6th International Conference on Microbiome Engineering

Biomanufacturing in Space: Bionutrients and CO2-Based Manufacturing

Authors

Aditya Hindupur, NASA Ames Research Center
Sandra T. Vu, Nasa Ames Research Center
Aphrodite Kostakis, NASA Ames Research Center
Kevin Sims, NASA Ames Research Center
Sean Sharif, NASA Ames Research Center
Alyssa G. Villanueva, NASA Ames Research Center
Oscar A. Roque, NASA Ames Research Center
Sadie A. Downing, NASA Ames Research Center
Michael J. Dougherty, NASA Ames Research Center
Jonathan M. Galazka, University of California at Berkeley
Hami E. Ray, NASA Ames Research Center
Lisa M. Anderson, ASRC Federal
Harry W. Jones, NASA Ames Research Center
Amy L. Gresser, NASA Ames Research Center
A. Mark Settles, NASA Ames Research Center
Frances M. Donovan, NASA Ames Research Center
Biomanufacturing can provide on-demand production of mission-critical compounds and materials to support long-duration space exploration while circumventing the challenges of transporting materials from Earth. The NASA Synthetic Biology Project is developing two biomanufacturing capabilities: BioNutrients and CO2-Based Manufacturing. BioNutrients is an ongoing mission aboard the International Space Station focused on the production of perishable nutrients in an on demand for direct for consumption. The first flight experiment of this project targeted the production of carotenoids: β-carotene and zeaxanthin, in recombinant yeast strains. Since then, the project has expanded to encompass the production of the fermented consumables like yogurt and kefir for use as a nutrient delivery mechanism. The CO2-Based Manufacturing system aims to use in situ resources to allow for biomanufacturing with minimal re-supply required. The manufacturing platform is combined with an electrochemical CO2 conversion system which can produce simple carbon substrates to support microbial based biomanufacturing. A comprehensive ground-based platform for recombinant protein purification is in development with the goal of producing a thermostable carbonic anhydrase enzyme from E. coli utilizing CO2-derived acetate. Our group hopes to propel advancements in space biomanufacturing for long duration space flight by harnessing the tools of synthetic biology.