OrbHab Paper
Plant Growth Optimization by Vegetable Production System in HI-SEAS Analog Habitat (2017)
ID: 404 Flag Paper
Title: Plant Growth Optimization by Vegetable Production System in HI-SEAS Analog Habitat
Authors: J. Ehrlich, G. Massa, R. Wheeler, T. Gill, C. Quincy, L. Roberson, K. Binsted, R. Morrow
Journal Name: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Year of Publication: 2017
Page Number:
Category: biosphere
Availability: pdf
Detail Page: /papers/404
Web Link: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20170007809/downloads/20170007809.pdf
BoK Link: [[paper:404]]
Abstract
The Vegetable Production System (Veggie) is a scientific payload designed to support plantgrowth for food production under microgravity conditions. The configuration of Veggieconsists of an LED lighting system with modular rooting “pillows” designed to containsubstrate media and time-release fertilizer. The pillows were designed to be watered passivelyusing capillary principles but have typically been watered manually by the astronauts in low-Earth orbit (LEO). The design of Veggie allows cabin air to be drawn through the plantenclosure for thermal and humidity control and for supplying CO2 to the plants. Since itsdelivery to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2014, Veggie has undergone severalexperimental trials by various crews. Ground unit testing of Veggie was conducted during an8-month Mars analog study in a semi-contained environment of a simulated habitat located atapproximately 8,200 feet (2,500 m) elevation on the Mauna Loa volcano on the Island ofHawai’i. The Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) offeredconditions (habitat, mission, communications, etc.) intended to simulate a planetaryexploration mission. This paper provides data and analyses to show the prospect for optimizeduse of the current Veggie design for human habitats. Lessons learned during the study mayprovide opportunities for updating the system design and operational parameters for currentVeggie experiments being conducted onboard the ISS and for payloads on future deep spacemissions.
Title: Plant Growth Optimization by Vegetable Production System in HI-SEAS Analog Habitat
Authors: J. Ehrlich, G. Massa, R. Wheeler, T. Gill, C. Quincy, L. Roberson, K. Binsted, R. Morrow
Journal Name: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Year of Publication: 2017
Page Number:
Category: biosphere
Availability: pdf
Detail Page: /papers/404
Web Link: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20170007809/downloads/20170007809.pdf
BoK Link: [[paper:404]]
Abstract
The Vegetable Production System (Veggie) is a scientific payload designed to support plantgrowth for food production under microgravity conditions. The configuration of Veggieconsists of an LED lighting system with modular rooting “pillows” designed to containsubstrate media and time-release fertilizer. The pillows were designed to be watered passivelyusing capillary principles but have typically been watered manually by the astronauts in low-Earth orbit (LEO). The design of Veggie allows cabin air to be drawn through the plantenclosure for thermal and humidity control and for supplying CO2 to the plants. Since itsdelivery to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2014, Veggie has undergone severalexperimental trials by various crews. Ground unit testing of Veggie was conducted during an8-month Mars analog study in a semi-contained environment of a simulated habitat located atapproximately 8,200 feet (2,500 m) elevation on the Mauna Loa volcano on the Island ofHawai’i. The Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) offeredconditions (habitat, mission, communications, etc.) intended to simulate a planetaryexploration mission. This paper provides data and analyses to show the prospect for optimizeduse of the current Veggie design for human habitats. Lessons learned during the study mayprovide opportunities for updating the system design and operational parameters for currentVeggie experiments being conducted onboard the ISS and for payloads on future deep spacemissions.