We continue our seminars serie, on Friday, November 14th at 13:00H
On site: Sala de Video 3.S1.08 Biblioteca
For this event in the Aerospace PhD Seminar Series, we had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Gisela Detrell, Professor at Technical University of Munich (TUM).
The event took place in the Sala de Video 3.S1.08 Biblioteca on Friday, November 14th at 13:00 pm and was streamed online.
Prof. Gisela Detrell’s field of research is the development of technologies to enable human spaceflight, with special focus on Life Support Systems Technologies (specially on the use of microalgae photobioreactors for oxygen and food production for long duration missions), human spaceflight simulation (for example with conceptual design studies of future human spaceflight missions to the Moon or Mars) and human spaceflight performance (for example with the development of Virtual Reality tools, to develop and improve training strategies).
Prof. Gisela Detrell studied Aerospace Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and completed her doctorate in Life Support Systems reliability analysis for long duration space missions at the University of Stuttgart (Germany) and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in 2015. She continued her research at the Institute of Space Systems in Stuttgart, leading the research group since 2018. In 2023 Prof. Detrell was appointed to the professorship for Human Spaceflight Technology at TUM.
“Surviving on Mars“
Abstract:
For human beings to live on the Moon or Mars someday, it is necessary to develop a life support system capable of sustainably providing all essential resources for survival: oxygen, water, and food. According to the current plans of space agencies, a surface base on the Moon or a mission to the Red Planet are the next possible destinations for crewed spaceflights.
These scenarios present numerous challenges, as the environmental and operational conditions will differ considerably from those existing on the International Space Station (ISS). One critical factor will be the increased duration of the missions and the distance from Earth, which will require a Life Support System (LSS) to be as independent as possible from terrestrial resources.
A significant modification to current systems would be the incorporation of biological systems capable of producing food, which would simultaneously generate oxygen and contribute to water recycling. Among the potential biological candidates are microalgae, which offer great potential due to their photosynthetic efficiency and nutritional value.
In this context, key questions arise: Can we apply the technologies used today on the ISS to longer and more distant missions? What research is currently being conducted, and what innovations can we expect in the future? Will we subsist on dehydrated food on Mars or grow our own potatoes? And what role might tasty algae play in our future space diet?
The seminar began at 13:00 pm and took place in the Sala de Video 3.S1.08 Biblioteca. No previous registration was required.
PhD in Aerospace Engineering UC3M 