Mass Transport and Diffusion Limitations to Human Spaceflight: Biophysical Research Approaches for Studying the Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora (LEAF) on Artemis 4.
PSI User Group Presentation by Prof. Marshall Porterfield
August 13, 11 AM - 12:30 PM CST
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Abstract
Spaceflight presents a unique environment in which gravity, fluid dynamics, radiation, atmospheric composition, and other physical constraints are fundamentally altered. Understanding how living systems respond to these changes remains one of the central challenges in space biology, particularly as humanity prepares for sustained missions to the Moon and Mars. While advances in molecular biology have revealed extensive genetic, transcriptomic, and physiological responses to spaceflight, a mechanistic understanding of how these responses emerge requires a biophysical perspective. We will discuss first principles biophysical approaches can be used to investigate and model the fundamental mechanisms governing biological adaptation and hardware performance in spaceflight. Drawing upon research spanning cellular sensing, transport phenomena, mechanotransduction, systems biology, and whole-organism responses, we will outline physical forces influence biological structure and function across scales. Examples from spaceflight and ground-based studies will illustrate how integrating biological measurements with physical models can reveal underlying mechanisms of adaptation, stress response, growth, development, and host-microbe interactions in altered gravity environments. Evidence will also include meta-analysis of large-scale omics datasets, using biocomputational approaches in advancing predictive models of life in space for the LEAF payload. By combining omics resources, such as those developed through NASA’s GeneLab and Physical Sciences Informatics programs, with quantitative biophysical theory, we are attempting to move beyond descriptive observations toward predictive understanding. These approaches are essential for developing countermeasures, designing sustainable bioregenerative life support systems, and enabling long-duration human exploration beyond Earth.