Algae Textile and Bioplastic Kit for Space Travel and Sustainable Living Applications for the Future of Wellbeing was presented at the 72nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 25-29 October 2021.
Algae Textile research was conducted at HiSEAS analog space simulation in Hawaii, January 2020, lead by Kristin Neidlinger of Sensoree and presented in Dubai by our commander and Marstranaut Dr. Michaela Musilova, Director for HI-SEAS, International Moonbase Alliance (IMA), moonbasealliance.com. Thank you to the team and all who contributed toward a sustainable future on earth and space travel in the future.
Algae has a small footprint and can be microfarmed – shipped small and expanded. The closed loop system can be composted and reconstituted. It provides oxygen which can be absorbed through the skin. Also, it acts as a bio and atmospheric sensor.
Algae Textile was tested inside the spacesuits and outside in the environment. 
Abstract
Textile based wellness is a global need. As skin absorbs directly from the environment, ten percent of the chemicals in clothing transfer to the skin and body. What if we obtained vital nutrients like oxygen and vitamins directly with our textiles? This would have significant implications for the sustainability of human space travel. Current research shows algae as a lifeform suitable for growing in space orbit. It is small and weightless, and can be grown and implemented as a material resource from soft textiles to sturdy plastics. It also can be composted or reconstituted into new shapes and designs. For this research, an algae-based bioplastics and textiles kit was created for testing for space applications during the fourth EMMIHS analog lunar mission (February 1-15, 2020) at the Hawaii – Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) habitat in Hawai’i, USA. It was part of a collaboration between the EuroMoonMars initiative by ILWEG, the International Moonbase Alliance and HI-SEAS. For the simulation, a closed loop DIY kit for growing and composting Algae Textile for space habitats was studied. Soft textiles to hard plastics were iterated in the controlled air environment for potential use in space travel. It was found that astronauts may create unique textiles with oxygen prolific health benefits. The textiles have the potential to act as a portable source of photosynthesis, as well as be a sensor to record stress levels and note correlations with atmospheric events. It is possible to extract time dated scientific data at the end of the study to gain insights on human wellbeing during the mission. Finally, the textile may be composted then repurposed. The fabric may also be infused with the wearers’ DNA to become a surrogate skin to record growth and environmental stresses of microgravity, as it becomes an agent to monitor the effects of travel. As space travel is known to cause DNA and RNA degeneration, there is potential to counteract hardships with chlorella’s healthy effects for detoxification and cell regeneration. As algae has a high potential as a material for space usage, further testing of DNA in combination with algae will be meaningful. Research into how it responds to microgravity is limited, but the stresses have been known to provoke positive epigenetic evolutions. Further research may be incorporated into analog and real space missions and will provide valuable insight for the longevity of coexisting sustainably on Earth and in space.
Various thicknesses were created from textile to bioplastic for kneepads, helmets, or even building materials. The texture matched lava rock found on the moon and Mars.
Neidlinger mixing Algae Textile samples with Galileo documenting.
Thank you to the HiSEAS team and IAC Dubai 2021!
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