Development and Verification of Small Mammal Life Support System for Microgravity Environment in Space

With the development of the deep space exploration missions, performing in-orbit experiments with small mammals to investigate the effects of microgravity and cosmic radiation on mammalian life becomes increasingly important. In this study, a small mammal husbandry and life support system for small mammal life support in the microgravity environment of space stations has been developed. The system consists of small mammal feeding device, mouse experiment unit, environmental control module and upward/downward life support devices. The system combines gas circulation, dynamic oxygen source, exhaust gas absorption, temperature and humidity control and the on-board monitoring of several parameters into a closed loop control system and a hermetic system. The circulation in the system is uniform, and there is an excellent gas exchange performance within the system in closed environment, which was verified by computational fluid dynamics numerical simulation of gas distribution and exhaust gas purification. The system can protect samples during transportation by using flexible packaging and cushioning structure. The system can satisfy the requirements of oxygen, food and water supply to ensure the feeding of mice throughout their life cycle in space. The research results lay a foundation for the development of deep-space life support system and long-term mammalian experiments in space stations.