Paula Cleggett-Haleim

Headquarters, Washington, D.C. May 25, 1990

(Phone: 202/453-1547)

Jane Hutchison
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
(Phone: 415/604-4968)

RELEASE: 90-73

NEW ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT DIVISION ESTABLISHED AT NASA

AMES

How can astronauts grow their own food, live and work on the
moon and safely explore the harsh environment of Mars?

Research into these and similar questions will be the prime

focus of the newly created Advanced Life Support Division at
NASA's Ames Research Center, Mountain View, Calif. William E.
Berry, who heads the new organization, said the goal is to
support President Bush's plan for a permanent lunar settlement
and an astronaut mission to Mars.

Berry said the new division, which consolidates such

research efforts at Ames under a single organization, will focus
its efforts on developing new technologies that will allow humans
to live and work productively in space for long periods of time.

As missions become longer and crews larger, storing or

resupplying food, water, oxygen and other consumables becomes
prohibitively expensive and difficult. The life support system
necessary to meet crew members' daily needs without resupply
consists of several elements: thermal control, air
revitalization and food, water and solid waste management.

- more -
-2-

Berry's division has responsibility for developing several

new life support technologies, including:

-- "Closed-loop" life-support systems, using physical or

chemical means to generate nutrients, gases and liquids from
waste products. Ames is the lead center for development of
physical-chemical systems, which use chemical processes to
convert carbon dioxide, waste water and solid wastes to
breathable air, potable water and food.

-- A "bioregenerative, closed-loop" system, called

Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS), using plants
to produce food and recycle water vapor, oxygen and carbon
dioxide. Work at Ames emphasizes developing a crop growth
research chamber and space flight investigations to study the
performance of CELSS technology in space and to maximize the
growth of edible plants under controlled conditions.

-- Creation of new space suits and portable life support

systems. These technologies could be used in the exploration of
Mars or the lunar surface. Included is the AX-5 space suit, an
all-metal high-pressure suit which for the first time will allow
astronauts to exit the shuttle or space station without first
breathing pure oxygen for several hours.

This "pre-breathe" phase is currently necessary to prevent

the "bends," a life-threatening condition resulting from the
formation of nitrogen bubbles in the blood stream.
 Berry is conducting a nationwide search for scientists and
engineers to join his research and development team. "We are
looking for talented, creative people who want to help develop
the space technology of the future," he said. "The unique human
habitats we will build in space may provide technologies
useful in solving some of the critical environmental issues which
we face on Earth today."

- end -

NASA news releases and other NASA information is available

electronically on CompuServe and GEnie, the General Electric
Network for Information Exchange. For information on CompuServe,
call 1-800-848-8199 and ask for representative 176. For
information on GEnie, call 1-800-638-9636.

TO: MDS/PRA Group

1615 L Street, N.W. - Suite 100
Washington, D.C. 20036

DATE & TIME: MAY 27, 1990

ORDERED BY: Edward Campion

NASA Headquarters/LMD
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20546 PHONE: 202/453-8400

PROJECT TITLE: Release No: 90-73

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ENCLOSE & MAIL: Release of 2 pages

MAIL DATE: MAY 30, 1990

EXTRA COPIES: Deliver specified quanities to locations below:

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