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The development of an optimum regenerative Advanced Life Support (ALS) system for future Mars missions has been a crucial issue in the space industry. Considering the numerous potential technologies for subsystems with the complexity of the Air Revitalization System (ARS), Water Reclamation System (WRS), and Waste Management System of the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS), it will be time-consuming and costly to determine the best combination of these technologies without a powerful sizing analysis tool. Johnson Space Center (JSC), therefore, initiated the development of ALSSAT using Microsoft® Excel for this purpose. ALSSAT has been developed based upon the ALS Requirement and Design Definition Document (Ref. 18). In 1999, a paper describing the development of ALSSAT with its built-in ARS mass balance model (Ref. 21) was published in ICES.

Human health and performance are influenced by environmental factors such as ambient light, sound and temperature of their habitat. As terrestrial inhabitants, humans are accustomed to the temporal changes of light and the body physiology and health are modulated by these environmental stimuli [27, 28, 30]. Therefore, optimizing key environmental factors like the lighting may enhance crew alertness and performance by promoting general health and a sense of well-being. In order to assess strategies for enhanced crew productivity in this area, we propose a project to develop, test and apply intelligent (electronic) technologies for the simulation and modulation of environmental factors of human performance. Recent developments in illumination technology, including Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Systems, enable researchers to control color, intensity and phasing of light by direct computer-electronic interface.