Acta Astronautica 245 (2025): 660-669

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.05.056

Bold ventures by billionaires, governmental lunar missions fueled by a new space race, and initial public offerings by space companies have rapidly increased public attention to the space sector. As a result, more and more citizens are forming opinions about space-related topics. These opinions are highly valued by players in this sector, as space missions critically depend on citizens as qualified employees, investors, and supporters of public funding for space endeavors. To provide reliable data about public opinion on space, we surveyed 2139 citizens in nine developed and emerging space nations with the most significant space budgets in 2023. We find that citizens in emerging space nations advocate for prestigious human missions, while citizens of established space nations prefer cheaper, robotic missions. Overall, the top priorities for most citizens are related to activities that have an immediate positive impact on Earth, such as monitoring key parts of the Earth's climate or threats from asteroids. While most citizens are in support of or indifferent to compliance with space law, India poses an interesting outlier; overall, 17 % of Indian citizens stated that their country should not comply with space law, compared to an average of 5 % in other countries. Our findings are useful to space stakeholders not only for addressing citizens' priorities and concerns, but potentially also for cultivating long-term support for key space-related topics.

 © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of IAA.

Nature Chemistry  (2025): 1-7

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-025-01890-0

Since the early days of space exploration, the efficient production of oxygen and hydrogen via water electrolysis has been a central task for regenerative life-support systems. Water electrolysers are, however, challenged by the near-absence of buoyancy in microgravity, resulting in hindered gas bubble detachment from electrodes and diminished electrolysis efficiencies. Here we show that a commercial neodymium magnet enhances water electrolysis with current density improvements of up to 240% in microgravity by exploiting the magnetic polarization of the electrolyte and the magnetohydrodynamic force. We demonstrate that these interactions enhance gas bubble detachment and displacement through magnetic convection and achieve passive gas–liquid phase separation. Two model magnetoelectrolytic cells, a proton-exchange membrane electrolyser and a magnetohydrodynamic drive, were designed to leverage these forces and produce oxygen and hydrogen at near-terrestrial efficiencies in microgravity. Overall, this work highlights achievable, lightweight, low-maintenance and energy-efficient phase separation and electrolyser technologies to support future human spaceflight architectures

 © 2025 Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Bioresource Technology 427 (2025): 132383

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132383

A sustained presence on Mars requires the production of food on site, but farming is limited by the local availability of suitable nutrients. Cyanobacteria can feed on Martian resources, and we hypothesized that the nutrients they mobilize could be extracted through anaerobic digestion and used as crop fertilizer.We therefore tested the abilities of three microbial communities to digest the biomass of Anabaena sp. in minimal medium, 200 g L^-1 Mars regolith simulant (MGS-1), and water.All communities produced ammonium and removed organic carbon in all media, especially in minimal medium and 200 g L^-1 MGS-1. However, MGS-1 also adsorbed organics and reduced the phosphate and ammonium recovery efficiency. A taxonomic analysis revealed a syntrophic fermentative community and hydrogenotrophic methanogens in minimal medium, but methanogens were outcompeted in MGS-1 by sulfate-reducing bacteria.Overall, this study suggests the viability of a bioprocess which could support crop production from Martian resources.

 © 2025, Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Cognition 259 (2025): 106124

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2025.106124

In decision-making scenarios, individuals often face the challenge of balancing between exploring new options and exploiting known ones—a dynamic known as the exploration-exploitation trade-off. In such situations, people frequently have the opportunity to observe others' actions. Yet little is known about when, how, and from whom individuals use observational learning in the exploration-exploitation dilemma. In two experiments, participants completed multiple nine-armed bandit tasks, either independently or while observing a fictitious agent using either an explorative or equally successful exploitative strategy. To analyze participants' behaviors, we used a reinforcement learning model (simplified Kalman Filter) to extract parameters for both copying and exploration at the individual level. Results showed that participants copied the observed agents' choices by adding a bonus to the individually estimated value of the observed action. While most participants appear to use an unconditional copying approach, a subset of participants adopted a copy-when-uncertain approach, that is copying more when uncertain about the optimal action based on their individually acquired knowledge. Further, participants adjusted their exploration strategies in alignment with those observed. We discuss, in how far this can be understood as a form of emulation. Results on participants' preferences to copy from explorative versus exploitative agents are ambiguous. Contrary to expectations, similarity or dissimilarity between participants' and agents' exploration tendencies had no impact on observational learning. These results shed light on humans' processing of social and non-social information in exploration scenarios and conditions of observational learning.

©  2025, Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

PNAS Nexus 4 (2025): pgaf112

https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf112

Large language models (LLMs) are poised to reshape the way individuals communicate and interact. While this form of AI has the potential to efficiently make many human decisions, there is limited understanding of how individuals will respond to its use in social interactions. In particular, it remains unclear how individuals interact with LLMs when the interaction has consequences for other people. Here, we report the results of a large-scale, preregistered online experiment (⁠n=3,552⁠) showing that human players’ fairness, trust, trustworthiness, cooperation, and coordination in economic two-player games decrease when the decision of the interaction partner is taken over by ChatGPT. On the contrary, we observe no adverse reactions when individuals are uncertain whether they are interacting with a human or a LLM. At the same time, participants often delegate decisions to the LLM, especially when the model’s involvement is not disclosed, and individuals have difficulty distinguishing between decisions made by humans and those made by AI.

 © 2025, Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 129 (2025): 4383-4397

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.5c00220

This study establishes a theoretical framework to elucidate the impact of gas bubble evolution dynamics on the reaction overpotentials in electrolytic hydrogen and oxygen production. By distinguishing between ohmic, activation, and concentration overpotentials, we formulate governing equations to determine the influence of gas bubble growth and detachment on each overpotential component. Additionally, we employ SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis to interpret the patterns identified by a regression neural network trained on our analytical equations. Our findings indicate that gas bubble evolution dynamics impact reaction overpotentials to different degrees, leading to divergent escalation rates and requiring targeted improvement strategies. We therefore systematically investigate the impact of key parameters influencing the gas bubble evolution dynamics such as the electrode surface wettability, the electrolyte concentration and the temperature on mitigating reaction overpotentials. Measures, such as enhancing the electrode hydrophilicity from 90 to 160°, reduces the activation and concentration overpotentials by up to 54.0% and 79.3%, respectively. Moreover, by increasing the electrolyte molarity from 0.5 to 1 M, ohmic and concentration overpotentials can be reduced by 47.1% and 72.1%, respectively, with diminishing performance returns beyond 2 M. Higher temperatures result in mild to moderate decreases across all overpotential components by improving electrolyte conductivity and mass transfer. In summary, this analysis provides valuable insights not only for optimizing electrolytic hydrogen and oxygen production devices, but it also offers the opportunity to transfer gained insights into other gas-evolving electrochemical systems and supports their optimization toward higher energy conversion efficiencies.

 © 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society

AI & SOCIETY (2024)

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-024-02155-z

The primary aim of this paper is twofold: firstly, to argue that we can enter into relation of trust with robots and AI systems (automata); and secondly, to provide a comprehensive description of the underlying mechanisms responsible for this relation of trust. To achieve these objectives, the paper first undertakes a critical examination of the main arguments opposing the concept of a trust-based relation with automata. Showing that these arguments face significant challenges that render them untenable, it thereby prepares the ground for the subsequent positive analysis, proposing a framework in which these challenges can be addressed . According to this framework trust does not originate from mere reliability, but rather from an empathic relation with automata. This initial empathic relation elevates the automata to the status of what I will term "Otheroids." The paper then explores how this human-Otheroid relationship inherently possesses the seeds for the development of trust. Finally, it examines how these seeds can grow into a basic form of trust with Otheroids through the establishment of a rich history of interaction.

© The Authors ( CC BY 4.0 )

Algal Research 84 (2024): 103801

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2024.103801

Space agencies and private companies strive for a permanent human presence on the Moon and ultimately on Mars. Bioprocesses have been advocated as key enablers due to their ability to transform locally available resources into added-value materials. However, the resource-efficiency and scaling of space biosystems remain poorly understood, hindering quantitative estimates of their potential performance. We leveraged extensive cultivation experiments, where a cyanobacterium (Anabaena sp. PCC 7938) was subjected to conditions attainable on Mars, to develop a model that can estimate bioprocess productivity and resource-efficiency as a function of water, light, temperature, regolith minerals and perchlorates, and atmospheric carbon and nitrogen. We show that a breakeven can be reached within a few years. We discuss research lines to improve both resource-efficiency and the accuracy of the model, thereby reducing the need for costly tests in space and eventually leading to a biotechnology-supported, sustained human presence on Mars.

© The Authors ( CC BY 4.0 )

npj Microgravity 10 (2024): 101

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-024-00440-1

In situ resource utilization systems based on cyanobacteria could support the sustainability of crewed missions to Mars. However, their resource-efficiency will depend on the extent to which gases from the Martian atmosphere must be processed to support cyanobacterial growth. The main purpose of the present work is to help assess this extent. We therefore start with investigating the impact of changes in atmospheric conditions on the photoautotrophic, diazotrophic growth of the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7938. We show that lowering atmospheric pressure from 1 bar down to 80 hPa, without changing the partial pressures of metabolizable gases, does not reduce growth rates. We also provide equations, analogous to Monod’s, that describe the dependence of growth rates on the partial pressures of CO₂ and N₂. We then outline the relationships between atmospheric pressure and composition, the minimal mass of a photobioreactor’s outer walls (which is dependent on the inner-outer pressure difference), and growth rates. Relying on these relationships, we demonstrate that the structural mass of a photobioreactor can be decreased – without affecting cyanobacterial productivity – by reducing the inner gas pressure. We argue, however, that this reduction would be small next to the equivalent system mass of the cultivation system. A greater impact on resource-efficiency could come from the selection of atmospheric conditions which minimize gas processing requirements while adequately supporting cyanobacterial growth. The data and equations we provide can help identify these conditions.

© 2024, The Author(s)

npj Microgravity  (2024) 

doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4348078/v1

In situ resource utilization systems based on cyanobacteria could support the sustainability of crewed missions to Mars. However, their resource-efficiency will depend on the extent to which gases from the Martian atmosphere must be processed to support cyanobacterial growth. The main purpose of the present work is to help assess this extent. We therefore start with investigating the impact of changes in atmospheric conditions on the photoautotrophic, diazotrophic growth of the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7938. We show that lowering atmospheric pressure from 1 bar down to 80 hPa, without changing the partial pressures of metabolizable gases, does not reduce growth rates. We also provide equations, analogous to Monod's, that describe the dependence of growth rates on the partial pressures of CO2 and N2. We then outline the relationships between atmospheric pressure and composition, the minimal mass of a photobioreactor's outer walls (which is dependent on the inner-outer pressure difference), and growth rates. Relying on these relationships, we demonstrate that the structural mass of a photobioreactor can be decreased – without affecting cyanobacterial productivity – by reducing the inner gas pressure. We argue, however, that this reduction would be small next to the equivalent system mass of the cultivation system. A greater impact on resource-efficiency could come from the selection of atmospheric conditions which minimize gas processing requirements while adequately supporting cyanobacterial growth. The data and equations we provide can help identify these conditions.

© 2024 The Authors, CC BY 4.0

IUCrJ 11 (2024): 977-990

https://doi.org/10.1107/S2052252524009722

Regolith draws intensive research attention because of its importance as the basis for fabricating materials for future human space exploration. Martian regolith is predicted to consist of defect-rich crystal structures due to long-term space weathering. The present report focuses on the structural differences between defect-rich and defect-poor forsterite (Mg₂SiO₄) – one of the major phases in Martian regolith. In this work, forsterites were synthesized using reverse strike co-precipitation and high-energy ball milling (BM). Subsequent post-processing was also carried out using BM to enhance the defects. The crystal structures of the samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and total scattering using Cu and synchrotron radiation followed by Rietveld refinement and pair distribution function (PDF) analysis, respectively. The structural models were deduced by density functional theory assisted PDF refinements, describing both long-range and short-range order caused by defects. The Raman spectral features of the synthetic forsterites complement the ab initio simulation for an in-depth understanding of the associated structural defects.

 © 2024 Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology (2024): 1-17

https://doi.org/10.1080/00071773.2024.2404618

The thesis of open intersubjectivity (OI) is that the other is present in our perceptual experience of objects without any concrete encounter. The main goal of this paper is to provide a modified version of this thesis that meets two conditions at the same time: first, preserves the main insight of OI, namely the structural presence of the other in the act of object perception; and second, prevents challenges to the strong version proposed by Zahavi. To that end, after Zahavi's explanation of OI is introduced, the main lines of argument against it will be discussed. These lines call into question both the phenomenological validity of this version and the broader context in which it has been embedded. Then, a new framework for object perception will be proposed which reconciles the normative and enactive approaches to object perception. This new framework is capable of meeting the two aforementioned conditions.

© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 12 (2024): 113071  

doi: 10.1016/j.jece.2024.113071

Integrating microbial electrolysis cells (MEC) with anaerobic digestion (AD) would offer different synergistic advantages to these technologies. The MEC bioanode could be immersed in the AD reactor, stabilizing the process, or operated as an independent cell, further removing organic matter. However, up to now, bioanodes operated in anaerobic digestion conditions present low current production and tend to deactivate over time. In the present work, we conducted a comparison of six carbon-based and metal-based electrode materials, including novel options such as stainless steel wool (SSW) and carbon nanofibers (ES300), never tested before under these conditions. The electrodes were evaluated using two inoculation procedures, operating simultaneously in the same electrolyte with different feeding media. The bioanodes produced double the current densities when fed with undigested corn silage compared to anaerobic digester effluent, showing the potential for direct integration into anaerobic digesters without pre-fermentation. Unprecedented stable current densities, up to 0.4 mA cm ⁻² , were obtained over 60 days of operation in real anaerobic digestion conditions by  Geobacter -dominated bioanodes on SSW and ES300, outperforming state-of-the-art bioanodes and avoiding the dramatic deactivation previously reported. Microbial community analysis of SSW and ES300 elucidated how the microbial composition in the bioanodes was mostly depending on the electrode material, rather than the inoculation procedure. The results achieved with these bioanodes pave the way for scaling up and commercializing integrated AD-MEC systems.

© 2024 The Authors, CC BY 4.0, Published by Elsevier Ltd.

International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 186 (2024): 103246  

doi: 10.1016/j.ijhcs.2024.103246

This experiment systematically examines whether, in safety-critical environments such as Air Traffic Control, the negative effects of increasing automation associated with static automation concepts can be mitigated by adaptable automation. Adaptable automation is a form of flexible automation in which the human operator (rather than the system as in adaptive automation) can decide when and to what extent to delegate tasks. A special focus is on its effects on human perception in terms of perceived autonomy and competence, satisfaction, and human role perception. We conducted two online studies using the same dual-task paradigm. Study 1 was conducted with a novice sample via Prolific (N = 93) and study 2 with an expert sample of Air Traffic Controllers (N = 126). Participants were either supported by static information automation, static decision automation, or an adaptable solution that allowed them to switch between the two automation stages. The findings of both studies are similar. Results indicated that, even when humans rarely switched, adaptable automation could increase perceived autonomy, led to high satisfaction, and had positive effects on role perceptions without impairing performance or workload. Furthermore, satisfaction was found to correlate with performance. From a human-centered perspective, flexible concepts seem to be particularly suitable when automation increasingly takes over parts of a job task not only at the stage of information analysis but also at the stage of decision-making.

© 2024 The Authors, CC BY 4.0, published by Elsevier Ltd.

Frontiers in Space Technologies 5 (2024) 

doi: 10.3389/frspt.2024.1352213

With increasing relevance for lunar activities, the location selection for in situ resource utilization (ISRU) facilities is a necessary step to identify the most suitable configuration during mission planning. To raise information about the dominant location dependencies, a scenario was set up where an ISRU product is exported to an orbital depot and mass costs are used for classification.In the selected scenario, Oxygen is produced by an Ilmenite reduction plant and subsequently exported to the Lunar Gateway via an Oxygen-Hydrogen fueled launcher running in a round-trip, refueling Oxygen at the lunar surface and Hydrogen at the Lunar Gateway. It showed that the variations in transport costs can be either entirely avoided or have a recessive influence on the mission's total costs over an extended amount of time, such as 20 years. The identification of the top 10 most optimal locations for various resolutions were only slightly altered under consideration of flight costs compared to only considering the ISRU factors, which concludes the insignificance of flight cost dependencies for the analysed case.

© 2024, The Authors, CC BY 4.0

International Conference on Embedded Wireless Systems and Networks (2024) 

doi: 10.48550/ARXIV.2405.01578

In the context of the Internet of Things (IoT), reliable and energy-efficient provision of IoT applications has become critical. Equipping IoT systems with tools that enable a flexible, well-performing, and automated way of monitoring and managing IoT edge devices is an essential prerequisite. In current IoT systems, low-power edge appliances have been utilized in a way that can not be controlled and re-configured in a timely manner. Hence, conducting a trade-off solution between manageability, performance and design requirements are demanded. This paper introduces a novel approach for fine-grained monitoring and managing individual micro-services within low-power edge devices, which improves system reliability and energy efficiency. The proposed method enables operational flexibility for IoT edge devices by leveraging a modularization technique. Following a review of existing solutions for remote-managed IoT services, a detailed description of the suggested approach is presented. Also, to explore the essential design principles that must be considered in this approach, the suggested architecture is elaborated in detail. Finally, the advantages of the proposed solution to deal with disruptions are demonstrated in the proof of concept-based experiments.

© 2024 The Authors, CC BY 4.0

The Journal of Chemical Physics 160 (2023): 152501

doi: 10.1063/5.0199247

Stretching or compression can induce significant energetic, geometric, and spectroscopic changes in materials. To fully exploit these effects in the design of mechano- or piezo-chromic materials, self-healing polymers, and other mechanoresponsive devices, a detailed knowledge about the distribution of mechanical strain in the material is essential. Within the past decade, Judgement of Energy DIstribution (JEDI) analysis has emerged as a useful tool for this purpose. Based on the harmonic approximation, the strain energy in each bond length, bond angle, and dihedral angle of the deformed system is calculated using quantum chemical methods. This allows the identification of the force-bearing scaffold of the system, leading to an understanding of mechanochemical processes at the most fundamental level. Here, we present a publicly available code that generalizes the JEDI analysis, which has previously only been available for isolated molecules. Now, the code has been extended to two- and three-dimensional periodic systems, supramolecular clusters, and substructures of chemical systems under various types of deformation. Due to the implementation of JEDI into the Atomic Simulation Environment, the JEDI analysis can be interfaced with a plethora of program packages that allow the calculation of electronic energies for molecular systems and systems with periodic boundary conditions. The automated generation of a color-coded three-dimensional structure via the Visual Molecular Dynamics program allows insightful visual analyses of the force-bearing scaffold of the strained system.

© 2024 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.

Frontiers in Space Technologies  5 (2024) : 1366591

doi: 10.3389/frspt.2024.1366591

The establishment of a permanent lunar base is the goal of several space missions, such as NASA's Artemis program. The feasibility of a lunar base is highly dependent on the supply of clean water, which can be recycled within the life support system or extracted in-situ on the Moon. Contamination of the water by lunar dust is an unavoidable problem due to the fact that lunar dust covers the entire surface and has adhesive properties as well as a very fine particle size. It is therefore important to study and characterize water contaminated by lunar dust in order to develop a safe water supply system. We combined existing studies on the dissolution behavior of lunar regolith in aqueous solutions and performed dissolution experiments ourselves. We conducted dissolution experiments using the Lunar Highland Dust simulant from Exolith Lab (Orlando, United States), which resembles the Apollo 16 regolith and thus the terrain of the suspected Artemis landing sites. Our dissolution experiments investigate the effects of the dust to solution ratio, the aqueous solution used (ultrapure water and 5.5 buffer), the short exposure time (2 min up to 72 h), the dissolved oxygen in the solutions and the particle size of the simulant. As a result, this study provides a characterization of lunar dust contaminated water and compares the results with the World Health Organization (WHO) and NASA requirements for drinking water. For all test batches, the lunar dust contaminated water exceeds the requirements for pH, turbidity and Al concentration.

© 2024, The Authors, CC BY 4.0

npj Microgravity 10 (2024): 34

doi: 10.1038/s41526-024-00377-5

This paper presents open challenges and perspectives of propellant management for crewed deep space exploration. The most promising propellants are liquid hydrogen and liquid methane, together with liquid oxygen as an oxidizer. These fluids remain liquid only at cryogenic conditions, that is, at temperatures lower than 120 K. To extend the duration of space exploration missions, or even to enable them, the storage and refueling from a cryogenic on-orbit depot is necessary. We review reference missions, architectures, and technology demonstrators and explain the main operations that are considered as enablers for cryogenic storage and transfer. We summarize the state of the art for each of them, showing that many gaps in physical knowledge still need to be filled. This paper is based on recommendations originally proposed in a White Paper for ESA's SciSpacE strategy.

© 2024, The Authors, CC BY 4.0

npj computational materials 10 (2024): 55

doi: 10.1038/s41524-024-01236-3

Infrared and Raman spectroscopies are ubiquitous techniques employed in many experimental laboratories, thanks to their fast and non-destructive nature able to capture materials' features as spectroscopic fingerprints. Nevertheless, these measurements frequently need theoretical and computational support in order to unambiguously decipher and assign complex spectra. Linear response theory provides an effective way to obtain the higher-order derivatives needed, but its applicability to modern exchange-correlation functionals and pseudopotential formalism remains limited. Here, we devise an automated, open-source, user-friendly approach based on density-functional theory and the electric-enthalpy functional to allow seamless calculation from first principles of infrared absorption and reflectivity, together with zone-center phonons, static dielectric tensor , and Raman spectra. By employing a finite-displacement and finite-field approach, we allow for the use of any functional, as well as an efficient treatment of large low-symmetry structures. Additionally, we propose a simple scheme for efficiently sampling the Brillouin zone at different electric fields. To demonstrate the capabilities of the present approach, we study ferroelectric LiNbO ₃  crystal as a paradigmatic example, and predict infrared and Raman spectra using various (semi)local, Hubbard corrected, and hybrid functionals. Our results also show how PBE0 and extended Hubbard functionals (PBEsol+U+V) yield for this case the best match in terms of peak positions and intensities, respectively.

© The Authors, CC BY 4.0

2024 19th Wireless On-Demand Network Systems and Services Conference (WONS) IEEE  (2024)  :   33-40

doi: 10.23919/WONS60642.2024.10449602

In the context of the Internet of Things (IoT), the effective operation of IoT applications relies heavily on the functionality of sensors. These sensors are prone to failures or malfunctions due to various factors, including adverse environmental conditions and aging components within sensors. To mitigate the impact of faulty sensors on system performance, notable research has focused on employing machine-learning techniques to detect faulty sensor data. In this context, due to the scarcity of real faulty data records and challenges in generating them even in controlled environments, researchers often model faulty data to create synthetic datasets containing normal and abnormal data for evaluating fault detection models. Our empirical investigation reveals that the current modeling approach to simulate faulty sensor scenarios does not adequately reflect the complexity of real-world faulty sensor behaviors. Therefore, to improve the efficacy of fault detection algorithms in practical applications, it is imperative to investigate sensor fault models further. To address this gap, we conducted a comparative analysis of existing fault models and proposed a novel composite approach for modeling faulty sensor behaviors that can more effectively capture real-world sensor behaviors. Our focus was to evaluate how different fault models impact the effectiveness of anomaly detection algorithms when tested in real-world scenarios. The evaluation included algorithms trained on synthetic datasets derived from various fault models, assessing their performance in identifying real-world faulty data. We also provide diverse labeled datasets, including normal and abnormal data collected from real-world applications.

© 2024 International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP)

IET Networks 13 (2024): 66-110

doi: 10.1049/ntw2.12094

Infrastructure-less networks connect communication devices end-to-end by managing links and routes independent of fixed networking facilities, relying on dedicated protocols running on end-user devices. The large variety of infrastructure-less concepts and related aspects can be confusing both for beginning Ph.D. students as well as experienced researchers who wish to get an overview of neighboring areas to their own research foci. Frequently discussed topics such as different types of sensor, vehicular, or opportunistic networks are covered. The authors describe different networking concepts by looking at aspects such as the main properties, common applications, and ongoing research. Furthermore, the concepts by common characteristics such as node mobility, network density, or power consumption are compared. The authors also discuss network performance evaluation by describing commonly used metrics, different evaluation techniques, and software tools for simulation-based evaluation. The references given in each section help obtain in-depth information about the presented topics and give hints about open research questions, which can be a starting point for your own investigations.

© 2024 Author(s). CC under 4.0

Journal of Plant Interactions 19 (2024): 2292220

doi: 10.1080/17429145.2023.2292220

Fresh, nutritious, palatable produce for crew consumption on long-duration spaceflight missions may provide health-promoting, bioavailable nutrients and enhance the dietary experience. VEG-04A and VEG-04B explored growing leafy greens on the International Space Station using the Veggie Vegetable Production System. Two flight tests with ground controls were conducted in 2019 growing mizuna mustard, where veggie chambers were set to different red-to-blue-to-green light formulations. Light quality affects plant growth, nutrition, microbiology, and organoleptic characteristics on Earth, and we examined how these vary in microgravity and under different harvest scenarios. Astronauts harvested and weighed mizuna and completed organoleptic evaluations. Flight samples were returned to Earth for nutritional quality and microbial food safety analyses. Yield and chemistry differed between soil and flight samples and light treatments, and bacterial and fungal counts were lower in soil than in flight samples. This research helps increase our understanding of the requirements for growing high-quality crops in spaceflight.

© 2024, The Authors, CC BY 4.0

Frontiers in Space Technologies 4 (2023): 1328341  

doi: 10.3389/frspt.2023.1328341

Over the past few years, the international space industry has focused extensively on advancing technologies to enable prolonged human space exploration missions. The primary limiting factor for these endeavors is the spacecraft’s capacity to transport and store essential supplies from Earth to support human life and mission equipment throughout the mission’s duration. In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is the preferred solution for this challenge. Previous lunar missions have identified the presence of oxygen within the lunar regolith, which is an important resource for human space exploration missions. Oxygen is present in many different minerals within the lunar regolith out of which, ilmenite provides the highest yield of oxygen per unit mass using hydrogen reduction. However, the distribution of ilmenite is neither high nor uniform throughout the lunar surface and therefore, needs beneficiation, which is an important intermediate step for ilmenite-based oxygen production. A regolith beneficiation testbed was developed at DLR Bremen which is a TRL 4 level representation of the technology. The testbed has multiple process parameters that can be adjusted to produce the desired feedstock. This work focuses on the optimization of this testbed to produce a feedstock with higher ilmenite content than the input regolith. The testbed comprises three beneficiation techniques, viz. gravitational, magnetic and electrostatic beneficiation that work sequentially to produce the desired feedstock. The optimized parameter configuration achieved up to three-fold increase in the ilmenite grade relative to the input with about 32 wt% of the total ilmenite being recovered in the enriched output. These experiments have highlighted other underlying factors that influenced the experimental research such as the design of testbed components, system residuals and limited availability for Off-the-shelf components. The observations made from these experiments have also provided insights into the further development of the technology. The work has thus produced evidence for the effectiveness of the beneficiation testbed in producing an enriched feedstock while outlining avenues for future improvements.

© 2024, The Authors, CC BY 4.0

Physical Review B 108 (2023): 235171

doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.108.235171

We present a first-principles study of the low-temperature rhombohedral phase of BaTiO3 using Hubbard corrected density-functional theory. By employing density-functional perturbation theory, we calculate the onsite HubbardU for Ti(3d) states and the intersite HubbardV between Ti(3d) and O(2p) states. We show that applying the onsite Hubbard U correction alone to Ti(3d) states proves detrimental, as it suppresses the Ti(3d)–O(2p) hybridization and drives the system towards a cubic phase. Conversely, when both onsite U and intersite V are considered, the localized character of the Ti(3d) states is maintained, while also preserving the Ti(3d)–O(2p) hybridization, restoring the rhombohedral phase of BaTiO3. The generalized PBEsol+U+V functional yields good agreement with experimental results for the band gap and dielectric constant, while the optimized geometry is slightly less accurate compared to PBEsol. Zone-center phonon frequencies and Raman spectra are found to be significantly influenced by the underlying geometry. PBEsol and PBEsol+U+V provide satisfactory agreement with the experimental Raman spectrum when the PBEsol geometry is used, while PBEsol+U Raman spectrum diverges strongly from experimental data highlighting the adverse impact of the U correction alone in BaTiO3. Our findings underscore the promise of the extended Hubbard PBEsol+U+V functional with first-principles U and V for the investigation of other ferroelectric perovskites with mixed ionic-covalent interactions.

©2023, American Physical Society

Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (2023) 

doi: 10.26434/chemrxiv-2023-nr314

The field of liquid-phase and solid-state high-pressure chemistry has exploded since the advent of the diamond anvil cell, an experimental technique that allows the application of pressures up to several hundred gigapascal. To complement high-pressure experiments, a large number of computational tools have been developed. These techniques enable the simulation of chemical systems, their sizes ranging from single atoms to infinitely large crystals, under high pressure and the calculation of the resulting structural, electronic and spectroscopic changes. At the most fundamental level, computational methods using carefully tailored wall potentials allow the analytical calculation of energies and electronic properties of compressed atoms. Molecules and molecular clusters can be compressed either via mechanochemical approaches or via more sophisticated computational protocols using implicit or explicit solvation approaches, typically in combination with Density Functional Theory, thus allowing the simulation of pressure-induced chemical reactions. Crystals and other periodic systems can be routinely simulated under pressure as well, both in a static and in a dynamic manner, to predict the changes of crystallographic data under pressure and high-pressure crystal structure transitions. In this review, the theoretical foundations of the available computational tools for simulating high-pressure chemistry are introduced and example applications demonstrating the strengths and weaknesses of each approach are discussed.

© 2024, The Authors, CC BY 4.0

ChemElectroChem 10 (2023): e202300451

https://doi.org/10.1002/celc.202300451

Recent research is investigating deoxidation electrolysis for eco‐friendly iron extraction. However, many parameters are not fully understood and inconsistencies in reported Faradaic efficiencies pose challenges for finding the most suitable experimental conditions. Thus, we investigated the dependence of hematite reduction efficiency on process parameters and cell configurations. Firstly, we studied the influence of the anode material. The experiments included cyclic voltammetry to identify the redox potentials, electrolysis, and X‐ray diffraction followed by Rietveld refinement to analyze the pellets after electrolysis. In some cases, scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy was employed to track the elemental map of the cathode pellets. Nickel/iron alloy, a well‐known oxygen‐evolving electrocatalyst material, clearly outperformed other anode materials, namely graphite, titanium, nickel, and platinum. Subsequent investigations explored the impact of an inert atmosphere and anode‐cathode decoupling on Faradaic efficiency. The findings indicated that the decline in Faradaic efficiency cannot be solely attributed to the hydrogen evolution reaction, but also to other parasitic effects such as carbon cycles. Additionally, we employed energy consumption measurements as a mean of comparing the process against established extractive methodologies. The required energy consumption by electrolysis is up to 46 % lower than that of a blast furnace.

 © 2023 Attribution 4.0 International ( CC BY 4.0 )

Ethics and Information Technology 25 (2023):  53, s10676-023-09731-9

doi: 10.1007/s10676-023-09731-9

David Gunkel’s most recent book Person, Thing, Robot: A Moral and Legal Ontology for the 21st Century and Beyond is an impressive intellectual project, which intends to get back to the Things themselves. The Thing with capital T, to which Gunkel intends to get back to is not thing in the current sense of its use which is typically understood in contrast to the person. It is, he (2023, pp. 166–167) writes “…a monstrous excrescence that escapes the conceptual grasp of existing categories.” The most visible manifestation of this conceptual monster that is neither a person nor a thing is the robot. Therefore, in order to understand the status of robots as Things, we must go beyond the deeply rooted and well-established thing/person distinction. This, in turn, brings us to the heart of his project: deconstruction. Going beyond this distinction necessitates deconstructing the existing conceptual order in which “thing” is embedded. Gunkel implements the deconstruction procedure in two steps, one negative and one more positive. First, in the negative phase of his project, he convincingly demonstrates the lack of any compelling rationale for categorizing a robot as a ‘thing,‘ a ‘person,‘ or even a hybrid of both, through an extensive examination of the literature. This paves the way for his positive step, in which he attempts to open up a new horizon, a new conceptual order to understand robots. In this part, his reliance on Levinas’ philosophy is especially noticeable.

©The Author(s) 2023

npj Microgravity 9 (2024): 81

doi: 10.1038/s41526-023-00329-5

Protecting the Martian environment from contamination with terrestrial microbes is generally seen as essential to the scientific exploration of Mars, especially when it comes to the search for indigenous life. However, while companies and space agencies aim at getting to Mars within ambitious timelines, the state-of-the-art planetary protection measures are only applicable to uncrewed spacecraft. With this paper, we attempt to reconcile these two conflicting goals: the human exploration of Mars and its protection from biological contamination. In our view, the one nominal mission activity that is most prone to introducing terrestrial microbes into the Martian environment is when humans leave their habitat to explore the Martian surface, if one were to use state-of-the-art airlocks. We therefore propose to adapt airlocks specifically to the goals of planetary protection. We suggest a concrete concept for such an adapted airlock, believing that only practical and implementable solutions will be followed by human explorers in the long run.

© 2024, The Authors, CC BY 4.0

Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence 6 (2023): 1252897

doi: 10.3389/frai.2023.1252897

As part of the Special Issue topic “Human-Centered AI at Work: Common Ground in Theories and Methods,” we present a perspective article that looks at human-AI teamwork from a team-centered AI perspective, ie, we highlight important design aspects that the technology needs to fulfill in order to be accepted by humans and to be fully utilized in the role of a team member in teamwork. Drawing from the model of an idealized teamwork process, we discuss the teamwork requirements for successful human-AI teaming in interdependent and complex work domains, including EG, responsiveness, situation awareness, and flexible decision-making. We emphasize the need for team-centered AI that aligns goals, communication, and decision making with humans, and outline the requirements for such team-centered AI from a technical perspective, such as cognitive competence, reinforcement learning, and semantic communication. In doing so, we highlight the challenges and open questions associated with its implementation that need to be solved in order to enable effective human-AI teaming.

© 2023, Author(s). licensed under CC BY 4.0

Algorithmics of Wireless Networks, 19th International Symposium on Algorithmics of Wireless Networks (ALGOWIN 2023), Amsterdam, Netherlands (2023)

In wireless sensor networks, much energy is wasted during connecting and control processes. This is particularly true for the neighborhood discovery process carried out in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) before the communications between devices. However, the fixed duration of this process has a critical energy cost when the number of neighbors is low or when only a few neighbors are required by the application. In order to address this issue, a novel protocol called WUBBLE is proposed to leverage wake-up radio technology to start and end the discovery process. Wake-up radio enables additional communications between devices with an ultra-low energy overhead. WUBBLE is validated by combining analytical analysis and experimental measurements, and results show that half of the energy could be gained to discover 90% of the neighbors.

© 2023, The Authors (  CC BY 4.0  )

AOWI-conference of the German Psychological Society (2023)

The AOWI-conference of the German Psychological Society took place in Kassel from 12^th to 15^th September, 2023. The AOWI-conference aims to gather psychologists interested in the work, organisational, business and engineering psychology to exchange their views on current research. Lara Watermann presented, on behalf of the project team, first insights from the psychological experiment of the project under the title "Human-AI Teams in a Mars Habitat: The Influence of the Perception of an AI as a Team Member or Tool on Trust and Affect".

Abstract

Question
The progress of artificial intelligence (AI) leads to autonomously acting technical systems. These could even function as independent team members in a team of humans and AI. In the space context, we investigate to what extent the perception of an AI as a team member has a positive influence on the trust and affect towards this AI. 

Research Design
Data will be collected experimentally in a Mars habitat. Together with an AI, subjects (N=82) will repair a life support system. For this purpose, the Wizard-of-Oz method is used and the AI is presented at the beginning as either a team member or a tool. The data will be analyzed with a mixed ANOVA and T-tests.

Results
The data collection takes place from January to March 2023. We hypothesize that the AI perceived more as a team member will elicit higher trust and more positive affect. Further, differences in human communication are expected.

Limitations
The sample consists of laypersons and should be replicated with Expert:ins. The interaction was conducted using the Wizard-of-Oz method without actual AI.

Implications
The results can be used to design AI in high-risk organizations so that people not only feel comfortable interacting, but also have an appropriate level of trust in the AI.

Relevance/Contribution
Much research related to human-AI teaming takes place in virtual environments in a military context and is based on written communication. It is unclear to what extent these results can be applied to other contexts and types of communication. With our investigation, we aim to expand the field of research to include new findings that take place in an analog environment, in the context of space travel, and are based on voice control.

GoodIT '23: ACM International Conference on Information Technology for Social Good, Lisbon Portugal (2023)

doi: 10.1145/3582515.3609514

Yearly, more than 200 million malaria cases are recorded worldwide. Most of these cases are witnessed in less developed countries as the environments are not well-maintained, which forms breeding places for mosquitoes. Female mosquito-anopheles is responsible for malaria infection, dengue, chikungunya, and zika. Developing countries struggle to fight diseases; malaria still claims more than 400,000 lives annually. One current way to keep away anopheles mosquitoes is using commercially available electric liquid mosquito repellents, which can adversely affect the human body when used for extended periods. Furthermore, energy and sprays are wasted as they constantly work even without the presence of anopheles mosquitoes. We propose a low-cost IoT-based TinyML model that intelligently discharges the mosquito repellent when an anopheles mosquito is in the room. First, we prove the concept by exploring two lightweight deep learners with a 1D Convolution Neural Network (1D-CNN) and 2D Convolution Neural Network (2D-CNN) to classify raw sounds from mosquito wingbeats. We adopted a Leaky ReLU in building the 1D-CNN to speed up training and improve classification performance. Furthermore, we adopted batch normalization to avoid degradation and vanishing gradient problems. We implemented the experiments in an Edge impulse platform. Each of the CNN models recorded stable classification performance during the proof of concept study, while the 1D-CNN took less time and computing resources in training, validation, and testing. As we aimed to propose a low-cost solution, we evaluated the performance of the 1D-CNN-based prototype in the actual deployment by playing mosquito wingbeat sounds on a laptop which we placed next to it in intervals of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3 meters. The model showed promising results across distances and thus could be used to chase away mosquitoes in a room of small to medium size.

© 2023, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

npj Microgravity 9 (2023): 69

doi: 10.1038/s41526-023-00317-9

Long-term human space exploration missions require environmental control and closed Life Support Systems (LSS) capable of producing and recycling resources, thus fulfilling all the essential metabolic needs for human survival in harsh space environments, both during travel and on orbital/planetary stations. This will become increasingly necessary as missions reach farther away from Earth, thereby limiting the technical and economic feasibility of resupplying resources from Earth. Further incorporation of biological elements into state-of-the-art (mostly abiotic) LSS, leading to bioregenerative LSS (BLSS), is needed for additional resource recovery, food production, and waste treatment solutions, and to enable more self-sustainable missions to the Moon and Mars. There is a whole suite of functions crucial to sustain human presence in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and successful settlement on Moon or Mars such as environmental control, air regeneration, waste management, water supply, food production, cabin/habitat pressurization, radiation protection , energy supply, and means for transportation, communication, and recreation. In this paper, we focus on air, water and food production, and waste management, and address some aspects of radiation protection and recreation. We briefly discuss existing knowledge, highlight open gaps, and propose possible future experiments in the short-, medium-, and long-term to achieve the targets of crewed space exploration also leading to possible benefits on Earth.

© 2024 Author(s). CC under 4.0

Zeitschrift für Kristallographie - Crystalline Materials (2023)

doi: 10.48550/ARXIV.2309.10789

Alloys based on lanthanum phosphate (LaPO$_{4}$) are often employed as thermal barrier coatings, due to their low thermal conductivity and structural stability over a wide temperature range. To enhance the thermal-insulation performance of these alloys, it is essential to comprehensively understand the fundamental physics governing their heat conduction. Here, we employ the Wigner formulation of thermal transport in conjunction with first-principles calculations to elucidate how the interplay between anharmonicity and compositional disorder determines the thermal properties of La$_x$Gd$_{1{-}x}$PO$_{4}$ alloys, and discuss the fundamental physics underlying the emergence and coexistence of particle-like and wave-like heat-transport mechanisms. Our predictions for microscopic vibrational properties (temperature-dependent Raman spectrum) and for macroscopic thermal conductivity are validated against experiments. Finally, we leverage these findings to devise strategies to optimize the performance of thermal barrier coatings.

© 2023, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

The 2023 Conference on Artificial Life, Online (2023)

doi: 10.1162/isal_a_00622

There are two types of trust: basic trust (BT) and secondary trust (ST). While ST refers to a rational mental state that is the result of individual-evidential decision making and calculation, BT is a relational state that the subjects experience. In this paper, drawing primarily on resources from the phenomenological-enactive approach to social cognition, I argue that there can be BT in the human-robot relation (HRR). This BT is the result of basic empathy for robots, that has been enriched by a long enough and complicated history of interaction with them. I propose a procedure according to which first basic empathy leads people to experience robots as pseudo-others, resulting in the formation of a thin and simple social relationship. Then, through the history of interaction between people and robots, this simple, primary empathic-based social relationship evolves into a more complicated and rich form of social relationship that fosters the BT.

 © 2023, Published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license

52^nd International Conference on Environmental Systems (2023)

 online: https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/bitstream/handle/2346/94682/ICES-2023-258.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

One of the most important components of a habitat for long-duration missions to Mars is the life support system (LSS), which will most likely include bio-regenerative elements. Since the lives of the crew members depend on the LSS, it is important that they can trust it. Therefore, a human-centered LSS that can be well understood and controlled by the crew is required. In this interdisciplinary work between space engineering, electrical engineering and psychology, the air revitalization component of a human-centered LSS, a photobioreactor (PBR), is being designed. This PBR is integrated into the Moon and Mars Base Analog (MaMBA) facility at the Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) in Bremen as part of a future LSS prototype. The PBR, as well as the MaMBA facility, are equipped with multiple sensors which are monitoring various environmental parameters. To provide sensor information to the crew in a preprocessed and user-friendly way, we are designing a graphical user interface (GUI) that can also be used for interaction with the PBR. All three components together, the MaMBA facility, the PBR and the GUI can then be used to test and determine human-factor-related constraints on the operation of a LSS under realistic conditions. This work presents the preliminary design of both the PBR and the GUI and gives first results on the operation of the PBR.

Nature communications 14 (2023): 3141

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38676-2

Human deep space exploration is presented with multiple challenges, such as the reliable, efficient and sustainable operation of life support systems. The production and recycling of oxygen, carbon dioxide (CO2) and fuels are hereby key, as a resource resupply will not be possible. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices are investigated for the light-assisted production of hydrogen and carbon-based fuels from CO2 within the green energy transition on Earth. Their monolithic design and the sole reliance on solar energy makes them attractive for applications in space. Here, we establish the framework to evaluate PEC device performances on Moon and Mars. We present a refined Martian solar irradiance spectrum and establish the thermodynamic and realistic efficiency limits of solar-driven lunar water-splitting and Martian carbon dioxide reduction (CO2R) devices. Finally, we discuss the technological viability of PEC devices in space by assessing the performance combined with solar concentrator devices and explore their fabrication via in-situ resource utilization.

© The Author(s) 2023 licensed under CC BY 4.0

Acta Astronautica  210 (2023): 162-175

doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2023.05.021, preprint available open access https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.15415

Astronaut crews and ground control support teams are highly interdependent teams that need to communicate effectively to achieve a safe mission - despite being separated by large distances. Team communication quality with its facets clarity of objectives and information flow, is a key coordination process to achieve high team performance and task satisfaction. Especially in interdependent teams working in extreme environments with time-delayed communications, the team's success is threatened if communication is ineffective. In this study, we hypothesized that communication quality affects two key team outcomes, performance and task satisfaction, and that these effects can be explained by increases in workload (effort and frustration). Hypotheses were tested during the AMADEE-20 analog Mars mission hosted by the Austrian Space Forum. The analog astronauts (AA) were supported by an On-Site-Support (OSS) team and a remote Mission-Support-Centre (MSC) team. The MSC was the only contact line for both AA and OSS, and the communication between them had a one-way time delay of 10 min. Our study consisted of three runs in which members across the three different multiteam systems had to exchange information to solve an interdependent task. We measured communication quality, effort and frustration, task satisfaction, and team performance. Results show that clarity of objectives and information flow positively impacted multiteam system performance. Furthermore, clarity of objectives reduced experienced effort and this in turn enhances team performance. High levels of information flow reduced experienced frustration, which in turn enhanced task satisfaction. Our findings show that these facets of communication quality are essential for multiteam systems that work separated from each other by a distance. We stress that specific (team) communication training for astronauts and support personnel will be key to effective teamwork during future Mars missions, and thus to overall mission success.

© 2023 IAA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

preprint licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Materials 16 (2023): 4170

doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16114170, preprint available open access: doi:https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202304.1169/v1

Once on Mars, maintenance and repair will be crucial for humans as supply chains including Earth and Mars will be very complex. Consequently, the raw material available on Mars must be processed and used. Factors such as the energy available for material production play just as important a role as the quality of the material that can be produced and the quality of its surface. To develop and technically implement a process chain that meets the challenge of producing spare parts from oxygen-reduced Mars regolith, this paper addresses the issue of low-energy handling. Expected statistically distributed high roughnesses of sintered regolith analogs are approximated in this work by parameter variation in the PBF-LB/M process. For low-energy handling, a dry-adhesive microstructure is used. Investigations are carried out to determine the extent to which the rough surface resulting from the manufacturing process can be smoothed by deep-rolling in such a way that the microstructure adheres and enables samples to be transported. For the investigated AlSi10Mg samples (12 mm × 12 mm × 10 mm), the surface roughness varies in a wide range from Sa 7.7 µm to Sa 64 µm after the additive manufacturing process, and pull-off stresses of up to 6.99 N/cm² could be realized after deep-rolling. This represents an increase in pull-off stresses by a factor of 392.94 compared to the pull-off stresses before deep-rolling, enabling the handling of even larger specimens. It is noteworthy that specimens with roughness values that were previously difficult to handle can be treated post-deep-rolling, indicating a potential influence of additional variables that describe roughness or ripples and are associated with the adhesion effect of the microstructure of the dry adhesive.

© The Authors 2023 licensed under CC BY 4.0

INFORMATIK 2023 - Designing Futures: Zukünfte gestalten, Berlin (2023)

doi: 10.18420/INF2023_161

The effect of humanity on the earth becomes more and more apparent. Besides the publicly discussed climate change and overpopulation, also the number of conflicts with wildlife increases. The technological progress of the past years helped to understand these challenges better. Monitoring solutions, known to the public as the Internet of Things (IoT), increase the amount of collected data, whereas artificial intelligence (AI) supports analyzing and gathering a deeper understanding. Most projects in the area of wildlife try to achieve a more sustainable usage of natural resources and a better coexistence with our environment. The mAInZaun project focuses on the conflict between wolves and livestock. It aims to introduce these new technologies into grazing management and foster non-lethally coexistence between livestock and predators. Artificial intelligence (AI) analyzes images and videos of the areas surrounding the pasture. The algorithms detect possible attackers or predators, such as wolves, stray dogs, bobcats, etc. In the second step, these animals are scared away using adaptive technologies. These can be sound, ultrasound, scent, light, etc. These systems are usually operated in remote environments, raising challenges like hardware design, power requirements, and maintenance. This paper will discuss these challenges and how we address them in the mAInZaun project.

© 2023, INFORMATIK 2023 - Designing Futures: Zukünfte gestalten

2023 19th International Conference on the Design of Reliable Communication Networks (DRCN) (2023)

doi: 10.1109/DRCN57075.2023.10108238

With the growth of Internet-of-Things (IoT), smart agriculture has become one of the most compelling IoT applications that supports crop management and better resource utilization. In this context, the quality of data gathered by widely distributed IoT edge devices has become critical to guarantee the accuracy of decisions in data-driven applications and cost-effectiveness. The data may be inaccurate and contain errors due to adverse environmental conditions or device faults. Supporting knowledge-based systems for monitoring and analyzing collected data to ensure the reliability of IoT services is vital. However, several challenges are encountered in fault detection for IoT applications, such as mimicking normal sensor behavior by a faulty sensor, limited time and workforce. Also, the lack of labeled datasets containing both normal and real abnormal data points has affected the set of satisfactory data analysis methods. This work aims to propose a novel fault detection framework by utilizing a systematic feature engineering technique which is able to automatically identify abnormal data points, even nontrivial ones. The feature engineering technique helps to build a more reliable anomaly detection model, shortens the training phase, and preserves the sensor against unseen anomalies. Furthermore, we provide collections of labeled datasets obtained from experimental situations from various sensors with and without sensor faults to evaluate our approach. The experimental results indicate that the proposed anomaly detection approach combined with the feature engineering technique outperforms established approaches, which are applied to the raw data without any features. It can be seen that extracting meaningful features is a pivotal step for having more precise anomaly detection.

© 2023, IEEE

Life Sciences in Space Research 36 (2023):  86-89

doi: 10.1016/j.lssr.2022.08.009

The Moon and Mars Base Analog (MaMBA) is a concept for an extraterrestrial habitat developed at the Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) in Bremen, Germany. The long-term goal of the associated project is to create a technologically functioning prototype for a base on the Moon and on Mars. One key aspect of developing such a prototype base is the integration of a bioregenerative life support system (BLSS) and its testing under realistic conditions. A long-duration mission to Mars, in particular, will require BLSS with a reliability that can hardly be achieved without extensive testing, starting well in advance of the mission. Standards exist for comparing the capabilities of various BLSS, which strongly focus on technological aspects. These, we argue, should be complemented with the use of facilities that enable investigations and optimization of BLSS prototypes with regard to their requirements on logistics, training, recovery from failure and contamination, and other constraints imposed when humans are in the loop. Such facilities, however, are lacking. The purpose of this paper is to present the MaMBA facility and its potential usages that may help close this gap. We describe how a BLSS (or parts of a BLSS) can be integrated into the current existing mock-up at the ZARM for relatively low-cost investigations of human factors affecting the BLSS. The MaMBA facility is available through collaborations as a test platform for characterizing, benchmarking, and testing BLSS under nominal and off-nominal conditions.

© 2022 The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). Published by Elsevier BV All rights reserved.

Frontiers in Energy Research 11 (2023): 1119090

doi: 10.3389/fenrg.2023.1119090

In the last years, microbial electrochemical technologies have received increasing attention due to their promising environmental potential. However, the identification of the most suitable materials for further development of these technologies tends to be challenging, especially for operation under realistic wastewater conditions. The objective of the present work is to carry out a systematic comparison of six anode materials (stainless-steel wool, carbon paper, graphite felt, graphite plate, graphite foil, and stainless-steel mesh) for microbial electrolysis cells operated for the treatment of brewery wastewater and determine the best material of these in view of its electrochemical performance. For this purpose, the medium was semisynthetic brewery wastewater of low buffer capacity and low conductivity. The results suggest that the degree of fermentation and characteristics of the studied media have only a minor impact on the limiting current density of the bioanodes. Here, the limiting current density of microbial anodes with stainless-steel wool (0.45 ± 0.07 mA cm ⁻² ), a not so extensively studied promising material, outperformed commonly used materials such as graphite felt, without evidence of corrosion.

© 2022, Attribution 4.0 International (  CC BY 4.0  )

Journal of Communications and Networks 25 (2023):  76-87

doi: 10.23919/JCN.2022.000035

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are widely used for multi-disciplinary applications. According to the requirements and the goal of the application, the network is designed and the protocol is tuned to obtain the best performance of the WSN. In real world applications, all nodes in the network have a common protocol parameter set, irrespective of their position in the network. In several experiments with multihop sensor networks, we observed that individual nodes perform differently depending on the protocol parameter values. With the observation the question was raised whether the performance of the network can be improved by using tuned parameter sets for each individual node in the network. Tuning protocol parameters for each node manually is tedious and may not be practical for large number of nodes. As a solution, adaptive protocol parameters are introduced using reinforcement learning. The learning algorithm gradually approaches an optimal set of protocol parameter values for each and every node during the runtime resulting in average improved network performance with 13.44% and 29.41% compared to networks with static common parameter sets in a network of 20 and 30 nodes respectively in simulation environment. The performance of the adaptive protocol is validated using real testbed with 10 nodes and the performance improvement is 16.21%. With the simulation results it was observed that networks with higher number of nodes obtain more performance gain using the adaptive protocol algorithm compared to networks with lower of nodes.

© 2023, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Acta Astronautica 203 (2023), 187-201

doi: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2022.11.050​​​​​​​

A study was conducted to compare the performance of three different ISRU production plants that extract metals and oxygen from regolith at the lunar South Pole. The processes selected were: (1) hydrogen reduction of ilmenite and carbonylation to produce low-carbon steels, (2) molten regolith electrolysis to produce ferrosilicon alloys, and (3) molten salt electrolysis, in particular the FFC-Cambridge process, together with vacuum distillation, to produce aluminum–silicon alloys. Holistic system sizing models, including excavation, beneficiation, handling, oxygen extraction and purification, metal processing, gas liquefaction and storage, thermal control, and power, were developed to determine the overall ISRU mass and power budgets. The most effective ISRU production plant preliminarily requires 6776 kg of hardware mass to produce 25 t/a of ferrosilicon alloys from Highlands regolith through molten regolith electrolysis. This facility coproduces 23.9 t/a of oxygen, presenting a total mass payback ratio of 0.14 kg of hardware/(kg of product/a). Sensitivity analyses are presented for the initial ilmenite and anorthite concentrations in regolith. The salt ratio (kg of molten salt per kg of regolith) of the FFC-Cambridge process and the degradation rate of the molten regolith electrolysis reactor are identified as key parameters that determine the feasibility of these ISRU processes. The mass and power of the production plants exhibit a slight economy of scale, indicating that larger amounts of metals and oxygen can be produced more efficiently.

© 2022 IAA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

(2023)

doi: 10.48550/ARXIV.2305.08143

Among the various required resources for this civilization, the habitat is one of the crucial resources to live on Mars. Such an extraterrestrial habitat is designed to provide a safe place to live during the initial missions. It is equipped with monitoring and life support systems to ensure the astronauts' safety. In this work, we present a robust monitoring system with a use case for extraterrestrial habitats. Similar to a typical monitoring system, it consists of sensor nodes and a gateway connected through a wireless communication channel. In our system, we introduce robustness to various failures that can occur after deployment, namely, board, sensor and gateway failure, in the form of redundancy. For each failure, the problem is tackled differently. For the first two types, we use additional hardware as backup, while for the last type, we use neighboring devices as backups. The backup devices function as replacements for the failed component, which helps the system to collect the data which would otherwise be lost. We evaluate how much the performance of the system improves by using backup devices. We use a Continuous-Time Markov chain for the theoretical evaluation and an experimental setup that includes the hardware prototype for the empirical evaluation. We also analyze the effect of a simple medium access mechanism on the system's performance in the presence of heavy noise on the channel. Based on our requirements, we use a simple custom medium access control (MAC) algorithm called Slotted-ALOHA with Random Back-off (SARB) to make communication reliable. We demonstrate that around $30-34\%$ of the packets are recovered, with the use of backup devices (redundancy), which would otherwise be lost in case of failures. We also demonstrate that the system's performance improves by $3.8-13.2\%$ with the use of a simple medium access technique (SARB).

© 2023, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

IEEE Transactions on Communications  99 (2021)

doi: 10.1109/TCOMM.2021.3097142

Consider the following setup: Through a joint design, multiple observations of a remote data source shall be locally compressed before getting transmitted via several error-prone , rate-limited forward links to a (distant) processing unit. For addressing this specific instance of multiterminal Joint Source-Channel Coding problem, in this article, the foundational principle of the Information Bottleneck method is fully extended to obtain purely statistical design approaches, enjoying the Mutual Information as their fidelity criterion. Specifically, the forms of stationary points for two types of distributed compression schemes are characterized here. Subsequently, those acquired solutions are utilized as the centerpiece of the proposed generic, iterative algorithm, termed the Multiterminal Forward-Aware Vector Information Bottleneck (M-FAVIB) , for addressing the design optimizations. Leveraging an unfolding trick, it will be proven that both distributed compression schemes fall into the category of Successive Upper-Bound Minimization , ensuring their convergence to a stationary point. Eventually, the effectiveness of the proposed compression schemes will be substantiated as well by means of numerical investigations over some typical transmission scenarios.

© The Authors 2021 licensed under CC BY 4.0

Philosophical Transactions A 379 (2021), 2188

doi: 10.1098/rsta.2019.0568

There is strong interest in lunar exploration from governmental space agencies, private companies and the public. NASA is about to send humans to the lunar surface again within the next few years, and ESA has proposed the concept of the Moon Village, with the goal of a sustainable human presence and activity on the lunar surface. Although construction of the infrastructure for this permanent human settlement is envisaged for the end of this decade by many, there is no definite mission plan yet. While this may be unsatisfactory for the impatient, this fact actually carries great potential: this is the optimal time to develop a forward-looking science input and influence mission planning. Based on data from recent missions (SMART-1, Kaguya, Chang’E, Chandrayaan-1 and LRO) as well as simulation campaigns (e.g. ILEWG EuroMoonMars), we provide initial input on how astronomy could be incorporated into a future Moon Village, and how the presence of humans (and robots) on the Moon could help deploy and maintain astronomical hardware.

 This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Astronomy from the Moon: the next decades’.

© 2020 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Faraday Discussions Advance Article (2023)

doi: 10.1039/D2FD00157H, preprint available open access: doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2305.06877

Efficient artificial photosynthesis systems are currently realized as catalyst- and surface-functionalized photovoltaic tandem-and triple-junction devices, enabling photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation while simultaneously recycling CO₂ and generating hydrogen as a solar fuel for storable renewable energy. Although PEC systems also bear advantages for the activation of dinitrogen – such as a high system tunability with respect to the electrocatalyst integration and a directly controllable electron flux to the anchoring catalyst through the adjustability of incoming irradiation – only a few PEC devices have been developed and investigated for this purpose. We have developed a series of photoelectrodeposition procedures to deposit mixed-metal electrocatalyst nanostructures directly on the semiconductor surface for light-assisted dinitrogen activation. These electrocatalyst compositions containing Co, Mo and Ru in different atomic ratios follow previously made recommendations of metal compositions for dinitrogen reduction and exhibit different physical properties. XPS studies of the photoelectrode surfaces reveal that our electrocatalyst films are to a large degree nitrogen-free after their fabrication, which is generally difficult to achieve with traditional magnetron sputtering or e-beam evaporation techniques. Initial chronoamperometric measurements of the p-InP photoelectrode coated with the Co–Mo alloy electrocatalyst show higher photocurrent densities in the presence of N₂(g) than in the presence of Ar at −0.09 V vs. RHE. Indications of successful dinitrogen activation have also been found in consecutive XPS studies, where both N 1s and Mo 3d spectra reveal evidence of nitrogen–metal interactions.

© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2023

ChemPhysChem 23 (2022):  e202200414

doi: 10.1002/cphc.202200414

When calculating structural or spectroscopic properties of molecular crystals, the question arises whether it is sufficient to simulate only a single molecule or a small molecular cluster or whether the simulation of the entire crystal is indispensable. In this work we juxtapose calculations on the high‐pressure structural properties of the (periodic) HCN crystal and chains of HCN molecules of finite length. We find that, in most cases, the behavior of the crystal can be reproduced by computational methods simulating only around 15 molecules. The pressure‐induced lengthening of the C−H bond in HCN found in calculations on both the periodic and finite material are explained in terms of orbital interaction. Our results pave the way for a more thorough understanding of high‐pressure structural properties of materials and give incentives for the design of materials that expand under pressure. In addition, they shed light on the complementarity between calculations on periodic materials and systems of finite size.

© 2022,  The Authors, CC BY 4.0

Microorganisms 10 (2022):  2249

doi: 10.3390/microorganisms10112249

Microbial electrosynthesis has recently emerged as a promising technology for the sustainable production of organic acids, bioplastics, or biofuels from electricity and CO2. However, the diversity of catalysts and metabolic pathways is limited to mainly mesophilic acetogens or methanogens. Here, eleven hyperthermophilic strains related to Archaeoglobales, Thermococcales, Aquificales, and methanogens were screened for microbial electrosynthesis. The strains were previously isolated from deep-sea hydrothermal vents, where a naturally occurring, spontaneous electrical current can serve as a source of energy for microbial metabolism. After 6 days of incubation in an electrochemical system, all strains showed current consumption, biofilm formation, and small organic molecule production relative to the control. Six selected strains were then incubated over a longer period of time. In the course of one month, a variety of metabolic intermediates of biotechnological relevance such as succinic acid and glycerol accumulated. The production rates and the promotion of specific metabolic pathways seemed to be influenced by the experimental conditions, such as the concentration of CO2 in the gas phase and electron acceptor limitation. Further work is necessary to clearly identify these effects to potentially be able to tune the microbial electrosynthesis of compounds of interest.

© 2022, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

npj Microgravity 8 (2022):  43

doi: 10.1038/s41526-022-00240-5

The sustainability of crewed infrastructures on Mars will depend on their abilities to produce consumables on site. These abilities may be supported by diazotrophic, rock-leaching cyanobacteria: from resources naturally available on Mars, they could feed downstream biological processes and lead to the production of oxygen, food, fuels, structural materials, pharmaceuticals and more. The relevance of such a system will be dictated largely by the efficiency of regolith utilization by cyanobacteria. We therefore describe the growth dynamics of Anabaena sp. PCC 7938 as a function of MGS-1 concentration (a simulant of a widespread type of Martian regolith), of perchlorate concentration, and of their combination. To help devise improvement strategies and predict dynamics in regolith of differing composition, we identify the limiting element in MGS-1 – phosphorus – and its concentration-dependent effect on growth. Finally, we show that, while maintaining cyanobacteria and regolith in a single compartment can make the design of cultivation processes challenging, preventing direct physical contact between cells and grains may reduce growth. Overall, we hope for the knowledge gained here to support both the design of cultivation hardware and the modeling of cyanobacterium growth within.

© 2022, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Wireless Networks   2 8  (2022) :  3275-3292

doi: 10.1007/s11276-022-03008-7

Nowadays, the exploitation of Wireless Underground Sensor Networks (WUSNs) remains challenging because of the attenuation of wireless underground communications. This issue widely affects the reliability of communications in such network since the quality of links depends on changing soil conditions. To address this problem, several path loss models have been proposed to predict the attenuation of an electromagnetic wave in soil. However, this prediction has to be done  in-situ  by the sensor nodes themselves so that they can avoid wasting energy when transmissions are not possible due to bad soil conditions. In this paper, we propose a link channel optimization for reliable communications in WUSNs based on Sugeno Fuzzy Inference System (FIS). The proposed approach enables a transmitting node to check whether its environment allows it to reliably send data to a receiver. The proposed FIS consists of 4 inputs, one output and 36 inference rules. The inputs give information on the node's environment, the output gives the probability that data to be sent by a transmitter will be received or not by the receiver. To evaluate the proposed approach, we consider the dataset composed of 140 measurements in dry and moist soil configurations performed at the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar in Senegal. For the validation, we compared our proposal with a recent path loss model called WUSN-PLM according to performance metrics. The results show that our proposal outperforms the WUSN-PLM with higher balanced accuracy (88.21% against 81.061%) and higher Matthews Correlation Coefficient (0.798 against 0.643).

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2022

Applied and Environmental Microbiology 88 (2022):  e00594-22

doi: 10.1128/aem.00594-22

Crewed missions to Mars are expected to take place in the coming decades. After short-term stays, a permanent presence will be desirable to enable a wealth of scientific discoveries. This will require providing crews with life-support consumables in amounts that are too large to be imported from Earth. Part of these consumables could be produced on site with bioprocesses, but the feedstock should not have to be imported. A solution under consideration lies in using diazotrophic, rock-weathering cyanobacteria as primary producers: fed with materials naturally available on site, they would provide the nutrients required by other organisms. This concept has recently gained momentum but progress is slowed by a lack of consistency across contributing teams, and notably of a shared model organism. With the hope to address this issue, we present the work performed to select our current model. We started with preselected strains from the Nostocaceae family. After sequencing the genome of Anabaena sp. PCC 7938—the only one not yet available—we compared the strains’ genomic data to determine their relatedness and provide insights into their physiology. We then assessed and compared relevant features: chiefly, their abilities to utilize nutrients from Martian regolith, their resistance to perchlorates (toxic compounds present in the regolith), and their suitability as feedstock for secondary producers (here a heterotrophic bacterium and a higher plant). This led to the selection of Anabaena sp. PCC 7938, which we propose as a model cyanobacterium for the development of bioprocesses based on Mars’s natural resources.

© 2022 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Sensors 22 (2022):  5546

doi: 10.3390/s22155546

The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the most important emerging technologies, spanning a myriad of possible applications, especially with the increasing number and variety of connected devices. Several network simulation tools have been developed with widely varying focuses and used in many research fields. Thus, it is critical to simulate the work of such systems and applications before actual deployment. This paper explores the landscape of available IoT and wireless sensor networks (WSNs) simulators and compares their performance using the Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) communication technology called LoRa (Long Range), which has recently gained a lot of interest. Using a systematic approach, we present a chronological survey of available IoT and WSNs simulation tools. With this, we categorized and content-analyzed published scientific papers in the IoT and WSNs simulation tools research domain by highlighting the simulation tools, study type, scope of study and performance measures of the studies. Next, we present an overview of LoRa/LoRaWAN technology by considering its architecture, transmission parameters, device classes and available simulation tools. Furthermore, we discussed three popular open-source simulation tools/frameworks, namely, NS-3, OMNeT++ (FLoRa) and LoRaSim, for the simulation of LoRa/LoRaWAN networks. Finally, we evaluate their performance in terms of Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR), CPU utilization, memory usage, execution time and the number of collisions.

© 2022, The Authors, CC BY 4.0

44th COSPAR Scientific Assembly. Held 16-24 July, 2022. Online at https://www.cosparathens2022.org/. Abstract G0.2-0001-22.

Bibcode: 2022cosp...44.2951K

The GraviTower Bremen Pro (GTB Pro) represents ZARM's new next-generation drop tower system, which makes use of a rail-guided rope drive being able to perform over 12 short-term microgravity experiments per hour. Its technology is based on a commercial hydraulic winch system with more than 4000 hp of engine power that moves a rail-guided drag shield in a 16 m high tower, upwards and downwards. With its novel and sophisticated Release-Caging-Mechanism (RCM), the actively driven GTB Pro located in the integration hall of the Bremen Drop Tower is capable to control heavy payloads in a very smooth and precise manner. The RCM developed and patented by ZARM also enables a fast and reliable decoupling as well as re-coupling of the experiment capsule inside the drag shield. Due to the fact that the standard capsule of the Bremen Drop Tower is utilized, high synergy effects are given between both, the Bremen Drop Tower and GTB Pro. It means a simple switching between all operation modes (drop, catapult, or GTB Pro) with the same experiment capsule. Furthermore, GTB Pro's user-friendly software control interface and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities interacting with the experimental setup now bring microgravity experimenting on a laboratory level. In conclusion, the GTB Pro excellently complements the Bremen Drop Tower and offers to explore a wide range of parameters, to test preliminary setups or experiment components, to qualify new technologies for space missions, or to perform dedicated microgravity research with a very high repetition rate. Additionally, partial-g experiments will be feasible in the GTB Pro as well. 

44th COSPAR Scientific Assembly. Held 16-24 July, 2022. Online at https://www.cosparathens2022.org/. Abstract F4.1-0012-22.

Bibcode: 2022cosp...44.2840V

To be sustainable, a settlement on Mars should be as independent of Earth as possible in terms of material resources. This independence may be reached with the help of biological systems: those could perform a wide range of functions with a low impact on the surroundings. However, biological systems would best rely on resources available on Mars - as recycling alone would mean that the amounts of available resources decrease over time - and most organisms cannot utilize raw Martian resources directly. Our team in Bremen is developing a system combining cyanobacteria, microbial electrochemical systems (MES) and higher plants to connect bioprocesses to materials available on Mars. In that system, selected cyanobacteria are used as primary producers as they could, it seems, be fed exclusively with materials available on site: water mined from the ground and atmosphere; carbon and nitrogen sourced from the atmosphere (as carbon dioxide and dinitrogen); and metal nutrients present in the local regolith. In addition to the direct production of various consumables, such as dioxygen and dietary proteins, cyanobacteria are here used to support the growth of secondary producers: namely, components of the MES. In the anodic compartment of the MES, organic compounds (from biomass and waste) are oxidized by exoelectrogenic microbes; in the cathodic compartment, electrotrophic microbes are used for the production of various compounds and for perchlorate remediation. Plants are tertiary producers, grown based on effluents from the cyanobacterium and MES modules, and used for the generation of essential resources such as food products, materials, pharmaceuticals and purified water. Our team currently focuses on (i) increasing the abilities of cyanobacteria to grow from Martian resources; (ii) processing their biomass as well as regolith with MES; (iii) integrating plants; and (iv) closing the production-consumption loop. As the foreseen system is versatile and modular, it can be adapted to other bioprocesses, thereby connecting them to local resources. We thus hope to lay the foundation for efficient and sustainable bioproduction on Mars. In that talk, we will present the overall concept and give an overview of the experimental results obtained so far. 

44th COSPAR Scientific Assembly. Held 16-24 July, 2022. Online at https://www.cosparathens2022.org/. Abstract PEX.2-0002-22.

Bibcode: 2022cosp...44.3186A

Leading space agencies have the intention to bring humans to Mars in the next decades, and some private companies push for sooner deadlines. In fact, promises and plans to land humans on Mars have recurrently been announced since the end of the Apollo era, but have remained largely incomplete or even abandoned. At the University of Bremen, we are convinced that human Mars exploration will happen and that it will have a huge impact on both humankind and on the Martian environment. Given that even optimists do not see humans on Mars before the 2030s, we believe that now is the right moment to research possible scenarios for human Mars exploration and settlement, and to study the consequences for Earth, Mars and humankind. To this end, we have formed a new research initiative "Humans on Mars - Pathways to a long-term sustainable human presence" at the University of Bremen. Our approach to human Mars exploration is transdisciplinary and human-centered. On one hand, humankind has experienced tremendous progress and increase in welfare since the Apollo era. On the other hand, we see unambiguously the immense impact of increasing population and welfare on the environmental pollution and associated climate changes. In a nutshell, while the development of new technologies has been the main driver of progress, it has also put Earth in danger. We here argue that human Mars exploration can be instrumental in leading a change from a technology-centered toward a human-centered society, thereby solving our most pressing problems on Earth. Specifically, the thin CO2 Martian atmosphere, the scarcity of energy sources and water, the difficulties to produce food and consumables, and the need for cooperative human-robotic crews, pose challenges whose solutions will enormously benefit Earth. In short, the mindset emerging from thinking under the severe constraints on Mars could be the key to making our presence on Earth sustainable. In this talk, we will present our vision and report on the progress made in selected areas, starting with the shifts in experience and demands on new ways of interaction which come with humankind's expansion to Mars. These include the interactions of the humans on Mars with the humans on Earth on one hand and their habitat and swarm of robots on the other. We will present our efforts in in-situ resource utilization, which focus on sustainable bioproduction, the extraterrestrial fabrication of metal alloys, the production with impure materials and the harvesting of energy from space radiation. 

RSC Advances  12 (2021), 17784-17793

doi: 10.1039/d2ra01162j

Identifying the limiting processes of electroactive biofilms is key to improve the performance of bioelectrochemical systems (BES). For modelling and developing BES, spatial information of transport phenomena and biofilm distribution are required and can be determined by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in vivo, in situ and in operando even inside opaque porous electrodes. A custom bioelectrochemical cell was designed that allows MRI measurements with a spatial resolution of 50 μm inside a 500 μm thick porous carbon electrode. The MRI data showed that only a fraction of the electrode pore space is colonized by the Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 biofilm. The maximum biofilm density was observed inside the porous electrode close to the electrode-medium interface. Inside the biofilm, mass transport by diffusion is lowered down to 45% compared to the bulk growth medium. The presented data and the methods can be used for detailed models of bioelectrochemical systems and for the design of improved electrode structures.

© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2022

Bioresource Technology Reports 18 (2022): 101040

doi: 10.1016/j.biteb.2022.101040

The recent discovery of the oxyhydrogen bacterium Kyrpidia spormannii EA-1, able to produce PolyHydroxyAlkanoates (PHAs) on a cathode, is of great interest to produce bioplastics from electricity and CO2 waste streams. However, little is known on how to improve its electroautotrophic growth and performance in PHA production. We investigated the effect of cathode properties on biofilm formation and PHA synthesis, focusing on the choice of cathode material, the surface modification of a graphite cathode with different treatments or by electrodeposition of metal catalysts, and the distance between anode and cathode. The results show higher performance of iron-based electrodes, isopropanol and sonication treatment, and close distance between electrodes, with up to a 3-fold increase of PHA production, reaching a production of 117 mg⋅day− 1 ⋅m− 2 , and a 10-fold increase in cell density of the biofilm (10.7 Log10 cells⋅cm− 2 ).

© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Journal of Space Safety Engineering  9 (2022), 145-153

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsse.2022.02.005

Human space flight demands systems like habitats that provide a livable environment for humans on long duration missions on other planets. This challenge includes the layout of several life support subsystems according to comfort criteria, including air management and the ventilation of supply air. A main goal of the ventilation system is to ensure a comfortable room climate with fresh air while being able to remove waste heat of other habitat systems. In this project we propose a ventilation distribution for a habitat laboratory using the design of MaMBA (Moon and Mars Base Analog) as an example geometry. We evaluate its performance with different exhaust configurations and boundary conditions via numerical simulations with OpenFOAM 6s’ buoyantBoussinesqPimpleFoam solver. Comfort criteria are set according to literature values to ensure a good mixing of the supply and ambient air with a low probability of uncomfortable drafts. First results showed that a cooling system with only one cooling loop, the room ventilation, does not provide an acceptable solution. Therefore a secondary cooling loop, rack ventilation, is proposed. It absorbs the heat of the electrical devices like the scientific instruments, inside the racks, and releases heated air at the rack's bottom in the direction of the room exhaust vents. The combination of two cooling loops can fulfill most of the comfort criteria and should therefore be integrated in the design of the habitat's ventilation system.

© 2022 International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical Engineeering Science 257 (2022), 117681

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2022.117681

Many systems in fluid dynamics and materials science are modelled using multiphase energy balances which can be reduced to an interface, curvature-driven mechanical problem. When simulating these systems, it is desirable to understand the details and changes of the underlying micro- and mesostructures. However, conventional numerical methods formulated in Cartesian coordinates are incapable of accurately simulating many complex systems over the space and timespans of interest. In this work, we demonstrate how modern developments in the field of discrete differential geometry can be exploited to greatly reduce the computational resources required in the simulation of multiphase systems. In particular we show how local–global theorems such as the discrete Gauss-Bonnet Theorem can be used to compute the exact mean normal- and geodesic curvatures of convex interfaces in equilibrium. In addition, we provide error estimates needed for a particular mesh refinement to retain a predetermined accuracy in the simulations. Our coordinate free formulation can be applied to any data structure used for multiphysics simulations when the underlying space of the interface is manifold. In order to validate the accuracy of the formulation with physical systems, it was applied to test cases of capillary rise, particle–particle bridges and a Sessile microdroplet system with near-exact results (subject to floating-point errors).

@ 2022 The Author(s) licensed under CC BY 4.0

Safety Article 6 (2022): 21

doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/safety8020021

Firefighters act within extreme environments, work under threatening conditions and are often exposed to goal conflicts (e.g., self-protection vs. mission objective) during their missions. However, what are the consequences of these safety and task goal conflicts, and what countermeasures could help to reduce their occurrence? In an online survey, 340 firefighters were asked about goal conflicts, risky decision making, debriefings and the frequency of difficulties in teamwork during firefighting. Associations between the survey variables were determined by multivariate regression and mediation analyses. Data show that goal conflicts were associated with risky decision making and unsafe acts. Furthermore, debriefings were associated with fewer goal conflicts, as mediated by less-frequent difficulties with teamwork (communication, leadership and shared mental models). Though limited by the cross-sectional design of our study, the results provide evidence that debriefing is a valuable tool to reduce difficulties experienced with teamwork on missions and therefore reduce the occurrence of conflicting goals. Fewer goal conflicts are associated with a decrease in unsafe decisions and, thus, a safer working environment for firefighters. Accordingly, it is recommended to conduct debriefings, with an increased focus on team aspects.

© The Authors 2023 licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Electrochimica Acta 406 (2022), 139847

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2022.139847

The Point Defect Model (PDM) is known for over 40 years and has brought deeper insight to the understanding of passivity. During the last decades it has seen several changes and refinements, and it has been widely used to analyze growth kinetics of different alloys. Nevertheless, the model has been based on still unconfirmed assumptions, as constant and potential independent electric field strength. To overcome this limitation, we introduce a Refined PDM (R-PDM) in which we replace those assumptions by using additional equations for charge distribution including new physically valid boundary conditions based on considering finite dimensions for the defects by introduction of two defect layer at the film boundaries and by calculating the potential drop at the surface of the film towards the solution over the compact double layer. The calculations by the R-PDM show that the original PDM assumptions are only valid for very specific parameter combinations of oxide film growth and vacancies transport and cannot generally be taken for granted. We believe our findings of electric field and potential drop dependency on the external potential to pave the way for a more realistic description of passive layer formation.

© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Applied Ergonomics 98 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103552

The practical reality and feasibility of Human-Autonomy Teaming (HAT) are analyzed from an experts' point of view, considering current possibilities of various fields. We aim to find out whether the topics discussed scientifically are also practically relevant, to identify requirements for successful HAT, and to derive further research needs. Intensive guideline-based interviews with 28 experts from different industries are conducted and compared to the results of our literature review. The topics discussed scientifically are also practically relevant. Today's technology is far from being able to meet the practical requirements for successful HAT, as postulated in the literature. Contrary to the Human-Automation Interaction, the concept of HAT is hardly applied in the field. Identified key aspects for successful HAT are converted into a model. Future research needs with practical impact exist especially in the area of heterarchy, system knowledge, anticipation of mental states, and consideration of human needs and emotions.

© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Faraday Discussions Advance Article (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.25.465696 preprint available open access: doi: http://biorxiv.org/lookup/doi/10.1101/2021.10.25.465696

The electrosynthesis of valuable compounds by biofilms on electrodes is being intensively studied since few years. However, so far, the actual biofilms growing on cathodes produce mainly small and relatively inexpensive compounds such as acetate or ethanol. Recently, a novel Knallgas bacterium, Kyrpidia spormannii EA-1 has been described to grow on cathodes under thermophilic and microaerophilic conditions, producing significant amounts of PolyHydroxyAlkanoates (PHAs). These PHA are promising sustainable bioplastic polymers with the potential to replace petroleum-derived plastics in a variety of applications. However, the effect of culture conditions and electrode properties on the growth of K. spormannii EA-1 biofilms and PHA production is still unclear. In this study, we report on the optimization of growth and PHA production in liquid culture and on the cathode of a Microbial Electrosynthesis System. Optimization of the preculture allows to obtain high cell density of up to 8.5 Log10 cells∙ml-1 in 48h, decreasing the time necessary by a factor of 2.5. With respect to cathodic biofilm formation, this study was focused on the optimization of three main operating parameters, which are the applied cathode potential, buffer pH, and the oxygen concentration in the feed gas. Maximum biofilm formation and PHA production was observed at an applied potential of -844mV vs. SCE, pH 6.5, O2 saturation of 2.5%. The PHA concentration in the biofilm reached a maximum of ≈26.8 μg·cm-2 after optimization, but at 2.9% the coulombic efficiency remains relatively low. We expect that further nutrient limitation will allow the accumulation of more PHA, based on a dense biofilm growth. In conclusion, these findings take microbial electrosynthesis of PHA a step forward towards practical implementation.

@ The Authors (2021) licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

2021 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC), Seattle, WA, USA  (2023): 265-272

doi: 10.1109/GHTC53159.2021.9612420

Agriculture contributes to the economies of many developing countries. Tea is the most popular crop in Kenya as it contributes majorly to her economy. Among the various stages of processing tea, fermentation is the most important as it determines the final quality of the processed tea. Presently, the process of monitoring is done manually by tea tasters by tasting, smelling, and touching tea which compromises the quality of tea. In this paper, a deep learner dubbed “TeaNet” is deployed in Edge and Fog environments for real-time monitoring of tea fermentation. We power the system using a Photovoltaic (PV) energy source to overcome the challenge of unreliable power supply from the grid. Further, the energy consumption of the solution is reduced by applying duty cycling, where idle components are designed to sleep. We used the Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Post-hoc for data analysis. From the results, Edge registered the lowest latency compared to the Cloud and Fog environments. During deployment of the energy-optimized model, 50.6559Wh amount of energy was saved. This study recommends that the task offloading model proposed in this study be explored in offloading tasks in other fields.

© 2021, IEEE

it - Information Technology 63 (2021):  219-234

doi: 10.1515/itit-2021-0002

Communication has been crucial since the beginning of space exploration. Control information and telemetry data of the space vessels as well as voice and video communication of the crew with the ground control have to be maintained. This paper is a survey for readers new to the topic to get an overview about the current status of space communication in national agencies and standardization bodies and ongoing research in the field. It also gives a short overview about the historical development and finally summarizes the authors’ thoughts about future challenges in space communication.

© c de Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Advances in Space Research 68 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2021.04.047

Humans are once again preparing to leave Earth and land on the surface of another planetary body. The two objects high on the list for permanent bases are the Moon and Mars. Both have been at the center of attention of many recent spaceflight activities, albeit these have so far been uncrewed. If humans indeed land on either one of them, science can potentially benefit tremendously.

In the past, most spaceflight missions have been implemented by adding scientific instruments after most of the engineering work is already finished. This has often limited scientific studies to relatively scattered, insular topics. However, if prepared appropriately, a research laboratory on either the Moon or Mars can help address scientific questions thoroughly and at a fundamental level.

In this paper we review the main scientific questions relating to the Moon that are still open and develop an overview of the instrumentation that would be necessary for a human astronaut inside a lunar laboratory to help answer these questions. Our primary focus is the Moon, however, we include an outlook to Mars, since we assume that the Moon not only provides a valuable testbed for many technologies to be used on Mars, but that both can be studied with the same habitat laboratory after some specific adaptations.

The research areas we focus on are related to (a) non-living matter (geophysics, geology, materials science), (b) extraterrestrial life (from chemistry of organic carbon compounds to astrobiology), and (c) life inside the human habitat (bioregenerative life-support systems, microbiomes, human physiology). We identify synergies between disciplines, in order to provide a list of priorities to mission planners, and provide a guideline of where further development of equipment would be desirable.

© 2021 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

GoodIT '21: Conference on Information Technology for Social Good, Roma, Italy (2021)

doi: 10.1145/3462203.3475914

Counting mosquitoes in the wild is a crucial capability for monitoring, prediction, and control of vector-borne diseases. Current approaches are mainly manual, where specially designed mosquito traps or ovitraps are placed in areas of interest and recovered the next day. The counting itself is performed in an entomological laboratory, where individual mosquitoes are classified into species and counted. This process is costly, slow and inefficient. At the same time, mosquito counting is most relevant in tropical and sub-tropical countries, where mosquitoes spread deadly diseases like malaria, yellow fever and dengue fever. Many countries in these regions have relatively weak public health systems and so cannot support large-scale vector counting efforts. In this paper, we present a system architecture and a prototype to count mosquitoes in the wild with an Internet of Things approach. A sensor board is developed to gather audio data, and models are developed to detect, classify, and count mosquito species. Here, we present our prototype and an extensive background study of classifying mosquitoes based on sound recordings and some preliminary results and discussion.

© 2021 Association for Computing Machinery.

GoodIT '21: Conference on Information Technology for Social Good. (2021)

doi: 10.1145/3462203.3475917

In the wake of a disaster, when all communication infrastructure has been damaged, it is critical to find a way to maintain communications to disseminate critical information collected by the rescuers. Even though many proposals and systems have surfaced, the critical drawback found in these systems is the communication range. Here we propose a solution for communication in post-disaster rescue operations based on LoRa, a long-range, low power technology. Using the concepts of Opportunistic Networks, we employ the epidemic forwarding protocol to disseminate data between the rescuers as well as other external parties. In this work, we present our solution, the implementation in a commercially available LoRa platform, built an experimental setup, identified a set of test cases, and evaluated the performance based on these test cases. Based on the initial results, we show that our proposal is a viable solution to be used by rescuers. We intend to work further on this solution to improve it by identifying optimal configurations for its best performance in realistic post-disaster rescue operations.

 © 2021, Association for Computing Machinery

Electronic Communications of the EASST 80 (2021)  

doi: 10.14279/TUJ.ECEASST.80.1183

Opportunistic Networks (OppNets) enable contact-based networking and service provisioning when no infrastructure exists, e.g., in disaster areas. In such sensitive scenarios, maintaining their availability is important, but most existing work on OppNets mainly assume fully cooperative and thus not malicious nodes. In this paper, we study the impact of different flavors of low-intensity Denial of Service (DoS) attacks on OppNets, which are hard to detect and to counter. Our results indicate that low-rate DoS and black hole attacks as a special case of DoS, seem to have a huge impact on the packet delivery ratio and the delivery delay of an OppNet.

© 2024, Author(s). 2021 Electronic Communications of the EASST

Science  372 (2021), 1271-1272

doi: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abj7353

In February, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced the Parastronaut Feasibility Project (1), a plan to make every reasonable effort to send astronauts with disability to space. This idea is a step in the right direction, but ESA is framing the decision as a way to be more inclusive rather than a way to make all astronauts safer and more effective. This short-sighted perspective may explain why the fine print of the announcement limits “acceptable” disabilities to lower-limb deficiencies. By not including a range of disabilities, ESA is discounting the potential of people with disabilities, ignoring the fact that disabilities are in great part barriers imposed by society (2), and missing an opportunity to better prepare all astronauts to adapt to in-flight trauma. To live up to its own standards, provide inspiration to the next generation [including the 15% (2) who have a disability], and improve mission safety, the ESA should broaden its criteria for eligible disabilities.

ESA is planning to make minor adjustments to existing launch vehicles, an approach that hardly ever leads to useful design (3). Furthermore, adaptation to a single disability is a dead end: When a person with a different disability is selected, the whole adaptation process would have to be repeated. As a result, future spacecraft will be as inaccessible in design as the International Space Station and launch vehicles are today.

Instead, development in space should be with, not for, people with disabilities. Integrating astronauts with disabilities that they have learned to live with into spaceflight programs today may help save a non-disabled astronaut with mission-acquired trauma tomorrow. For example, during a proof-of-concept ground mission in 2017, a blind analog astronaut with significant hand deformities helped identify design flaws in a habitat, leading to improvements that benefited his nondisabled successors.

ESA should consider disabilities that include blindness, deafness, upper leg deficiencies, upper limb deficiencies, paraplegia, multi-morbidity, and even cognitive or neurological (sensory and motor) deficiencies. All of these would help prepare for health issues that have been previously observed in astronauts.

© 2021 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

REACH 21–22 (2021) 100038

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reach.2021.100038

Many space agencies have recently agreed on the Moon as the next step in human space exploration, and impressive progress is being made with regard to transportation, particularly launch and lander technologies. Meanwhile, a number of simulation habitats have been built and occupied by volunteer crews in order to study the human factors involved with life on the Moon or on Mars. The number of such habitats is ever increasing, and we believe it to be both necessary and helpful to provide an overview of what is already existing and what lessons in habitat design have already been learned from tests with human inhabitants. In this paper, we therefore review (1) the active analog habitats published in the English-speaking literature, (2) a selection of inactive, but pioneering analog habitats, and (3) a selection of research bases in extreme environments such as Antarctica that have not primarily been built for spaceflight simulations but provide interesting insights nonetheless. Specifically, we explore the architectural concepts incorporated and tested in existing habitats, technologies already implemented, and the scientific questions addressed. Our goals are twofold: (1) provide a guideline to researchers who seek a simulation facility for their research questions, and (2) advise the construction of future habitats for simulations and, ultimately, for missions to the surface of the Moon or Mars.

© 2021 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Frontiers in microbiology12 (2021)

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2021.611798

The leading space agencies aim for crewed missions to Mars in the coming decades. Among the associated challenges is the need to provide astronauts with life-support consumables and, for a Mars exploration program to be sustainable, most of those consumables should be generated on site. Research is being done to achieve this using cyanobacteria: fed from Mars's regolith and atmosphere, they would serve as a basis for biological life-support systems that rely on local materials. Efficiency will largely depend on cyanobacteria's behavior under artificial atmospheres: a compromise is needed between conditions that would be desirable from a purely engineering and logistical standpoint (by being close to conditions found on the Martian surface) and conditions that optimize cyanobacterial productivity. To help identify this compromise, we developed a low-pressure photobioreactor, dubbed Atmos, that can provide tightly regulated atmospheric conditions to nine cultivation chambers. We used it to study the effects of a 96% N₂, 4% CO₂ gas mixture at a total pressure of 100 hPa on Anabaena sp. PCC 7938. We showed that those atmospheric conditions (referred to as MDA-1) can support the vigorous autotrophic, diazotrophic growth of cyanobacteria. We found that MDA-1 did not prevent Anabaena sp. from using an analog of Martian regolith (MGS-1) as a nutrient source. Finally, we demonstrated that cyanobacterial biomass grown under MDA-1 could be used for feeding secondary consumers (here, the heterotrophic bacterium E. coli W). Taken as a whole, our results suggest that a mixture of gases extracted from the Martian atmosphere, brought to approximately one tenth of Earth's pressure at sea level, would be suitable for photobioreactor modules of cyanobacterium-based life-support systems. This finding could greatly enhance the viability of such systems on Mars.

 © 2021 Verseux, Heinicke, Ramalho, Determann, Duckhorn, Smagin and Avila. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY)

Acta Astronautica  182 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2021.01.049

Analog environments for simulating aspects of spaceflight are being utilized for studying the psychological effects of the projected journey to Mars. In 2016, a series of three analog missions concluded at the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) facility. Three crews, each with six volunteers per mission, completed consecutive missions of increasing duration, simulating the isolation and confinement of a Mars exploration mission. The durations of the analog missions were 4 months, 8 months, and 12 months, respectively. In this paper, former crew members of these three missions compare how each crew organized their schedules with regard to work routines and social activities. We outline group-living habits that evolved similarly in the independent crews, and we discuss where social norms differed, leading to idiosyncratic policies for group-living during each mission. This information may serve as a reference to mission planners of both simulated and actual human spaceflight missions and also offers insights for psychology researchers that could motivate future studies of team cohesion and performance.

© 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of IAA. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license

Journal of Aerosol Science  153 (2021) 105719

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaerosci.2020.105719

A desire to optimise the production and performance of nanoparticle structured materials has driven the development of increasingly accurate and fundamental models that describe their underlying physical and chemical mechanisms of interaction. In processes where particles form by nucleation and growth, such as aerosol synthesis processes, the primary nanoparticles can form complex assemblies referred to as aggregates, agglomerates and particle films. These materials typically consist of a distribution of primary particles in the nanoscale range (5–50 nm) which form chemically bonded aggregates (typical size range 200–300 nm) during their production. Aggregates in turn form larger structures called agglomerates which are held together by weaker forces arising from electrostatics, van der Waals, solvation or capillary effects. Extended particle assemblies with thicknesses in the order of 1–50 μm over substrate areas of the order of several square centimetre are referred to as particle films. These systems present a particularly challenging modelling problem due to their multiscale nature. Many classical models hold on the mesoscale and macroscale, while on the primary particle level many continuum laws break down and new contact models are required. In these particle-particle contact models, ambient conditions such as humidity have a large effect on the long-range capillary and solvation forces and thus on the final structure of the materials. This publication reviews the work that has been conducted in deducing the discrete physical laws that govern particle-particle contacts as well as their use in practical industrial processes and applications.

/© 2020 The Authors licensed under CC BY 4.0

Acta Astronautica 173 (2020): 404-413

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.04.026

Habitats must enable astronauts to survive in an extraterrestrial environment, but the challenge is not only a technological one: architecture and engineering should be brought together to create an environment in which a crew can perform optimally. With missions to Mars in mind, crew mental health becomes a design driver equally important to the support of physiological functions. We here suggest a habitat concept, MaMBA (short for Moon and Mars Base Analog), which combines the two requirements. In its basic configuration, MaMBA consists of six upright cylindrical, hard-shell pressure vessels as main modules and two airlocks, which are all connected with inflatablecorridor modules. We present the current state of the design and particularly focus on the laboratory module, of which we have constructed a mock-up equipped with scientific instrumentation. In the long-term, we plan to develop this laboratory module into a functional prototype including subsystems such as the life support system. Eventually, we aim to create a habitat which can serve as a test platform (for technologies, operations, and procedures) and whose usability is continually validated through iterative testing with human inhabitants. The habitat is open to international partners for simulations.

© 2020 IAA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Frontiers in Plant Science  11 (2020)

doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00656.

The EDEN ISS greenhouse is a space-analog test facility near the German Neumayer III station in Antarctica. The facility is part of the project of the same name and was designed and built starting from March 2015 and eventually deployed in Antarctica in January 2018. The nominal operation of the greenhouse started on February 7th and continued until the 20th of November. The purpose of the facility is to enable multidisciplinary research on topics related to future plant cultivation on human space exploration missions. Research on food quality and safety, plant health monitoring, microbiology, system validation, human factors and horticultural sciences was conducted. Part of the latter is the determination of the biomass production of the different crops. The data on this topic is presented in this paper. During the first season 26 different crops were grown on the 12.5 m² cultivation area of the greenhouse. A large number of crops were grown continuously throughout the 9 months of operation, but there were also crops that were only grown a few times for test purposes. The focus of this season was on growing lettuce, leafy greens and fresh vegetables. In total more than 268 kg of edible biomass was produced by the EDEN ISS greenhouse facility in 2018. Most of the harvest was cucumbers (67 kg), lettuces (56 kg), leafy greens (49 kg), and tomatoes (50 kg) complemented with smaller amounts of herbs (12 kg), radish (8 kg), and kohlrabi (19 kg). The environmental set points for the crops were 330–600 μmol/(m^2*s) LED light, 21°C, ∼65% relative humidity, 1000 ppm and the photoperiod was 17 h per day. The overall yearly productivity of the EDEN ISS greenhouse in 2018 was 27.4 kg/m², which is equal to 0.075 kg/(m^2*d). This paper shows in detail the data on edible and inedible biomass production of each crop grown in the EDEN ISS greenhouse in Antarctica during the 2018 season.