Process Control for Advanced Life Support, Biological Test Bed

Advanced life support and habitat functions for exploration missions will require the autonomous control of many interdependent subsystems. A controls evaluation was envisioned to help define the questions necessary to develop an architecture capable of this degree of autonomy. To conduct this evaluation, a biological test bed that consists of a pair of interdependent subsystems was developed. The biological test bed represents an analog of a life support subsystem necessary for long-duration, human-rated exploration missions. The test bed consists of a packed bed anoxic bioreactor for the removal of organic carbon, coupled with an aerobic nitrifier that converts ammonia to nitrogen.