TY - GEN
T1 - Review and perspectives of plant cultivation facilities and technologies for space exploration
AU - Lobascio, Cesare
AU - Boscheri, Giorgio
AU - Lamantea, Matteo
AU - De Pascale, Stefania
AU - Giacomelli, Gene
AU - Sadler, Phil
AU - Wheeler, Ray
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Future habitation of space will necessitate engineering of complex systems capable of performing critical tasks for life support, including atmosphere revitalization, water purification and food production. Bio-regenerative Life Support Systems represent an integrated solution to these problems, with higher plants cultivation facilities as a key element capable of providing a variable percentage of the astronauts' diet. A Food Complement Unit is a potential solution for providing fresh crops and dietary supplements for the crew on the International Space Station (ISS) and future space exploration vehicles. Larger greenhouses are envisaged on planetary surfaces for longer missions, providing percentages of astronauts' diet up to 40 - 50%. Safe, sustainable and reliable operations of such systems in their relevant environment, mission and associated spacecraft is challenging and requiring an organized technological development approach. Critical subsystems necessitating further technological development include: Nutrient Delivery System - with root zone interactions, multi-phase flows, bio-contamination issues, and optimization of growth substrates Plant Illumination System - with associated high energy consumption, to be reduced via alternative light delivery strategies and technologies - Air Management - featuring trace contaminants removal, gas exchange with the crew quarters Exploitation of the ISS and of Earth analogues are opportunities to be pursued for such critical technologies demonstration, to provide a solid baseline for exploration architectural studies. This paper reports a brief summary of existing plant growth facilities, a review of the most critical plant production technologies and a roadmap for necessary further developments, focusing on the potential of ISS and of Earth analogues exploitation for their demonstration.
AB - Future habitation of space will necessitate engineering of complex systems capable of performing critical tasks for life support, including atmosphere revitalization, water purification and food production. Bio-regenerative Life Support Systems represent an integrated solution to these problems, with higher plants cultivation facilities as a key element capable of providing a variable percentage of the astronauts' diet. A Food Complement Unit is a potential solution for providing fresh crops and dietary supplements for the crew on the International Space Station (ISS) and future space exploration vehicles. Larger greenhouses are envisaged on planetary surfaces for longer missions, providing percentages of astronauts' diet up to 40 - 50%. Safe, sustainable and reliable operations of such systems in their relevant environment, mission and associated spacecraft is challenging and requiring an organized technological development approach. Critical subsystems necessitating further technological development include: Nutrient Delivery System - with root zone interactions, multi-phase flows, bio-contamination issues, and optimization of growth substrates Plant Illumination System - with associated high energy consumption, to be reduced via alternative light delivery strategies and technologies - Air Management - featuring trace contaminants removal, gas exchange with the crew quarters Exploitation of the ISS and of Earth analogues are opportunities to be pursued for such critical technologies demonstration, to provide a solid baseline for exploration architectural studies. This paper reports a brief summary of existing plant growth facilities, a review of the most critical plant production technologies and a roadmap for necessary further developments, focusing on the potential of ISS and of Earth analogues exploitation for their demonstration.
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M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84883532252
SN - 9781622769797
T3 - Proceedings of the International Astronautical Congress, IAC
SP - 565
EP - 572
BT - 63rd International Astronautical Congress 2012, IAC 2012
T2 - 63rd International Astronautical Congress 2012, IAC 2012
Y2 - 1 October 2012 through 5 October 2012
ER -