Monitoring by remote sensing in isolated space analog missions reveals influence of human behaviour in maintenance of future life support systems

Background The utilisation of remote sensing in isolated missions is associated with the safety of the crew and critical instruments on the base. However, there is a paucity of information regarding its application in existing habitats, particularly in the context of the development of future life support systems and non-invasive health monitoring of the crew. Objectives Select remote sensors and methods of environment and human health monitoring, implement them in the isolated environment and test functionalities regarding critical parameters for future life support systems such as food production vertical farms as well as air and water recycling bioreactors. Methods We organized seven isolated space analog missions: six missions with 6 person crews and one mission with 4 person crew, (40 people in total aged 20–27 years old), collected environmental and physiological data and visualized results. All presented data are real, not processed by any models. Results The observation of periodic fluctuations in power consumption, carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, temperature and humidity levels, and water consumption has been demonstrated to correlate with the activity and sleep phases of human behaviour. It has been hypothesised that environmental oscillations evoked by human activity in isolation could facilitate the maintenance of health and the sustainable operation of life support systems, through the synchronisation of interspecies biological clocks.