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Portrait of Michael Flynn.

Michael Flynn

Physical Scientist

Contents

Branch/Division: SCB

Affiliation: NASA Ames Space Biosciences Bioengineering Branch

Phone (desk): 650-604-1163

Email: michael.flynn@nasa.gov

Professional Biography

Principal investigator (PI) in water recycling technology development at NASA Ames Research Center.  Program manager (PM) Moon to Mars eXploration Systems and Habitation (M2M X-Hab),https://www.nasa.gov/exploration-habitat-x-hab-challenge/.  Over 35 years of experience in the development of advanced life support systems, space architecture, alternative energy, gravitational biology and astrobiology technology development.  Has over 120 peer reviewed publications in these fields.  Has received an AIAA best space architecture paper award.   Four of his papers have been selected for republication in the SAE International’s Transactions journal.  He has received two R&D 100 Awards, a Wright Brothers Medal, an Arch T. Calwell Merit Award and 6 NASA Spotlight awards.   He has developed technologies for NASA, NSF Polar Program, the Army, commercial space and terrestrial green building applications. 

Current Roles and Responsibilities

Program manager (PM) Moon to Mars eXploration Systems and Habitation (M2M X-Hab)
Principal investigator (PI) in water recycling technology development
Manager Green Building Water Recycling System (GBWRS)

Education

  • BS in mechanical engineering from San Francisco State University

Research Interest

Life support, Astrobiology, Energy System and Biomimetics

Media

“Brave Blue World (2019),” a documentary

Patents

  • US9714183B1 – Water walls for life support
  • US8,409,845 Algae bioreactor using submerged enclosures with semi-permeable membranes
  • US20100216203 Algae bioreactor using submerged enclosures with semi-permeable membranes
  • US7,655,145 Contaminated water treatment

Publications

(selected from a total of over 120)

  1. Adrialis M. Figueroa, Michael Flynn, Michael C. Hicks, Uday G. Hegde, Rosa E. Padilla, Jun J. Kojima and Daniel J. Gotti, Supercritical Water Oxidation: A Promising Wastewater Treatment Technology, 51st 50th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2022-294
  2. Flynn, M., R., Mancinelli, S., Solomon, J., Garland, Radiocatalyst for Microbial Control and Radiation Protection, 50th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2021-320
  3. Flynn, Michael, Parodi, Jurek,  Romero-Mangado, Jaione; Stefanson, Ofir; Shaw, Hali; Pedersen, Seth, Development of a Personal Water Reclamation System (PWRS), 49th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2019-345
  4. Michael Flynn; Jaione Romero; Jurek Parodi; Rocco Mancenelli; Michael Dougherty; David Loftus, Synthetic Biological Membrane, Paper No. 2016-07-269 , Proceedings of 46th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2016
  5. Shaw, H., Flynn, M., Wisniewski, R. Delzeit, L., Lee, J., Jones, H., Shull, S., Sargusingh, M., Beeler, D., Howard, J., Howard, K., Kawashima, B., Parodi, J., “Evaluation of Selected Brine Processing Technologies for Spacecraft Wastewater”, Paper No. ICES-2015-202, Proceedings of the 45th International Conference on Environmental Systems, July 2015.
  6. Bretschger O, Carpenter K, Phan T, Suzuki S, Ishii S, Grossi-Soyster E, Flynn M, Hogan J., Functional and taxonomic dynamics of an electricity-consuming methane-producing microbial community, Bioresour Technol. 2015 Nov;195:254-64. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.06.129. Epub 2015 Jul 8.
  7. Marc M. Cohen, Michael T. Flynn, Renee L. Matossian, Water Walls Life Support Architecture AIAA 2013-3517, 43rd International Conference on Environmental Systems, Vail, Colorado, July 15-19, 2013
  8. Michael Flynn, and Sanders Rosenberg, In Situ Production of High Density Polyethylene and Other Useful Materials on Mars, SAE Technical Paper No. 2005-01-2776 , 35th International Conference on Environmental Systems, July 2005.
  9. Michael Flynn,  John Hines, and Chris McKay, “Astrobiology Hydrothermal Vent Technology Development”, SAE Technical Paper No. 2000-01-2342 , 30th International Conference on Environmental Systems, July 2000.
  10. Michael Flynn,  Eric Chiang, Peter Goldman, Lisa Kohout, Gary Norton, “Cold Weather Wind Turbines – A Joint NASA/NSF/DOE Effort in Technology Transfer and Commercialization”  SAE Technical Paper No. 972510 , 27th International Conference on Environmental Systems, July 1997
computer rendering of a water wall
computer renderings of water walls at various distances from Mars
US9714183B1 – Water walls for life support
Green Building Water Recycling System (GBWRS)
Forward Osmosis Secondary Treatment System
The Portable Forward Osmosis and Reverse Osmosis Wastewater Treatment System