Ph.D. Defense:

Leon Chen

(Faculty Advisor: Dimitri Mavris)

"A Methodology for Architecting Self-Sustaining Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) for Lunar Habitats"

Monday, October 27

9:00 AM

Weber Collaborative Design Environment (CoDE)

Abstract:

Since the Apollo program, lunar exploration has symbolized humanity’s pursuit of scientific and technological frontiers. Sustaining human presence on the Moon, however, presents formidable challenges due to its challenges including logistical constraints of resupply from Earth. To address these challenges, self-sustaining habitats must be architected to carefully manage the critical resources, such as water and oxygen, through internal recycling and local production, thereby reducing dependence on Earth-based supplies.

Sustaining long-term lunar habitation hinges on an Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) that minimizes resupply and maximizes self-sufficiency. Building upon proven ISS technologies, this research advances high loop closure configurational performance through improved loop closure rate with oxygen recovery and direct use of local resources via In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). By combining physicochemical recycling with lunar-derived water and oxygen production, the proposed system architecture enables robust, long-duration operations at strategically selected polar sites.

This thesis establishes a comprehensive methodology for architecting self-sustaining ECLSS architectures tailored to lunar habitats. Through integrated modeling, reliability assessment, and site-specific resource analysis, the methodology established a framework which quantifies system-level loop closure and evaluates the synergistic effects of ISRU and ECLSS integration. The resulting approach aims to support scalable, long-duration lunar missions and lays the groundwork for future human exploration of Mars and beyond.

Committee:
Dr. Dimitri Mavris (advisor), School of Aerospace Engineering
Dr. Daniel Schrage, School of Aerospace Engineering
Dr. Brian Gunter, School of Aerospace Engineering
Dr. Mark Whorton, School of Aerospace Engineering and NASA
Dr. Michael Balchanos, School of Aerospace Engineering
Dr. Dean Muirhead, NASA (Barrios Technology)