Form 9.B Project Summary

Chron: 972600

Proposal Number: 09.02-5000

Project Title: Bioregenerative Testbed Unit for Integrated Animal/Plant Research

Technical Abstract (Limit 200 words)

Biologically closed life support systems will be extremely important in all aspects of longer duration future space flight and have significant potential application to improved recycling techniques for ground application. A key feature in the performance and functionality of a biologically closed life support system are the gaseous and liquid flows between plant and animal components. ORBITEC proposes the preliminary design and prototyping of critical elements that will allow monitoring of the gaseous and liquid exchanges between sealed plant chambers and a sealed rodent chamber on Space Shuttle or Space Station. The Biomass Production System developed by ORBITEC is significantly modular to accommodate independent plant and rodent environments with the capabilities of metering liquids and gases into and out of the chambers. This enables analyses of the quantity and quality of exchanges between the two environments. The SBIR will bridge the existing plant-only systems into an integrated plant/animal facility with sufficient separation between plant and animal habitats to allow monitoring of gas and liquid transfers.

Potential Commercial Applications (Limit 200 words)

The BTU will be provided to NASA as an operational facility similar to BPS and offered to users through commercial means (e.g., direct purchase, lease, lease through SpaceHab). Through the SBIR process, development becomes streamlined in a more commercial vain and actual flight products have resulted that perform better than state of the art. The system could be provided for ground-based research such that scientists could run preparatory experiments and ground controls.

Name and Address of Principal Investigator (Name,

Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)

Thomas M. Crabb

Orbital Technologies Corporation

Space Center, 1212 Fourier Drive

Madison , WI 53717

Name and Address of Offeror (Firm Name, Mail Address,

City/State/Zip)

Dr. Eric E. Rice

Orbital Technologies Corporation (ORBITEC)

Space Center, 1212 Fourier Drive

Madison , WI 53717