Could life in solar system complicate space settlement?

I do not believe that it is possible to separate breathable air and
agriculture.

John Wayne Smith

In a message dated 4/16/2012 9:53:20 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
sraj99@... writes:

Come to think of it, providing breathable air in the space hab should be
separated from food production. Best to plant trees for the former purpose.
There should be sufficient margin - say 10.

Also, if we don't know how to create viable biospheres we should not be
venturing out in space. Breathable air is not the only issue, we need to
have a guaranteed way of producing food, or we are going to starve
ourselves.

Regards,
Selvaraj

On 16 April 2012 15:01, sraj wrote:

> When plants and animals are grown for food production, their bi-products
> should be sufficient to support the biosphere. Heavy industrial processes
> will be needed only as back up (especially in small space habs). The
> ultimate craftsmanship will be to produce a system which supports
itself,
> like the conditions we have on planet earth.
>
> It is good to keep in mind that humans are still to figure out what
makes
> a natural forest so productive. It is not just the plants themselves,
there
> is huge synergy between all types of plants and animals and lower forms
of
> life in the ecosystem.
>
> In a household compound I know of, with minimum of effort there were good
> crops of mangoes and coconuts. The mango leaves littered the compound
and
> provided the conditions for growth of these plants. Recently there was a
> change in management of the compound, with a new owner deciding to rake
the
> leaves (they looked untidy), which he used to cultivate plantains. He
gets