BIOLOGICAL PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF A HUMAN LIFE-SUPPORT-SYSTEM FOR A LUNAR BASE

To create a life support system based on biological and physical-chemical processes is the optimum solution providing full-valued condidtions for existence and efficient work of people at a lunar base. Long-standing experinece in experimental research or closed ecosystems and their components allows us to suggest a realistic functional structure of the lunar base and to estimate qualitatively its parameters. The original restrictions are as follows: 1) the basic source of energy to support the biological processes has to be the solar radiation; 2) the initial amount of basic biological elelments forming the turnover of substances (C, O, H, P, K, N) has to be delivered from Earth; 3). Moon materials are not to be used in the biological turnover inside the base; 4) the base is to supply the crew fully with atmosphere and water, and with 90% ( A scenario) or 40% (B scenario) of food. Experimental data about the plant productivity under the ''Moon'' rhythm of light and darkness allow us to suggest that the A scenario requires per one human: plant area - 40 m2 irradiated during the lunar day by 250-300 W/m(2) PAR producing 1250 g of dry biomass a terrestrial day; a heterotrophic component of ''biological incineration'' of inedible plant biomass (800 g/day) including the aquaculture of fish to produce animal products and contaminating the environment less than birds and mammals, and the culture of edible mushrooms; a component of physical-chemical correction for the LSS environment including the subsystems of: deep oxidation of organic impurities in the atmosphere and of water, organic wastes of human activity and that biological components (420 g/day) CO2 concentration in ''Moon'' nights, damping O-2 in ''Moon'' days, etc. The stock of presotred or delivered from Earth substances (food additions, seeds, etc.) to be involved in biological turnover is to be about 50 kg/year per man. Increase of the mass of prestored substances per man up to 220 kg/year would reduce twice the plant area and consumed amount of radiant energy to exclude the components of ''biological incineration'' and physical-chemical destruction of organic wastes.