JULY 9, 2024 – In a groundbreaking NASA study set against the remote backdrop of North Dakota, U.S. Space Force Spc. 4 William Wallace, 4th Space Operations Squadron payload engineer, played a pivotal role in advancing the science community’s understanding of extraterrestrial agriculture.
Holding a Bachelor of Science in biology, Wallace gained his leadership’s approval and answered the American Public University’s call for volunteers with STEM backgrounds to participate in a two-week space research mission at the University of North Dakota’s Integrated Lunar/Mars Habitat facility.
After submitting his application and conducting a few interviews, the Guardian was notified of his selection to participate in the Analog Research Group 6I crew.
Wallace, along with his teammates, Sarah Guthrie, ARG-6I crew commander, and Moses Vital, ARG-6I mission specialist, aimed to grow vegetation using Mars regolith, or Martian soil, pushing the boundaries of what is possible for future colonization efforts.
For the duration of the experiment, the small team remained secluded from the world, dedicating their expertise to innovative research that brings humanity one step closer to sustainable living on the red planet.
The team’s objective was to maintain the simulation while performing daily tasks and planned experiments, as well as utilizing standard operating procedures and creating new ones when necessary.
They also received other directives from mission control through simulated Mars-to-Earth satellite communication data links and delays. This experience was directly relevant to Wallace’s role in military satellite communication satellite operations, which improved skills in managing communication systems under extended delay conditions.
The primary experiment during the simulation focused on growing and tending to vegetation using cyanobacteria as fertilizer. The goal was to measure the growth rate of the vegetation and if any uptake from the simulated Martian regolith is noticed in the plants, which has toxic elements that are harmful for human consumption.
“This research is for understanding how to sustain life during long-duration missions and is a key component of the mission’s research objectives,” Wallace said. “We used cyanobacteria to fertilize Martian regolith simulant soil and grow microgreens. The actual test was how much does this improve the plants growth and does it affect the perchlorate and sulfur uptake from the roots into the plant.”
As the experiment neared the final days, Wallace and Vital harvested and cleaned the roots of the vegetation, which were then packed up and shipped out to a third-party lab to analyze. This meticulous process involved using a microscope to find each root and root fiber and remove the moss without mutilating the structure. The vegetation was shipped out to the ARG to confirm if any toxic elements were identified in the plants or if they are safe for human consumption. The report is slated to come out toward the end of the year.
Extravehicular Activities and Rescue Operations
Whenever Wallace wasn’t tending to the plants, he was outside conducting extravehicular activities in a spacesuit that is being designed to go to Mars by the University of North Dakota. In this simulation, the mark two spacesuit was being tested for leg mobility and durability. The suit, which was 3D printed, has been reduced in weight from 400 to 80 pounds to simulate the weight Wallace would experience as if he was on Mars.
“The suit weighed about 80 pounds and was also pressurized from the inside,” Wallace said. “So, when you moved your arms or did anything dexterous, to include walking, the suit would resist. It felt like you were lifting 10 to 15 pounds every time you moved.”
While conducting extravehicular activities outside the habitat, the ARG-6I team had to test and try out different ways to conduct rescue operations if a person was injured while on Mars. Anticipating that any future missions may have casualties who would not be able to get immediate help, the team tested out new protocols and standard operating procedures to see what was successful for retrieving injured personnel.
Wallace said conducting exercises to build new protocols while being in the spacesuit was a difficult experience. Utilizing a med-sled to protect the simulated injured dummy’s spacesuit from potential damage, Wallace dragged the dummy simulated to weigh what a fully geared person would on Mars, back and forth with the goal to find the most efficient way to move around in a spacesuit.
“We don’t want to drag the suit on the ground because you could compromise it, and then the victim could die quicker,” Wallace said. “I found that one of the methods that involved attaching the med-sled to the waist and using walking sticks was less of a strain, the best data came from the med-sled with the walking sticks and waist straps.”
And application to the Space Force
Throughout his time on site, Wallace was able to interact directly with advanced space technologies like 3D printed space suits, interplanetary SATCOM, and inflatable habitats.
“This exposure relates to my role in spacecraft and payload engineering, enhancing my understanding of innovative engineering practices,” Wallace said.
With ARG-6I mission ending, Wallace said that he picked up new set of skills while participating in this simulation, and he plans on using them in his job for the Space Force.
“I learned the structure and nuances of real-time academic studies and how to make them feasible with limited time and equipment,” Wallace said. “I honed my ability to adapt to confined environments, work under pressure and optimize limited equipment. The mission was to collect as much viable data as possible, and to make what we had work. This is what I can take with me anywhere in life, and the Space Force will greatly benefit from this.”
As a representative of the Space Force, Wallace has shown that these multi-agency missions help strengthen relationships between industries, academia and governmental agencies and may help inspire more talent to aid the Space Force within targeted disciplines.
Story by Staff Sgt. Jaime Sanchez
Space Base Delta 1