Life on Spaceships
Moral Repair: A Black Exploration of Tech
In this Episode Annanda and Keisha Explore The Big Question of, is it worth the expense to go to Mars given the needs on Earth? And what would it be like to live on Mars or in space? They interview Kai Staats, Director of Research for SAM at the University of Arizona Biosphere 2, to get the space tea.
When the original rain forest greenhouse was built in the mid 1980s, it was known that the polycarbonate panels would need to be replaced, eventually, but by whom? With one round of repair (based on a discussion with a long-time Biosphere 2 staff member), they lasted more than 30 years. But in the end, the roof and all wall panels must be replaced. This effort began two years ago with replacement of the roof (see Through the Roof and New Roof) and continues now with the four walls, the East and West in the worst shape given the intensity of the sun, wind, and rain.
Matthias, Sean, and Luna have spent three months, juggling myriad other tasks, with this no-one-really-wants-to-do-it task. Matthias has lead the charge, holding the team to a high quality standard. There is nothing simple or easy about it, and no contractor could do a better job. Each panel must be custom cut to match width and height and curve of the overhead greenhouse arches. The top of each panel must be sealed with aluminum tape. Two kinds of screws are applied, some with sealed gasket roofing heads, other rubber backed washers to spread the pressure and keep out the water. The final product is then caulked with 795, a product that will likely outlast the new panels themselves.
The end result is stunning!
Participants in Thunderbird School of Global Management’s Executive Master of Global Management program with a concentration in space embarked on a site visit to Southern Arizona. SAM team member Luna Powell engaged the thirty-person class in a full tour of SAM, including the newly constructed Mars yard.
This tour was arranged by Brett Mecum, class member, Arizona State lobbyist, and the author of the bill that provided SAM with $1.5M in funding for fiscal years 2023 through 2026.
Kai, Matthias, and Luna have continued to work on the SAM Ops kitchen in between the third crewed mission and construction of the Mars crater, and when the sun was simply too damned hot to be working on installation of the polycarbonate panels at the Mars yard.
In early 2024 Kai installed the kitchen cabinets, essentially rebuilding the otherwise flimsy cabinets purchased from Home Depot (lesson learned, again) with nearly 40 feet of 2×4 framing added beneath and behind to provide something rigid and long lasting. The team deliberated on the kind of countertop, from prefab Formica to custom concrete to copper or glass. In the end, butcher block was chosen as it continues the Ops theme of hi-tech space exploration brought back down to Earth with wood desks, window blinds, and futon frames.
Installing under-counter support frames was the most challenging endeavor for the interior of this fully renovated 1990s manufactured building are steel studs—the worst for any kind of addition. Using various anchors and bolts, the butcher block counter was installed and prepared for the sink and backsplash tile.
Matthias conducted a good bit of research and sorted through the various techniques to determine the best combination of mastic, grout, and tile. His meticulous craftsmanship shines through in the gorgeous end product (grout yet to be applied).
With the refrigerator and microwave in place, a food prep island and dishes already received, we are nearly complete with the SAM Ops kitchen and eatery.
With the completion of the sculpted Mars yard and third Analog Astronaut Conference hosted by the Biosphere 2, the SAM crew moves into its second summer of continued effort, with a number projects unfolding at the same time. Last year Matthias Beach, Sean Gellenbeck, Tasha Coelho, and Mason Robbins worked June through September to complete renovation of the former Biosphere 2 rain forest greenhouse in preparation for installation of the SAM Mars yard, with an expanded and far more functional workshop for continued fabrication and construction.
Now, Matthias and Luna are completing the replacement of the original polycarbonate with new, darker tinted panels for less total thermal gain. The old panels had become brittle and were broken in many places, some sections blown out from strong, Arizona winds. With the new roof installed in July of 2022, all new wiring and rebuilt west wall in the summer of 2023, this begins the final effort to give this 1980s construct a new purpose for the next decade or two.
When it’s too hot to be on the scissor lift in the Arizona sun, Matthias is working in the SAM lower lung, replacing the original, rigid electrical conduit with Carflex, restoring the 3-way light function, and replacing the original florescent lights with modern LEDs for less power consumption and greater reliability. Luna is assisting Matthias and painting conducting the final scraping, sanding, priming, and painting of the lung walls and pan rim. This is the last, major interior restoration of the original Test Module and lung.
Kai, Matthias, and Luna continue to renovate the SAM Operations Center with the recent installation of a custom built butcher block countertop, sink, microwave, fridge, and more while Luna brings order to the chaos of the storage room following a juggernaut April and May.
Sean and Luna are designing and mid June fabricating the third prototype of the hydroponics rack. Once proved with a full growth cycle, three additional units will be built to complete this phase of bioregeneration capacity building with the ultimate goal of reproducing Linda Leigh’s single crew member, three weeks stay in SAM with all air fully recycled by plants.
We are honored to have Dr. James Knox, a former, career NASA aerospace engineer and principal developer of the CO2 scrubber for the International Space Station now working with us to design a custom scrubber for SAM. This original design and fabrication, lead by Sean, will enable us to engage full mechanical air recycling such that we can move from physico-chemical to bioregeneration in a single mission—the underlying goal for both the SIMOC simulator and the real world SAM research station.
Bindhu is updating the SAM Operations Manual, crew “cuff notes”, and working to establish an umbrella IRB. This is imperative for ability to engage multiple science objectives at SAM that carry data relevant to human related research objectives.
Tasha is working with Kai to develop the foundation for an educational curriculum around the new geologically accurate Mars yard such that primary and secondary school kids might enjoy an hour or a half day at SAM exploring the Mars yard through experiential learning and discovery. The same foundation will also apply to more advanced exploration by SAM crews, drones, and rovers.
Needless to say, we remain engaged!
As with the prior three summers, these photos essays will be reduced in frequency until September or October.
Stay cool! And stay tuned!
On July 4, 2023, NASA’s Perseverance Rover shot this sunset photo on planet Mars. The unusual bluish color is caused by the composition of the thin atmosphere. On Earth, the sunlight interacts with mainly nitrogen and oxygen. On Mars, the sunlight interacts with iron-rich dust that hangs in the atmosphere. This ultimately scatters lower-frequency red light around the sky during the day. At sunset though, the red light is scattered out and mostly blue light remains — not unlike a hazy day on Earth with smoke or blowing dust.
Read the full essay at Sky Lights by Dan Heim.
Inside the Movement to Bring the Arts to Outer Space
Esquire
by Christopher Cokinos
May 16, 2024
This spring, a group of creatives simulated a lunar mission in the Arizona desert. What they found may challenge your understanding of how astronauts should spend their days.
[In] extreme environments like space, we should demand more than just enjoyment. The very things said from and about the moon can be strengthened with artistic technique. How we render the moon will either replicate our worst tendencies on Earth or foster a respect for the timeworn beauty of this companion world. From simulating living in a lunar habitat to talking with astronauts who will fly around the moon next year, I am obsessed with investigating how we can return to the moon to live and work while using the tools that artists know. Because those tools can help make life worth living.
Once again, the Analog Astronaut Conference was a complete success.
This year, as with the prior two years held at Biosphere 2 and the first on-line, brought together a wonderful assembly of space exploration enthusiasts from all walks of life—aerospace engineers and artists, seasoned professionals and hobbyists, medical surgeons, astronomers, researchers, students and astronauts too.
The Biosphere 2 was once again proud to host this annual event. And the SAM staff worked hard to meet incredible construction goals in time for the conference attendees to enjoy their time at the new Mars yard and reduced gravity simulator.
Photos coming soon!
Dr. Cameron Smith, anthropologist and developer of pressure suits at Smith Aerospace Garments explores the new Mars yard at SAM while encumbered by one of his pressure suits, the same worn by crew members at SAM for their EVAs. In this short film Dr. Smith exits the functional airlock of the SAM habitat and then engages the reduced gravity simulator set to the Mars gravity of one-third that on Earth. He explores sedimentary rock layers, an ancient lava tube, a geologically recent rock fall, and gypsum veins.
The Mars yard at SAM is complete, save the near-future introduction of crushed basalt and basalt boulders to cover the currently exposed concrete slab. The Reduced Gravity Simulator is fully operational, with the prototype built principally from wood being rebuilt in welded aluminum over the summer for a lighter, more stiff frame and smoother operation.