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  ceac : research : south pole chamber project : Photo
 

Mars Inflatable Greenhouse
Mars Inflatable Greenhouse
 

If 50% of the crew food requirement is met with crop production in space, 100% of the air revitalization and water revitalization can be met. Crop production in space is one enabling technology that NASA Advanced Life Support (ALS) has been working to develop for future mission architecture development. Most data utilized for mission planning is based on data collected from conventional growth chambers and greenhouses. The goal of this Mars Inflatable Greenhouse effort will be to generate data with a higher mission fidelity than what has previously been available. This will be achieved by trying to reproduce the light intensity levels that occur on Mars, use a structure that conceivable could be used on the Martian surface, and establish an Equivalent System Mass number for this effort (citation Alan Drysdale).


This Mars Inflatable Greenhouse is covered with conventional greenhouse poly, and outside air is circulated throughout for ventilation. Within the test room, water jacketed HPS and MH lighting will reproduWce the PAR light intensity that will be available on the Martian surface. Crops grown in the Mars Inflatable Greenhouse utilizes hydroponic Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) growing systems with the plants suspended in bags, this is termed Cable Culture. The extreme pressure differential between a Mars Greenhouse interior pressure of 5 psi., and an outside pressure of almost zero, the two aluminum end frameworks are stretched extremely tight, and the plants are suspended on cables from these frames.  
 
Lunar Greenhouse
Lunar Greenhouse
 


A future Lunar Base, to escape micro-meteorite bombardment and space radiation, would need to be buried by a meter of Lunar regolith (lunar soil). In order to produce crops, either artificial lighting or concentrated natural light would need to be provided to the Lunar Greenhouse. Pictured is a NASA supported effort that utilized a Himawari (LaForet Engineering) light concentrator that focuses on a fiber-optic cable, which in turn brought the concentrated light below the surface, to a growth chamber and plants. This fiber-optic lighting system is also a viable plant lighting system for the International Space Station and the Mars Transit Vehicle.
 
 
 
ceac : research : south pole chamber project : Photo
 

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