Long-term experiments on man's stay in biological life-support system.

We describe the experimental system having maximal possible closure of material recycling in an ecosystem, including people and plants, which was carried out in a hermetically sealed experimental complex "BIOS-3", 315 m2 in volume. The system included 2 experimentators and 3 phytotrons with plants (total sowing area of 63 m2). Plants were grown with round-the-clock lamp irradiation with 130 Wm-2 PAR intensity.

[Chufa (Cyperus esculentus) as a source of vegetable fats in a sealed life-support system].

The cultivation schemes, productivity, total biochemical, lipid in particular, composition of nodules of chufa (Cyperus esculentus) were studied, using a phytotron. Upon continuous illumination chufa yielded a high total productivity and a satisfactory coefficient of economic effectiveness (not less than 50%). Chufa nodules have an optimal ratio of proteins, carbohydrates and fats containing essential fatty acids.

[Possibility of using higher plants in a life-support system on the moon].

The paper discusses the possibility of repeated termination of plant vegetation by prolonged darkness approximating the lunar night. This may be helpful for the incorporation of higher plants into the life support system of lunar bases, the solar light being used for illumination. In this connection vegetables (beet Bordeaux, turnip Petrovskaya, carrot Chantanet, dill, radish Virovsky white) and wheat (variety Sonora) were cultivated during the lunar light-dark cycle (i.