12-05, 10:40–11:00 (Europe/Luxembourg), Banquet Room
Crewed interstellar flight requires bioregenerative life support for several reasons. The limited resources that can be brought on board at departure make continuous recycling imperative. To maintain the crew's health, a diet that includes at least some fresh food is indispensable. Biological organisms, being regenerative by nature, can be easily regrown in case of failure, unlike mechanical systems that depend on spare parts and repairs. A major key to the success of bioregenerative life support is effective in situ biological reproduction (ISBR). Organisms must properly reproduce in space conditions to sustain the functionality of the entire bioregenerative system. It can be argued that technological self-reproduction is another imperative for interstellar flight. Because of the limited knowledge of the interstellar medium and its long-term impact on terrestrial biology and technology, interstellar flight is highly uncertain. This uncertainty calls for an adaptable, self-organizing spacecraft architecture that can dynamically respond to unforeseen challenges.
The Evolving Asteroid Starships (E|A|S) project is a theoretical study exploring the gradual transformation of an asteroid into an interstellar craft using asteroid mining and in-space manufacturing, facilitated by swarm robotics with self-replicating capabilities. This project addresses the challenges of bioregenerative life support and self-organizing spacecraft architecture through a complex adaptive systems approach and computer modeling. Two models have been developed: an agent-based model (ABM) for the bioregenerative life support system and a discrete event simulation (DEVS) for the self-organizing spacecraft architecture. These models allow for the investigation of long-term system behavior and the testing of different space travel scenarios. Both systems exhibit chaotic behavior, where small differences in stochastic parameters, such as bioreactor efficiencies or module lifetimes, lead to divergent outcomes. The challenge is to design strategies that can mitigate potential catastrophic deviations by e.g., integrating redundancies and applying distributed decision-making. Such strategies can help to maintain system stability, avoid chaotic attractors, and support multigenerational growth.
Angelo Vermeulen is a space biologist, complex systems engineer, computational designer, and artist with a PhD in biology from KU Leuven. Currently a researcher at TU Delft, he develops bio-inspired and bioregenerative concepts for multigenerational interstellar exploration. He focuses on self-developing and self-reproducing architecture to create resilient starships capable of adapting to the inherent uncertainty of human interstellar exploration. Vermeulen is the CTO of SpaceBorn United, a startup developing technology for human reproduction in space. He also co-founded SEADS, a cross-cultural collective merging art, science, and technology. Currently, he is working as a game designer on Lunar Strike, a political science fiction computer game developed by Cognition, with studios in Los Angeles and Antwerp. In 2013, Vermeulen commanded the first NASA-funded HI-SEAS Mars simulation, and in 2022, he reached the final 6% in the ESA astronaut selection process. His work has earned him recognition, including being named Belgian Tech Pioneer and receiving fellowships from TED and Parsons School for Design. He has authored over 60 publications on his research in art and science.
