ISSN: 2320-5407 Int. J. Adv. Res.

11(09), 1240-1247

Journal Homepage: - www.journalijar.com

Article DOI: 10.21474/IJAR01/17641

DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.21474/IJAR01/17641

RESEARCH ARTICLE
LIFESTYLE IN SPACE HABITAT

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Manuscript Info Abstract
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Manuscript History
Received: 28 July 2023
Final Accepted: 31 August 2023
Published: September 2023
Kriti Patra
For humanity to settle in space, several space habitats have been
proposed: The Bernal sphere, the O’Neill cylinder, and The Stanford
Torus. Among them, the most acceptable space habitat is The Stanford
Torus. Although the structure and other parameters are available, the
food criteria and living organisms to be present are overlooked. To
have healthy living conditions in the limited area and environment of
the torus-shaped space habitat pose a challenge. For the residents to
have working stamina in the space habitat, The Stanford Torus,
approximately 3000Kcal energy is required. Accordingly, a diet chart
fulfilling the requirement is needed. With the limited number of human
and animal species living there, a careful analysis of which animals to
be kept in the colony and their consequences should also be carried out.
Thus the main highlights of this paper are:
1. Food Habits of the people to meet the energy requirement
2. The types of organisms such as animals, plants, and
microorganisms, along with 10,000 humans to be taken there

Copy Right, IJAR, 2023,. All rights reserved.

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Introduction:-
Diet of the residents of the space habitat

The Diet Chart :

Table 1:- The diet chart is divided into the types of food, the time of the day when it is to be taken, and the quantity
of the food so that a working person living in the space habitat gets the optimum amount of energy ( ie. 3000Kcal).

TIME FOOD QUANTITY

Early Morning Almonds, walnuts, apricot, and dried 20 gm

dates

Breakfast Milk/ Milkshake 1gm

Flatbread ( Wheat flour) 3 flatbreads
Vegetables 250 gm
Apple 1 apple

Mid Morning Banana 1 banana

Corresponding Author:- Kriti Patra

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Lunch Rice 80 gm
Green peas 1 medium bowl
Dal 50gm
Green vegetables 250 gm
Chicken 200gm
Salad 100gm

Mid Afternoon Curd 150 gm

Fruit 1 fruit

Evening Tea/ Coffee 1 cup

Sandwich 1 sandwich ( 2 pieces of bread)

Dinner Brown Rice 1 cup

Vegetable
Chicken 100 gm
Cream tomato soup ( 2 tomatoes+ 1 tablespoon cream)

Bedtime Almond turmeric milk 1cup ( ½ spoon almond/ 5gm

powder, 200 ml milk)
Total Kcal = 3000 Kcal
Carbohydrate: 450- 488 gm ( 60- 65 % of the total Kcal)
Protein: 120 - 188 gm ( 20- 25% of the total Kcal)
Fat: 50- 67 gm ( 15 - 20 % of the total Kcal)

Percentage of food intake according to age:

According to the study conducted by Stanford University, the people living in the space habitat will need
approximately 3000 Kcal per day to work. Thus the type of food intake by the residents impacts their daily lives.
Hence according to age, nutrient intake is predicted in the following chart:

Table 2:- The following table shows nutrient intake with respect to the age of the person.
AGE CARBOHYDRATE PROTEIN FATS

1-3 45-65% 5-20% 30-40%

4-18 45-65% 10-30% 25-35%

19 and above 45-65% 10-35% 20-35%

Plants in the habitat

Plants required in the settlement:
In the limited space of the Stanford torus, it is necessary to eliminate diseases caused by the plants. Thus, we aim to
cultivate disease-free plants and have their maximum output. Although weak viruses may not be evident, yield or
quality may be substantially reduced due to infection. Hence we will plant transgenic or genetically modified plants
targeting our main motive. With the help of genetic engineering, the DNA of the plants with a favorable trait can be
transferred to another plant of the same or different species.

Table 3:- Specific plants to be introduced into the habitat.

PLANTS REQUIRED

Dry Fruits, nuts

Cereals

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Green Peas, Tomatoes

Fruits: Apple, Banana

vegetable

Corn ( for making biodegradable plastic and for carbohydrates)

How to increase the plant’s productivity?

To increase the rate of photosynthesis and yield, the plants should be kept periodically under red and blue light. This
is because the light spectrum of the growth environment strongly influences plant development and physiology. A
significant development in physiology and growth in plants has been noticed when kept under red and blue light
periodically. The blue light regulates the opening of the stomata while the red light promotes flowering and budding.

The red drop effect should be considered since the quantum yield decreases below 680 nm in green plants.

The Emerson enhancement effect refers to the increase in the quantum yield of photosynthesis when monochromatic
beams of two different wavelengths (680 and 700 nm) are used together on the test organism.

Agriculture
To fulfill the nutrient requirement, some specific crops need to be planted in the habitat which will consume less
water during irrigation. Following are the example of such crops which are to be taken in the habitat:

Table 4:- Generalized view of the crops that can be grown in the space habitat.
Nutrients Type of crops

Carbohydrate Maize
Potato
Banana
Oats

Proteins Soybean
Pea
Lentil
Chickpea
Lathyrus

Oil Soybean
Safflower
Mustard
Canola

Minerals Spinach
Lettuce
Beans
Cabbage
broccoli

Vitamins Carrot
Tomato
Spinach
Whole grains

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For ensuring disease-free and nutritious food intake, residents should follow methods like biofortification and
genetic modification of plants for cultivating them.

Biofortified plants: plants having high nutritional value and bioavailability to the human population, grown using
modern technologies like biotechnology techniques, conventional plant breeding, and agronomic practices. It
prevents micronutrient malnutrition among the inhabitants.

Ex: Iron biofortification - sweet potato, beans, legumes

Zinc biofortification –
Sweet potato, maize, beans, wheat

Genetically modified crops with higher nutrition:

Crops are obtained by genetically modifying them to get the desired variety. It helps to enhance nutritional value,
longer shelf life, and build resistance to certain pests.

Ex:1) Up to 90% of soybeans in the market are genetically modified to increase resistance to the herbicide
RoundUp.

2) Vegetables with higher vitamin E content to help fight heart disease.

Methods of cultivation
The processes adapted to cultivate the crops in the space habitat are mostly based on soilless cultivation. Thus
methods such as hydroponics and aeroponics are accommodated.

Hydroponics:
It is a type of horticulture that involves growing plants using a water-based mineral nutrient solution in the aqueous
system. The plants grow with their roots in the aqueous solution. The roots may be supported mechanically using
pebbles or other substrates.

Nutrients used in the hydroponic system come from different sources such as chemical fertilizers, artificial nutrient
solutions, etc. These plants are adapted to the controlled environment in agriculture. Ex: tomatoes, cucumbers,
peppers, strawberries, and lettuce.

Advantages:
1) does not require soil to cultivate
2) requires less water than the conventional process
3) efficient nutrient supply

Aeroponics:
Plants are grown by suspending them in a closed or semi-closed environment where their roots are sprayed using an
atomizer with a nutrient-rich solution. The plant support structure separates the roots of the plant. Trellising
suspends the weight of vegetation and fruit.

The presence of oxygen in the root zone brings several advantages. By improving the aeration of the nutrient
solution, a greater quantity of oxygen is supplied to the plant roots, resulting in enhanced growth and reduced risk of
pathogen development. Oxygen within the root zone is essential for the establishment of robust plant growth and the
formation of healthy roots.

Benefits of CO2: it affects the rate of photosynthesis in plants.

Disease-free cultivation: It reduces plant contamination since plant-to-plant contact is reduced. However, in case a
plant is affected, it can be separated without transmitting the disease to the other plants.

Water and nutrient hydro-atomizer: The size of water droplets plays a vital role in maintaining aeroponic growth. If
the water droplets are too big, it reduces the amount of oxygen accessible to the roots. On the other hand, if the

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water droplets are too small, like the ones created by an ultrasonic mister, it leads to an abundance of root hairs
without the formation of a lateral root system is crucial for ensuring continuous growth in an aeroponic
environment.

Aeroponics enables the assessment of nutrient uptake at specific time intervals, allowing for observation under
different conditions.

An advantage of aeroponics over hydroponics is that it uses even lesser water than it.

Soil Cultivation
While hydroponics and aeroponics are the methods that will fulfill our requirement of using less water and soil, they
will not be the only way of cultivating plants. Some of the plants will be planted on the ground.

Cultivation methods:
Irrigation: Drip irrigation must be adapted for soil cultivation. This method allows water to drip slowly to the roots
of the plants and thus reduces water wastage. It helps in maximum water usage and efficient fertilization. Methods
such as splash irrigation or flood irrigation must be strictly avoided.

Its advantages are:

Field leveling is not necessary.
Weed growth is lessened.
Soil erosion is lessened.
Optimum Ph: Soil PH affects nutrient availability and microbial action. In organic farming, the acidification of soils
has a substantial impact on the availability of nutrients and the catabolic activity of soil microorganisms. Optimum
PH must be maintained to avoid loss due to leaching.

Line sowing and mulching: line sowing is better than broadcasting since it helps in good germination of seeds, easy
pest management, nutrient management, and application of plant protection chemicals. Here seeds do not get
wasted, and each seed gets equal care to germinate effectively. Mulching is beneficial since it enhances soil moisture
and nutrient status, reduces soil erosion, and maintains soil temperature.

Manipulation of soil to increase infiltration: Various methods, such as crop rotation, drip irrigation, and mulching,
will increase the infiltration of water.

Weed control: Weed can be controlled by following crop rotation, intercropping, etc, other than using weedicides.
Other ways can be using trowels to pick up weeds. Examples of weedicides are Naphthalene acetic acid, Atrazine,
and Glycophosphate SL.

Avoid crops with higher water requirements: Since water is a limited resource in the space habitat, water recycled
from other anthropogenic sources will be used for irrigation. Plants that use less water must be chosen. Most
legumes require less water, and millets are more nutritious than regular cereals and require less water.

Animals in the habitat

To create a sustainable ecosystem, we need to have certain animals that will benefit us and create a food chain in the
habitat. The few animals have been selected based on their food value, help in pollination, and maintain a healthy
ecosystem.

Table 5:- Specific animals to be introduced into the habitat.

ANIMALS REQUIRED

Sheep, Cow, Pig, Hen

Pollinator: bee

Bacteria: Nitrogen-fixing bacteria: Cyanobacteria, heterotrophic bacteria, Antarctic bacteria

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The dairy animals will provide us with dairy products and meat. At the same time, the pollinator will help in
pollination among the plants.

However, keeping mammals along with humans leaves a possibility of causing zoonotic diseases. Zoonotic diseases
are transferred from animals to humans their proximity increases. The flesh of animals such as cow, beef, lamb, or
pork spreads diseases such as rabies, ringworm, influenza, leptospirosis, etc.

Figure 1:- Illustration of zoonotic disease.

How to eliminate the spread of the diseases?

An outbreak of the disease in a habitat with so less population may lead to a serious epidemic. To prevent such
occurrences two methods could be implemented: Genetically modified organisms and in-vitro methods of
consuming meat.

Genetically modified organisms

The mammals such as cows, hens, pigs, or goats will be genetically modified so that no disease is transmitted from
them to humans. DNA modification involves the alteration of genes using genetic engineering techniques to have
favorable animals. This will positively affect the environment, human health, and food production.

Invitro meat:
Consumption of in vitro meat eliminates the chances of the spread of zoonotic disease in humans. Moreover, it is
inconvenient to kill the restricted number of animals that are to be kept in the space habitat. Invitro meat can be
produced by various methods such as Organ printing, Self-organizing tissue culture, Biophotonics, and Scaffold
techniques.

Invitro meat
The scaffold technique of producing cultured meat works by first collecting the stem satellite cells from the
animal's flesh. The cells are allowed to multiply. These are then attached to the scaffold by microcarrier beads and
allowed to permeate in the bioreactor. These cells finally fuse into myotubes which differentiate into myofibres
which can then be harvested. The myofibres are cooked and brought to the table as meat. Often a challenge for in-
vitro meat is the addition of all the essential nutrients. Dietary proteins and vitamins are not included in the
myofibre. Thus, it requires binding proteins in a medium and an effective transportation mechanism for moving into
the cells.

Benefits Of Invitro meat:

1. Food-born diseases reduce significantly.
2. Development of epidemic zoonoses decline.

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The ethical acceptance of lab-made meat again poses a big challenge. In-vitro meat should not be considered
synthetic meat. It is real meat made from cultured cells of animals.

Cautions:
1. The production of such meats should be aseptic.
2. The meat should be tested before sending for consumption.

Organ printing is a second and better method of producing in-vitro meat since it solves some of the problems like
providing vascularization, fat marbling, and other elements of workable, and overall producing suitably-tasting
meat. Organ printing is done by using solutions containing single cells or balls of cells sprayed onto gels used as the
printing paper. Next, the live cells are sprayed in layers to create any shape or structure desired.

Using this method an entire three-dimensional organ can be produced with not just the cellular structure but also
adequate blood supply and vascularization.

Microorganisms
Some of the microorganisms such as Corynebacterium and Propionibacterium of the Actinobacteria phylum, some
species of Penicillium fungi ( found on bread), and Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria ( found on human skin)
were found during research conducted for monitoring microbes of the space station which might have been harmful
to the astronauts living there. However, there will be a difference between the environments for the space station and
the space habitat. The space station relies on microgravity which limited the number of recourse present for the few
astronauts who visit there, while the space station will be designed for permanent residence with earth-like gravity
and optimum resources for the residents. Thus due to the difference in the conditions, the rate of contamination may
also differ. Well-developed medical systems and some safety measures will provide a healthy environment.

Table 6:- Types of Microorganisms and the specific species which might benefit the ecosystem built in the space
habitat.
Types Microorganisms

Bacteria Methylophilus methylotrophus, Candida, lipolytic

Aglae Spirulina maxima, S. platensis, S. pacifica

Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, S. lipolytica, Candida utilis

Mold Paecilomyces variotii, Fusarium graminearum

Green Algae Chlorella sp., Scenedesmus sp.

Single-celled organisms
Single-cell proteins refer to the refined or edible protein extracted from pure microbial cultures and dead, or dried
cell biomass. They can be used as a protein supplement for both humans and animals.

Fungi
1. Aspergillus fumigatus
2. Aspergillus niger
3. Rhizopus cyclopean

Yeast
1. Saccharomyces cerevisiae
2. Candida tropicalis
3. Candida utilis

Algae
1. Spirulina (spa)

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2. Chlorella pyrenoidosa
3. Chondrus crispus

Bacteria
1. Pseudomonas fluorescens
2. Lactobacillus
3. Bacillus megaterium

Table 7:- The following table shows the percentage of nutrients ( protein and fats) that can be obtained from the
following single-celled organisms. It also indicated the generation time and its nucleic acid contents.
Name Generation time Protein % Fat% Nucleic acid

Bacteria 10-120 min 50-65 1.5-3.0 8-12

Algae 2-6 min 40-60 7-20 3-8

Yeast 10-120 min 45-55 2-6 6-12

Mold 2-6 min 30-45 2-8 7-10

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