Technology for Human Self-Sufficiency in Space

Strategic planning for human space exploration early in the 21st century has addressed two major missions - a lunar outpost/base and a piloted Mars mission. Such missions into the space environment, lasting perhaps 1–3 years, will impose unprecedented conditions on providing for human sustenance, well-being, and performance. The conditions may be categorized as: significantly increased time away from earth, unaccustomed risk and environmental stress, and an unrelieved, total dependence on advanced technological systems. A program approach, embodied in the Humans-in-Space thrust of the proposed Project Pathfinder, is described that would determine the critical human and technology requirements and develop the enabling technologies for human self-sufficiency and productivity on these missions.