Figure: The inner environment and plants cultivated in the CELSS integrated experiment platform.

[December 1, CMSE News] After 30 days, China's first controlled ecological life support system (CELSS) integrated experiment, had achieved complete success recently, which marks that China Astronaut Research and Training Center has made a significant progress on CELSS technologies.

The first CELSS integrated experiment platform was set up by China Astronaut Research and Training Center in 2011. The platform, with its high-level material close loop, is mainly featured by regenerating all the basic life support materials including food, oxygen and water to significantly reduce ground supplies and provide a fresh and green environment for astronauts to adjust their mentality.

During the experiment, four kinds of edible vegetables, namely lettuce, leaf lettuce, gynura bicolor and sonchus oleraceus, were planted in a 36-square-meter area to absorb the carbon dioxide exhaled by two astronauts and provide them with oxygen and 30-50 grams of fresh vegetables per meal per person.

Many breakthroughs have been made in key technologies during the experiment, such as dynamic equilibrium regulation technology of “human-plant” atmosphere oxygen and carbon dioxides exchange, comprehensive treatment and recycle technology of microorganism waste water. The close-loop level for the atmosphere, water and food are up to 100%, 85%, and 15%, respectively.

The success of the experiment has laid good foundation to CELSS flight demonstration tests for China's space station, which will be helpful for China's astronauts to get fresh vegetables, improve their living conditions and relieve their mental stress.