and pressure changes caused by temperature control of the facility’s air conditioners, and can cut off those of high frequency due to changes of environmental conditions.