The Role of Plants

in Space Exploration:

Some History and Background

Raymond M. Wheeler

NASA Exploration Research and Technology

Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA

raymond.m.wheeler@nasa.gov

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20160011463 2020-06-01T14:18:54+00:00Z

Human Life Support Requirements:

Source: NASA SPP 30262 Space Station ECLSS Architectural Control Document

Food assumed to be dry except for chemically-bound water.

Inputs

Daily (% total

Rqmt. mass)

Oxygen 0.83 kg 2.7%

Food 0.62 kg 2.0%

Water 3.56 kg 11.4%(drink and

food prep.)

Water 26.0 kg 83.9%(hygiene, flush

laundry, dishes)

TOTAL 31.0 kg

Outputs

Daily (% total

mass)

Carbon 1.00 kg 3.2%

dioxide

Metabolic 0.11 kg 0.35%

solids

Water 29.95 kg 96.5%(metabolic / urine 12.3%)

(hygiene / flush 24.7%)

(laundry / dish 55.7%)

(latent 3.6%)

TOTAL 31.0 kg

Functional Cargo Module (FGB)

Service Module

AirlockAtmosphere and User Gas Bottles

Node 1

Laboratory Module

P

Node 2

ESA

COF

JEM PM

Atmosphere Gas Bottles

Progress Module

International Space Station Life Support Systems

Metal Oxide

Carbon Dioxide Removal

Primary Temperature and Humidity Control

Water Storage

Trace Contaminant Control

Water Processing (P=Potable; H=Hygiene)

Urine Processing

Personal Hygiene Facility

Galley

Oxygen Generation

Vacuum SystemPressure Control Assembly

O2 Compressor

Air Save Compressor

Miscellaneous Equip: Fans, Valves, Filters, Smoke Detectors, Portable Fire Extinguishers

Oxygen Storage

Nitrogen Storage

Major Constituent Analyzer

LEGEND

P/H

Node 3Habitation Module

ATV

HTV

CAM (Zenith)

Not Shown

MPLM

Node 3 Nadir

CRV (not shown)

UDM DSM

Sabatier (scar)

Full Body

Cleanser

Source: Jim Reuter, NASA MSFC

food

(CH2O) + O2 CO2 + H2O

Clean Water Waste Water

Plants in Space for Life Support

HUMANSMetabolic

Energy

food

(CH2O) + O2* + H2O CO2 + 2H2O*

Clean Water Waste Water

PLANTS

Light

Bioregenerative Life Support

Early references:

• Greg, P. 1880. Across the zodiac. (recently reprinted by BiblioBazaar, 2006).

• Tsiolkovsky, K.E. 1926. Exploration of world space with rockets. Kaluga (In Russian).

• Ley, W. 1948. Rockets and space travel. The future of flight beyond the stratosphere. The Viking Press, New York, NY, US. 374 pages.

• Specht, H. 1952. Toxicology of travel in the aeropause. In: C.S. White and O.O. Benson (eds.) Physics and Medicine of the Upper Atmosphere, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.

• Bowman, N.J. 1953. The food and atmosphere control problem on space vessels. II. The use of algae for food and atmospheric control. J. British Interplanetary Soc. 12:159-167.

• Myers, J. 1954. Basic remarks on the use of plants as biological gas exchanges in a closed system. J. Aviation Medicine 25:407-411.

Joseph Priestley--1772 “Patron Saint” of

Bioregenerative Life Support ?

“ I have been so happy as by accident to hit upon a

method of restoring air, which has been injured by the

burning of candles and I have discovered at least one

of the restoratives...it is vegetation ”

“...when I first put a sprig of mint into a glass jar

standing inverted in a vessel of water; it had continued

growing for some months [and] I found that the air

would neither extinguish a candle, nor was it at all

inconvenient to a mouse...”

Bioregenerative Life Support Testing Around the World

1960 1980 2000

France Cadarache

US NASA

USSR Military

US Military

Russia - Inst. of Biophysics--IBP (Krasnoyarsk, Siberia)

Russia- Inst. for Biomedical Problems--IMPB (Moscow)

China Natl. Space Agency

University Studies (US, Europe, Japan, Canada)

European Space Agency MELISSA

NASA (CELSS) NASA (ALS) NASA (LSHS) AES/HDU

Japan Aerospace Lab.; Inst. Env. Sci. (IES); JAXA Chofu

Canada Univ. Guelph / CSA

Crop Considerations for Space

• High yielding and nutritious

• High harvest index (edible / total biomass)

• Horticultural considerations

– planting, watering, harvesting, pollination, propagation

• Environmental considerations

– lighting, temperature, mineral nutrition, CO2

• Processing requirements

• Dwarf or low growing types

• Cultural preferences for food

NASA’s Biomass Production Chamber (BPC)

Control Room

External View - Back

Hydroponic System

20 m2 growing area; 113 m3 vol.; 96 400-W HPS Lamps;

400 m3 min-1 air circulation; two 52-kW chillers

Wheat(Triticum aestivum)

planting

harvest

Soybean(Glycine max)

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

Potato(Solanum tuberosum)

Closed System CO2 Uptake / O2 Production(20 m2 Soybean Stand)

Wheeler. 1996. In: H. Suge

Plants in Space Biology.

High Yields from High Light and CO2 Enrichment

Wheat - 3-4 x World Record

Potato - 2 x World Record

Lettuce-Exceeded Commercial

Yield Models

Utah State

University

Univ. Wisconsin Biotron

NASA Kennedy

Space Center

Bubgee, and Salisbury. 1988. Plant Physiol; Wheeler et al. 1991. Crop Sci; Wheeler et al. 1994. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci.

Light, Productivity, and Crop Area Requirements

Light (mol m-2 day-1)

Are

a R

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uir

ed

(m

2/ p

ers

on

)

Pro

du

cti

vit

y (

g m

-2d

ay

-1)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

ProductivityArea

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Bright SunnyDay on Mars

Wheeler. 2004. Acta Hort.

Integrated Testing with Humans

→ One Human and 11 m2 of Wheat !

Nigel Packham, NASA Johnson

Space Center

Metrics for Assessing Space Life Support Technologies

• Mass

• Power

• Volume

• Crew Time

• Concept of Equivalent System Mass or ESM

“Intangible” Aspects of Plants in Remote Environments; Biophilia?(Photo from US South Pole Plant Chamber)

Novel Crops for Space

Dwarf plums with over-expressed

FT flowering gene (USDA / ARS)

Current Estimates for Plants and Life

Support (for one person)

• < 5 m2 for drinking and hygiene water

• 20 - 25 m2 for O2 requirements and CO2 removal

• 40 - 50 m2 for food (2500 kcal day-1)

A “Priestley Experiment” on Mars?

Technical Challenges:•Efficient Lighting Concepts

•Optimized Water and Nutrient Management

•Mechanization and Automation

•Improved Crops for Space Settings

How do we get started?•International Space Station

•Cis-Lunar or Mars Transit Vehicles

•Lunar Outposts

•Mars Outposts

•Autonomous Space Colonies

Thank You !

• Kennedy Space Center

Florida