A mischievous elf is caught hiding a radiation experiment in a shelf on the International Space Station. Ground control teams reported that NASA astronaut Nick Hague was behaving like a scout elf, being the scientists’ eyes and ears in orbit and stirring up several experiments while flying around Earth 16 times each day.
The researchers’ astronaut helper is placing a container into a sneaky spot called Biolab, an experiment workstation in Europe’s Columbus laboratory. The sealed box contains microscopic greenish algae naturally found in lakes with warm water. It is also known as spirulina – a nutrient-rich ‘super food’ highly resistant to radiation.
The Arthrosphira-C experiment aims to grow edible algae in space to remove carbon dioxide exhaled by the astronauts and produce oxygen and fresh food in the confined quarters of the Space Station.
Nick loaded the microalgae into a photobioreactor, a cylinder bathed in light. Scientists from the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN) are monitoring from Earth how the algae perform photosynthesis in space, where the little plants are exposed to the constant shower of cosmic radiation on the Space Station – up to 100 times higher than they would experience on Earth.
The microalgae have started growing and producing oxygen in space. The light intensity will increase every two weeks, and scientists will monitor the number of cells and how much oxygen they produce over the course of two and a half months.
Radiation-resistant algae could serve as life support for astronauts in deep space, where radiation exposure is considered one of the most significant health hazards for astronauts and can damage instruments and supplies.
The experiment will lead to radiation-robust biotechnology that would allow astronauts to produce the oxygen, water, and fresh food they need when going to the Moon or Mars in the future. The spin-off technology has proved to be of potential interest for radiotherapy patients on Earth.
Arthrosphira-C is part of the Micro-Ecological Life Support Systems Alternative (MELiSSA) effort, a circular recycling concept for air, potable water, and food production in space. For over three decades, ESA has worked with partners exploring different methods to recycle air and water and produce fresh food in space. This will make long-distance space exploration less dependent on Earth supplies and more autonomous, safe, and sustainable.