Smart Coatings for Manned Spacecraft - Steve McDaniel (SETI Talks)

SETI Talks Archive: http://seti.org/talks As we enter the era of manned space flight and habitation beyond low Earth orbit, much longer duration human occupation and much less frequent resupply will be the norm, stretching the capacities and capabilities of life support systems. The myriad internal surfaces aboard ISS and the various crew compartments on drawing boards today are viewed as a liability due to contamination and fouling. Yet, if such surfaces operate synergistically with life support systems, these same surfaces become an asset with practically no increased load weight penalty. Virtually all of these surfaces are coated. Bio-based, non-toxic additives to such coatings, many of which are already being marketed for 1XG applications, will create the functionalized surfaces needed.