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New information is presented on conceptual designs of bioregenerative life support systems, with subsystems defined, sizes estimated, and configurations developed.1 Components are sized by comparison with design data from Spacelab, the space station, commercial practice, and research on new technologies. Designs were developed on a Microstation CAD system, importing existing models such as space station modules where available. Layouts consider component mass and power as well as connections and access requirements. In addition, current efforts in the NASA CELSS Breadboard Facility (CBF) at Kennedy Space Center are described, which may validate some of these design concepts. Design optimization for the next-generation Breadboard Facility is discussed.

Five potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) leaf cuttings were flown on STS-73 in late October, 1995 as part of the 16-day USML-2 mission. Pre-flight studies were conducted to study tuber growth, determine carbohydrate concentrations and examine the developing starch grains within the tuber. In these tests, tubers attained a fresh weight of 1.4 g tuber-1 after 13 days. Tuber fresh mass was significantly correlated to tuber diameter. Greater than 60% of the tuber dry mass was starch and the starch grains varied in size from 2 to 40 mm in the long axis. For the flight experiment, cuttings were obtained from seven-week-old Norland potato plants, kept at 5°C for 12 hours then planted into arcillite in the ASTROCULTURE™ flight hardware. The flight package was loaded on-board the orbiter 22 hours prior to launch.