Plant and Animal Accommodation for a Space Station Laboratory

Life sciences research in the Space Station era will provide an enhanced opportunity for studying gravitational biology. This will be made possible by extending the duration of research from a few days on the current space transportation system (STS) Spacelab to almost unlimited duration in a Space Station laboratory setting. Plants and animals will be used extensively in studying gravitational phenomena. In many instances animal models will be used to study human responses to prolonged space flight where invasive techniques are required. New hardware developments will be necessary to accommodate plant and animal species in a long-duration facility. This is especially true for the plant and animal confinement systems, centrifuge (artificial gravity) systems, and cleaning and washing facilities for cages and enclosures. This paper discusses these technology development items and the critical issues that need to be solved. It also presents some conceptual designs that have been formulated to-date.

Plant and Animal Accommodations For a Space Station