One goal of Project Persephone is to engineer low-mass, compact payloads for exovivaria ecopoiesis. What makes a small, self-contained ecosystem durable is the subject of ongoing space systems research, since it bears on the issue of Contained Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS) for long-duration spaceflight and human habitation on the Moon and planetary surfaces.

Videos

• small aquatic ecosystem in microgravity? on Mir?.
• "MAKE it at Home: Table-Top Biosphere - KQED QUEST"

The packages launched into space by the Project must be deployable either autonomously or by using telebots in free-fall to assemble the environment under ground control. This process should be mostly rehearsed on Earth; some elements that must work in free-fall might be tested in drop towers and perhaps also in longer parabolic flights and on sounding rockets?, to achieve microgravity. Seeds, eggs, spores and microorganisms and their growing media (some special soil, and possibly enough water for aquatic species) will need to be packaged in a way that can be unfolded and distributed inside exovivaria, by telebots that themselves must be unfolded somehow. Much work is likely to go into figuring out the minimal "bootstrap" configuration. The biosatellite design problem might be made more difficult by the need to keep these "seed packages" viable within certain temperature ranges when the package has reached orbit but is not yet deployed.

• "MAKE it at Home: Table-Top Biosphere - KQED QUEST" - a video showing how to make an aquatic biosphere.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Ecosphere_Kugel.jpg/240px-Ecosphere_Kugel.jpg | EcoSphere^® - a self-contained ecosystem.²

One goal of Project Persephone is to engineer low-mass, compact payloads for exovivaria ecopoiesis. Research into what makes a small, self-contained ecosystem durable is the subject of ongoing space systems research, since it bears on the issue of Contained Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS) for long-duration spaceflight and human habitation on the Moon and planetary surfaces.

The packages launched into space by the Project must be deployable either autonomously or by using telebots in free-fall to assemble the environment under ground control. This process should be mostly rehearsed on Earth; some elements that must work in free-fall might be tested in drop towers and perhaps also in longer parabolic flights and on sounding rockets?, to achieve microgravity. Seeds, eggs, spores and microorganisms and their growing media (some special soil, and possibly enough water for aquatic species) will need to be packaged in a way that can be unfolded and distributed inside exovivaria, by telebots that themselves must be unfolded somehow. Much work is likely to go into figuring out the minimal "bootstrap" configuration. The satellite-design problem might be made more difficult by the need to keep these "seed packages" viable will be managing temperature ranges, or avoiding the need to manage them, when the package has reached orbit but is not yet deployed.

A longer-term goal Project goal is to engineer ecopoiesis "seed packages" for projectile space launch, for an expected reduction in launch costs. Among the ecopoesis design issues in that scenario:

• packaging design for high accelerations
• determining whether the acoustic environment of a projectile, both in propulsion and when transiting the atmosphere, compromises the viability of seeds, eggs, spores and microorganisms
• consideration of greater temperature ranges owing to atmospheric heating as the projectile transits the atmosphere

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Ecosphere_Kugel.jpg/240px-Ecosphere_Kugel.jpg | EcoSphere^® - self-contained ecosystem.³

• survival of what might be greater temperature ranges owing to atmospheric heating as the projectile transits the atmosphere

References

¹ "About the EcoSphere Closed Ecosystem", Ecosphere Associates, Inc. ⇑

² "About the EcoSphere Closed Ecosystem", Ecosphere Associates, Inc. ⇑

³ "About the EcoSphere Closed Ecosystem", Ecosphere Associates, Inc. ⇑

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Ecosphere_Kugel.jpg/240px-Ecosphere_Kugel.jpg | An EcoSphere - self-contained ecosystem.

• "About the EcoSphere Closed Ecosystem", Ecosphere Associates, Inc.

• "MAKE it at Home: Table-Top Biosphere - KQED QUEST" - a video showing how to make an aquatic ecosphere.

The packages launched into space by the Project must be deployable either autonomously or by using telebots in free-fall, assembling the environment under ground control. This process should be mostly rehearsed on Earth; some elements that must work in free-fall might be tested in drop towers and perhaps also in longer parabolic flights and on sounding rockets?, to achieve microgravity. Seeds, eggs, spores and microorganisms and their growing media (some special soil, and possibly water) will need to be packaged in a way that can be unfolded and distributed inside exovivaria, by telebots that themselves must be unfolded somehow. Much work is likely to go into figuring out the minimal "bootstrap" configuration. Another satellite-design problem might be made more difficult by the need to keep these "seed packages" viable will be managing temperature ranges, or avoiding the need to manage them, while the package is in orbit but not yet deployed.

A longer-term goal Project goal is to engineer ecopoiesis "seed packages" for projectile space launch, for an expected reduction in launch costs. Among the design issues:

• survival of high accelerations
• survival of the acoustic environment of a projectile is damaging to viable seeds, eggs, spores and microorganisms
• survival of what might be greater temperature ranges owing to atmospheric heating as the projectile transits the atmosphere

One goal of Project Persephone is to engineer low-mass, compact payloads for exovivaria ecopoiesis. Research into what makes a small self-contained ecosystem durable is the subject of ongoing space research, since it bears on the issue of Contained Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS).

A longer-term goal Project goal is to design ecopoiesis packages that are engineered for very high acceleration projectile space launch, to reduce launch costs. Among the issues besides viability after high acceleration are

• whether the acoustic environment of a projectile is damaging to viable seeds, eggs, spores and microorganisms
• managing temperature ranges, or avoiding the need to manage them, including any heating from transiting the atmosphere rapidly and solar heating cycles while the package is in orbit, but not yet deployed.

+ "MAKE it at Home: Table-Top Biosphere - KQED QUEST" - a video showing how to make an aquatic ecosphere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfwVu5aE_Co&feature=related

• video of self-contained aquatic ecosystem on Mir?.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Ecosphere_Kugel.jpg/240px-Ecosphere_Kugel.jpg | an ecosphere?

See also

• video of Russian experiments on Mir? with a self-contained aquatic ecosystem.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Ecosphere_Kugel.jpg/240px-Ecosphere_Kugel.jpg

One goal of Project Persephone is to engineer low-mass, compact payloads for exovivaria ecopoiesis. A longer-term goal is ecopoiesis packages that are engineered for very high acceleration projectile space launch, to reduce launch costs.

• Robotic Lunar Ecopoiesis Test Bed (PDF). Principal Investigator: Paul Todd (2004)

• [http://www.niac.usra.edu/files/studies/final_report/884Todd.pdf | Robotic Lunar Ecopoiesis Test Bed]] (PDF). Principal Investigator: Paul Todd (2004)

Further reading

One goal of Project Persephone is to engineer low-mass, compact payloads for exovivaria ecopoiesis. A longer-term goal is ecopoiesis packages that are engineered for very high acceleration projectile space launch, to reduce launch costs.

One goal of Project Persephone is to engineer low-mass payloads from which ecopoiesis of exovivaria can be achieved. A longer-term goal is ecopoiesis payloads engineered for very high acceleration projectile space launch, to reduce costs.

Ecopoiesis is the origination of a complete ecosystem in a new habitat.

One goal of Project Persephone is to engineer low-mass payloads from which ecopoiesis of exovivaria can be achieved. A longer-term goal is ecopoiesis payloads engineered for very high acceleration projectile launch?, to reduce costs.

Further reading

• Robotic Lunar Ecopoiesis Test Bed (PDF). Principal Investigator: Paul Todd (2004)