ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT
CROP TESTING AT KENNDY
SPACE CENTER
Jan. 16, 2003
Current Team Members:
Neil Yorio, Greg Goins, Gary Stutte
Sharon Edney, Nate Cranston,
Hyeon-Hye Kim, Ray Wheeler
1
Human Life Support Requirements:
Inputs
Daily
Rqmt.
Oxygen
Food
Water
0.83 kg
0.62 kg
3.56 kg
Outputs
(% total
mass)
2.7%
2.0%
11.4%
(drink and
food prep.)
Water
26.0 kg
(hygiene, flush
laundry, dishes)
TOTAL 31.0 kg
83.9%
Daily
Carbon 1.00 kg
dioxide
Metabolic 0.11 kg
solids
Water
29.95 kg
(metabolic / urine
(hygiene / flush
(laundry / dish
(latent
(% total
mass)
3.2%
0.35%
96.5%
12.3%)
24.7%)
55.7%)
3.6%)
TOTAL 31.0 kg
Source: NASA SPP 30262 Space Station ECLSS Architectural Control Document
Food assumed to be dry except for chemically-bound water.
2
Plants for Human Life Support
HUMANS
Metabolic
Energy
food
(CH2O) + O2
CO2 + H2O
Clean Water
Waste Water
Light
food
(CH2O) + O2
CO2 + H2O
Clean Water
Waste Water
PLANTS
3
Kennedy Space Center ALS Studies
Large Systems, Staple Crops
• Biomass Production Chamber (BPC) Studies:
– 20 m2 area, 113 m3 vol., 96 400-W HPS lamps,
four 250 L NFT systems
– wheat, soybean, lettuce, potato, tomato
• Growth Chamber Studies:
– crop growth in nutrient film technique (NFT)
– crop growth under HID (HPS) lighting
– crop responses to CO2
4
Biomass Production Chamber (BPC)
5
BPC Crop Tests
6
Crop Productivity
7
Effect of Light (PAR) on Productivity and Crop Area
Requirements
30
120
25
Area
100
20
80
15
Productivity
60
10
40
20
5
0
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
PAR (mol m-2 day-1)
60
70
Productivity (g m-2 day-1)
Area Required (m2 / person)
140
80
8
Canopy (Stand) Gas Exchange
9
Canopy (Stand)
Gas Exchange
10
Canopy (Stand) Gas Exchange -- Ethylene
11
ALS Crop Testing--KSC
Ethylene Effects in Closed Systems
Potato
Wheat
12
ALS Crop Testing--KSC
Hydroponic Crop Production
13
ALS Crop Testing--KSC
Hydroponic Crop Production
14
ALS Crop Testing--KSC
Effects of Elevated CO2
8
400
Lettuce
7
Bean
Total DM
Edible DM
6
Total DM
Edible DM
300
4
Dry Mass (g tray-1)
Dry Mass (g plant-1)
5
3
2
1
cv. Waldmann's Green
7
Radish
6
200
cv. Etna
100
300
5
4
200
3
2
1
cv. Hystyle
100
cv. Giant White Globe
0
0
0
5000
10000
15000
CO2 Treatment (mol mol-1)
0
4000
8000
12000 16000
CO2 Treatment (mol mol-1)
15
ALS Crop Testing--KSC
Effects of Super-Elevated CO2
Soybean
Radish
16
ALS Candidate Crop Testing-KSC
Effects of
Elevated and
Super-Elevated
CO2
17
Effects of Spectral Quality
Electric Light Sources
CWF
HPS
LEDs
Microwave
18
Effects of Spectral Quality
Electric Light Sources
19
ALS Candidate Crop Testing—KSC
Crop Growth
Under
LED Lighting
Light Emitting Diodes
Red
+
+
+
+
-
Blue
good electric efficiency
long operating life *
no IR output
no Hg or arc discharge
narrow spectrum
Green
Photosynthesis
Phytochrome
Photomorphogenesis
Phototropism
Stomatal Control
Human Vision
Canopy Penetration ?
20
ALS Crop Testing--KSC
Potato Sensitivity to Daylength Extension
~ office lighting
Number of Tubers per m2
Norland
Russet Burbank
400
full moon
300
200
100
0
0
0.01
0.10
1.00
10.00
Night Irradiance Treatment (mol m-2 s-1)
21
Near-Term Opportunities
for Plants in Space—Intl. Space Station
22
ALS Candidate Crop Testing
Focus on ISS / Vehicle Systems
Crops suggested for testing for ISS and space flight systems:
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Carrot
- Green Onion
- Radish
- Tomato
- Pepper
- Strawberry
- Cabbage (includes: leafy Brassicas)
- Fresh Herbs (includes: Chives,
Basil, Mint, and Dill)
23
ALS Candidate Crop Testing
Focus on ISS / Vehicle Systems
Baseline test conditions to simulate conditions encountered on ISS
Temperature: 25C (constant)
Relative Humidity: 50% (constant)
Carbon Dioxide: 4000 ppm (0.4 kPa)
Photosynthetic Photon Flux: 300 mol m-2 s-1
Photoperiod: 16 h light / 8 h dark
Lamps: Cool-white fluorescent with clear polycarbonate barrier
Growing Medium: Arcillite (calcined clay chips; 1-2 mm) 5 cm deep
Nutrients: Osmocote Time-Release (14-14-14 N-P-K at 10 g / L)
Water Delivery: DI water through porous steel tubes in growing medium
Total Pressure: ~100 kPa
Oxygen Partial Pressure: ~21% (21 kPa)
24
New Focus – KSC
Smaller Systems, Supplemental Crops, Spaceflight Environments
• Radish, Onion, and Lettuce
– Tomato, Pepper, Strawberry (future testing)
• Space Flight Conditions
– Low-Moderate PPF
– Super-elevated CO2
– Water / nutrient delivery systems compatible
with -gravity
• Mixed Species Testing
25
ALS Candidate Crop Testing--KSC
Radish and
Onion Studies
26
Plant Watering Systems
for Spaceflight
27
Continued LED Studies…
effect of adding green light
ALS Candidate Crop Testing--KSC
Mars Greenhouse Low Pressure Systems
29
ALS Crop Testing--KSC
Mars Greenhouse Concepts – Low Pressure Systems
Advantages of low pressure:
16
Relative
Humidity
12
95%
65%
8
50%
4
0
0
25
50
75
Total Pressure (kPa)
100
Saturation Pressure (kPa)
Evaporation Rate (L m-2 d-1)
Reduced structural mass
Reduced gas leakage (and resupply)
Better plant growth?
5
30°C
4
25°C
3
2
15°C
1
0
0
20
40
60
80
100
Total Pressure (kPa)
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
Solar Collectors
for Crop Production
Buried Plant
Growth Chambers
Copyright Sadler Machine Co. 9/10/99
37
Inflatable Greenhouses
for Crop Production
Human
Habitat
Attached
Inflatable
Greenhouses
Composting
Facility
38
Copyright Sadler Machine Co. 9/10/99
Human
Habitat
Inflatable
Greenhouses
Composting
Facility
Copyright Sadler
Machine Co. 9/10/99
39
Psychological Effects of Plants in Space ?
 Fresh Foods
Colors
Texture
Flavor
 Bright Light
 Aromas
 Gardening
Activity
40
Agriculture for Space Life Support
Many Unanswered Questions !
 Continued Environmental / Horticulture Testing
• Light, CO2, Temperature, Pressure
 Select / Develop of Crops for the Constraints of Space
• Narrow light spectra, tolerance to high CO2, tolerance to low pressure, etc.
 Linking Crop Production Waste Processing Systems
• Use of gray water, sodium tolerance, NH4-N, food safety issues
 Improvement of Electric Lighting Systems
• Energy efficiency, thermal management, lumen maintenance, lamp life
 Mechanization / Automation to Reduce “Crew” Time
 Long-Duration Testing
• Reliability of biological systems, failure analysis, economic trades
 Human / Plant Interactions
• Fresh foods, bright light, plant aromas, humidity
41