Federal award (DEFINITIVE CONTRACT, fiscal year 2022)
Recipient: SIERRA NEVADA COMPANY, LLC
Awarding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Funding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Period of performance: 2015-09-04 to 2023-04-30
Current total value of award: $5242811
Description: NEXTSTEP NRA AWARD.  PHASE I AND PHASE II.  THIS CONTRACT INVOLVES DEVELOPMENT AND DEMONSTRATION OF A HYBRID LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS (HLSS) THAT WILL ENABLE OPERATIONALLY EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE EXPLORATION ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS THROUGH HYBRID TECHNOLOGIES THAT CAN BE EVOLVED TO MEET LONG-DURATION LIFE SUPPORT REQUIREMENTS FOR SUSTAINED HABITATION AT MUCH LOWER LIFE CYCLE COSTS.  CURRENT STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY BEING FLOWN ON THE ISS ALLOWS FOR ONLY 25-50 PERCENT RESOURCE RECOVERY DEPENDING UPON THE RESOURCE IN QUESTION, WHETHER OXYGEN, WATER, OR CARBON.  STRATEGICALLY AND OPERATIONALLY VALUABLE BIOREGENERATIVE CAPABILITY THAT COMBINES WATER RECYCLING, AIR REVITALIZATION, FOOD AUGMENTATION AND RADIATION PROTECTION INCREASES TOTAL SYSTEM CLOSURE TO AN ESTIMATED 50-85 PERCENT RESOURCE RECOVERY, AND DECREASES THE TOTAL MISSION MASS AND THEREBY COST-EFFECTIVELY EXTENDING SUSTAINABLE LONG-DURATION HUMAN MISSIONS. THE HLSS INTEGRATES NOMINAL PIC LIFE SUPPORT FOR TRANSITIONAL SHORT DURATIONS AUGMENTED WITH BIOLOGICALLY BASED LIFE SUPPORT TO EXTEND MISSION DURATIONS TO YEARS WITH MINIMAL RESUPPLY. THE SMALLER PHYSICAVCHEMICAL SYSTEM ALSO PROVIDES BACKUP AND SAFE HAVEN CAPABILITIES. ORBITEC PROPOSES A STEPWISE DEMONSTRATION OF THE HLSS THAT RAPIDLY EVOLVES CURRENT SYSTEMS AND CAPABILITIES INTO LONG DURATION LIFE SUPPORT APPLICABLE TO SEVERAL EXPLORATION SUPPORT MODULE CONFIGURATIONS:    PHASE I GROUND DEVELOPMENT, COMPONENT, SUBSYSTEM, AND SUB SCALE SYSTEMS    PHASE IT ISS AND LEO SORTIE TESTS, SUBSYSTEM, SUBSCALE SYSTEM TESTING    PHASE GROUND-BASED HLSS TEST BED, FULL SCALE INTEGRATED TESTING    PHASE N LEO AND/OR CISLUNAR TEST BEDS    PHASE V DEEP SPACE FULL SCALE DEMONSTRATOR THE HLSS INTEGRATES ESTABLISHED PHYSICAVCHEMICAL (PIC) LIFE SUPPORT COMPONENTS AS A BASE CAPABILITY WITH BIOPRODUCTION (BID) SYSTEMS FOR WATER AND ATMOSPHERE PROCESSING AND FOOD AUGMENTATION, BRINGING REDUCTIONS IN TOTAL MASS LAUNCHED FOR LONG-DURATION MISSIONS. THE BIO SYSTEM ENABLES A SMALLER PIC SYSTEM AND PROVIDES RESUPPLY SAVINGS THAT HAVE COST SAVINGS ADVANTAGES FOR ANY SUSTAINED HUMAN OPERATION THAT IS GREATER THAN ONE YEAR, -MAKING THE HLSS RELEVANT FOR CONTINUOUS LEO OPERATIONS, CISLUNAR AND MARS TRANSIT MISSIONS IN ADDITION TO PLANETARY SURFACE OR DEEP SPACE MISSIONS. THE IMPROVED COST EFFECTIVENESS WOULD BE GREATLY ATTRACTIVE TO COMMERCIAL PROVIDERS TO LEO AND OTHER DESTINATIONS. THIS INITIAL EFFORT WILL FULLY ASSESS THE OPTIONS, PERFORMANCE, AND RELIABILITY OF HLSS FOR VARIOUS MISSION SCENARIOS BASED ON PRIOR GROUND-BASED TESTING AND CURRENT BIOLOGICAL FLIGHT SYSTEMS INCLUDING VEGGIE, THE FIRST FOOD PRODUCTION SYSTEM TO BE DEMONSTRATED ON ISS. IN THE NEAR TERM, HLSS WOULD RESULT IN FOOD AUGMENTATION, PROVIDING FRESH FOOD FOR HEALTH AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS, AND INCREASED WATER RECYCLING AND ATMOSPHERE REVITALIZATION, OFF-LOADING DEMANDS ON A SMALLER PIC SYSTEM, ULTIMATELY REDUCING POWER, MASS, AND MAINTENANCE NEEDS.  CONCEPTS OF HLSS OPERATION WILL BE DEFINED FOR CANDIDATE EXPLORATION AUGMENTATION MODULES AND FOR VARIOUS MISSION CLASSES, AND USED TO CONDUCT TRADE ANALYSES USING AN IN-HOUSE MODELING PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS PIC AND BID LIFE SUPPORT SUBSYSTEMS AND COMPONENTS TO BE ANALYZED AS PART OF AN INTEGRATED LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM. ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE A DEMONSTRATION OF EXPANDED BIOPRODUCTION FLIGHT SYSTEMS WITHIN ORBITEC'S EXISTING CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT FACILITIES.