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The BioSUB Project will compare life underwater to life inside a closed ecological system. It requires the same specially-designed regenerative or recycling technology needed for any long-term manned mission to Mars. Lloyd must generate oxygen, grow food, obtain fresh water and deal with his waste. In order of importance Lloyd needs air, water and food. Of course, to live underwater he will also need power to generate light and heat. This will be in the form of electricity generated by the sun.
As mentioned above, air is the most critical factor. A “Standard Man” consumes about 0.83 kg of oxygen (O2) per day. The critical limiting factor is the carbon dioxide (CO2) that we breathe out at a concentration of about 3.5% (35,000 ppm). This corresponds to 0.71 kg of CO2 produced per day. Humans are affected by too much CO2 in the air more quickly than by lack of O2.
CO2 can be removed from the air chemically, using a CO2 scrubber. A scrubber contains particles of soda lime, which reacts with the CO2 to form chalk. But there’s a more simple way to get rid of CO2 which lasts forever. Plants take in CO2 and give off O2 and potable water in a process called photosynthesis. Lloyd will breathe O2 the plants produce and exhale CO2 to sustain the plants. A revolutionary air supply system developed and provided by Like-A-Fish Technologies will also be tested.
What about food? While life support systems can use physical methods alone to purify water and create O2 from exhaled CO2, only bioregenerative systems (those involving plants) can also produce food and thereby qualify as completely self-sufficient systems. Lloyd will use hydroponics, which is a way of growing plants in a controlled environment. Hydroponics don’t need soil because they are grown on rock-wool, or in nutrient enriched water, but they do need light. Crops must rank high in energy, nutritional content, and taste. An underwater agricultural endeavour must also consider limitations of growing area. Unfortunately one person would need about 80m2 of plants to keep them going. For this reason, Lloyd’s diet will be supplemented with specially engineered Earth-like foods.
The processes by which humans and plants can mutually support each other in an artificial, closed bioregenerative microcosm are therefore simple yet extremely elegant. Plants take in CO2 and release O2 to their surroundings. People can breathe O2 the plants produce and exhale CO2 to sustain the plants. People can eat plants for nutrition, and then recycle inedible leaves, stems, and roots along with human wastes through a resource recovery system. Thus a regenerative life support system can process waste matter into nutrient solution in which new plants can grow. The cycle begins anew.
The biological and physicochemical work of the Kennedy Space Center and Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, is coming together at Johnson Space Center, where scientists and engineers integrate the two technologies into test systems with human subjects for a future Advanced Life Support (ALS) complex. The space center’s 1995 human-in-a-wheat-chamber experiment marked the first time a human had entered an active bioregenerative system since the Soviets tested a closed system with humans and plants in their Bios-3 project in 1977. As a point of comparison, although one could think of the privately-funded Biosphere 2 project that started in 1991 as a closed system, it differed from regenerative systems in that it did not rely on tightly-controlled environmental systems. Instead, it reacted to widespread ecological changes within the complex’s several artificially-created ecosystems.
The habitat consisted of two waste skips welded together with a door and weir arrangement to allow it to function as a diving bell. When it was fully submerged, and the minor leaks sealed, the habitat was occupied by Prof. Adam Hart-Davies and a photographer. The principle of the simple Sofnolime CO2 scrubber unit was described and the O2 and CO2 levels monitored. The makeshift absorber unit was demonstrated and worked well in controlling the CO2 expired by the occupants over the one-hour period of the experiment.
Unlike the AquaShack, The BioSUB Project will use an active bioregenerative system and not physical methods to create O2 from exhaled CO2. The BioSUB Project will also be designed to sustain a single occupant for a much longer period than the one-hour AquaShack experiment. Similar readily available materials will be used for the construction of the habitat.
Lloyd Godson: Project Leader and Australian Geographic “Live your dream” Wildest Adventure Competition Winner
In 2003-2004, Lloyd completed a Graduate Certificate in Antarctic Studies at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. This included a 10 day field course at Scott Base, Antarctica, comprising a mix of analytical projects, interpretative exercises and sessions, Antarctic field training and the experience of living and working in the polar environment. For his Supervised Project in Antarctic Studies, Lloyd produced a set of three interactive DVDs titled, ‘Antarctica through Their Eyes’, earning him a distinction in the course overall. He was also required to submit a personal experience project and a media report.
Lloyd has completed the Certificate IV in Business Management with the Murray Hume Business Enterprise Centre and currently operates an electronic communication business, E-Go Live, which specialises in interactive online educational programs. He recently won the $50,000 Australian Geographic “Live your dream” Wildest Adventure Competition for The BioSUB Project.
Carolina Sarasiti: Marketing and Web Design Carolina has completed a Bachelor of Business Administration (Marketing) at the American College of Greece, Athens, and a Masters in Copywriting at the Academy of Communication, Italy. She is fluent in four languages (Greek, Italian, English and German) and has experience working for internationally renowned advertising companies and as a freelance copywriter. Carolina is responsible for the design and maintenance of the E-Go Live and BioSUB websites.
Descend Underwater Training Centre (UTC): Underwater Construction and Hyperbaric Chamber Support
Descends instructors ran pilot courses for two other commercial schools who have both continued to use the Descend instructional techniques and training system. In 2002 Descend produced almost 40% of all ADAS Level 3 divers certified in Australia and New Zealand including the Police and Military schools. A relatively new segment of Descend UTC is a Hyperbaric Chamber and Medicine Unit (pictured above), which is otherwise only available at one major hospital in each capital city.
Des Walters: Diving Safety Officer Des is a company Director and founder of the Descend Group. He has been diving for over 35 years. Des' very first open water dive was a yacht salvage and he has been involved in all facets of the Commercial Diving Industry since then. His amazing range of diving and diving related qualifications make him possibly the most qualified Instructor in Australia. Des' other interests include photography, cave diving, wreck diving, 'Bailey' the wonder dog and his wife Val.
Murray Regional Development Board: High-Speed Internet Network The Murray Regional Development Board, through its regional information and communications technology (ITC) committee, has established a company called CountryTell. Through a partnership with CountryTell, E-Go Live is one of about 50 Albury-Wodonga organisations who are currently testing a new wireless communications system (WiMAX–Broadband Wireless Access Technology) that business operators, health providers and everyone else from both cities will be able to use within the next few months. There is already one base station atop one of Albury's hills, broadcasting across a radius of about 9km, and that will be boosted by another two similar aerials beaming internet services from one end of the twin cities to the other. It is proposed that these WiMAX base stations will beam a high-speed Internet connection to The BioSUB Project.
Riverina Institute of TAFE: Underwater Habitat Construction The Riverina Institute of TAFE Albury NSW Campus will construct the underwater habitat from plans submitted to them by Lloyd. Having students construct the habitat will give them a chance to practice and develop valuable work-related skills and help engage the local community in The BioSUB Project.
Like-A-Fish Technologies Like-A-Fish Technologies was founded in 2001 in order to develop and provide a revolutionary tankless diving gear that is able to extract air from water. The company holds patents in Europe and a pending patent in the U.S.A. Like-A-Fish Technologies revolutionises diving technology and marks a breakthrough in the history of diving. The company introduces for the first time in history scuba equipment that extracts air from water.
Because of large air and water requirements, the system is best suited for ‘closed systems’, also known as rebreathers. Submarines and underwater habitats are private cases of rebreather uses, and where use of the new system would have enormous benefits. It is intended that a fully working prototype will be used as an air supply system for The BioSUB Project.
Located only 10 km from Albury, The Pit is Australia's only dedicated occupational dive site. It is a disused gravel quarry of approximately 2 hectares in surface area. It has a maximum depth of 16m, fresh water, and a very distinct thermocline at about 8m which reduces bottom temperatures by approximately 6 degrees Celsius (°C). Bottom temperature can be as low as 8°C in mid winter. It has the cleanest diveable water in the area with visibility often exceeding 5m; however a layer of bottom silt is easily disturbed and can reduce the visibility to nil almost instantly.
The Pit is set up with permanent work tasks, which include a 30 metre pipeline, a simulated wellhead, several one tone lifting tasks, a pipework maze and a welding stage. Descend has exclusive use of this site which is not subject to wind, tide, weather or boating hazards and can be dived 365 days a year.
Underwater life includes several varieties of fish, lots of plant life, turtles, yabbies and shrimp. Birdlife in the area is also prolific as The Pit is adjacent to the Wonga Wetlands Interpretive Centre Site. Des Walters is currently a member of The Wonga Wetlands Community Advisory Management Committee, who has decided to help The BioSUB Project in any way they can.
Location of the Wonga Wetlands Interpretive Centre Site
It is proposed that the underwater habitat will be ready to launch for National Science Week, 12-20 August 2006. The timing is dependant on Australian Government funding from the Science Connections Programme (SCOPE) for projects which raise awareness of the importance of science and innovation. The aim of National Science Week is to focus public attention on the role that science, engineering, innovation, technology and entrepreneurship play in our daily lives. Government-funded National Science Week activities promote the public's interest in all these areas and assist in making connections between science studies and the opportunities that open to those who pursue them. An application has been submitted for Site Tours of The BioSUB Project.
If successful, the Site Tours will involve a mix of interactive presentations and hands-on activities. Visitors will be able to interact with Lloyd via a two-way communications system and an underwater video camera. The underwater footage will be broadcast live on a projector screen.
Lloyd plans on attending the biannual Habitation Conference on Habitation Research and Technology Development in Orlando, Florida, February 5-8, 2006. Shortly following this international meeting, he plans to have the final designs ready for the Riverina Institute of TAFE to begin constructing the underwater habitat. |
