Lunar Greenhouse-Colonizing the Moon-
As global warming threatens to melt ice caps and we struggle to find renewable fuels, many are hoping that space will be humanity's next frontier. But since possible habitats—like Mars or the moon—lack Earth's climate conditions, humans will require many new technologies to adapt to strange conditions. Recognizing this challenge, researchers at the University of Arizona's Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC) have created a "lunar greenhouse" that could be used to grow plants on the moon, on other planets and even in large cities on Earth.
The greenhouse prototype measures 18 feet long but can be collapsed down to a 4-foot-wide disk for easy storage during travel. It contains water-cooled vapor sodium lamps and long envelopes containing seeds. Since the moon lacks the Earth's rich soil, the scientists have been experimenting with plants that can grow in only water—a process known as hydroponic growth. Plants that can be hydroponically grown include potatoes, peanuts, tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables.
"We can deploy the module and have the water flowing to the lamps in just 10 minutes," Phil Sadler, president of Sadler Machine, which built the prototype module, said in a statement. "About 30 days later, you have vegetables."
The greenhouse will be self-operating, relying on robotlike components. Sensors will collect data from plants, and algorithms will monitor progress.
"We want the system to operate itself," said Murat Kacira, an associate professor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Arizona. "However, we're also trying to devise a remote decision-support system that would allow an operator on Earth to intervene. The system can build its own analysis and predictions, but we want to have access to the data and the control system."
In the team's design, tubes of underground greenhouses would connect to the lunar bases in which people live. Unlike traditional greenhouses, which capture sunlight, the lunar greenhouse would shield the plants from the sun's unfiltered rays. The module would be stored underground to limit exposure to deadly solar flares, micrometeorites and cosmic rays. Natural light would be collected and delivered to the crops through fiber-optic cables
The greenhouse is an example of a Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS), a system that uses plants and microbes to provide support for a lunar crew. In addition to producing food, the system would need to recycle atmosphere, water and organic solid waste. According to the CEAC team, NASA estimates that a lunar base could be sustained by a BLSS providing 50 percent of the crew's caloric intake, with 50 percent supplied from Earth.
Many of the technologies used in the lunar greenhouse are already in use here on Earth. The South Pole Growth Chamber, which has been operating for six years, provides fresh food to the U.S. South Pole Station in Antarctica.
In addition to creating extraterrestrial habitats, the research could lead to various applications for Earth dwellers.
"On another planet, you need to minimize your labor, recycle all you can and operate as efficiently as possible," Principal Investigator and CEAC Director Gene Giacomelli told Space.com. "All that we learn from the life support system in the prototype lunar greenhouse can be applied right here on Earth."
The scientists feel the research can be especially useful for growing crops underground in large urban centers.
"There's great interest in providing locally grown, fresh food in cities, for growing food right where masses of people are living," Giacomelli said. "It's the idea of growing high-quality fresh food that only has to be transported very short distances. There also would be a sense of agriculture returning to the everyday lives of urban dwellers. I think that idea is as exciting as establishing plant colonies on the moon."
The greenhouse prototype measures 18 feet long but can be collapsed down to a 4-foot-wide disk for easy storage during travel. It contains water-cooled vapor sodium lamps and long envelopes containing seeds. Since the moon lacks the Earth's rich soil, the scientists have been experimenting with plants that can grow in only water—a process known as hydroponic growth. Plants that can be hydroponically grown include potatoes, peanuts, tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables.
"We can deploy the module and have the water flowing to the lamps in just 10 minutes," Phil Sadler, president of Sadler Machine, which built the prototype module, said in a statement. "About 30 days later, you have vegetables."
The greenhouse will be self-operating, relying on robotlike components. Sensors will collect data from plants, and algorithms will monitor progress.
"We want the system to operate itself," said Murat Kacira, an associate professor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Arizona. "However, we're also trying to devise a remote decision-support system that would allow an operator on Earth to intervene. The system can build its own analysis and predictions, but we want to have access to the data and the control system."
In the team's design, tubes of underground greenhouses would connect to the lunar bases in which people live. Unlike traditional greenhouses, which capture sunlight, the lunar greenhouse would shield the plants from the sun's unfiltered rays. The module would be stored underground to limit exposure to deadly solar flares, micrometeorites and cosmic rays. Natural light would be collected and delivered to the crops through fiber-optic cables
The greenhouse is an example of a Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS), a system that uses plants and microbes to provide support for a lunar crew. In addition to producing food, the system would need to recycle atmosphere, water and organic solid waste. According to the CEAC team, NASA estimates that a lunar base could be sustained by a BLSS providing 50 percent of the crew's caloric intake, with 50 percent supplied from Earth.
Many of the technologies used in the lunar greenhouse are already in use here on Earth. The South Pole Growth Chamber, which has been operating for six years, provides fresh food to the U.S. South Pole Station in Antarctica.
In addition to creating extraterrestrial habitats, the research could lead to various applications for Earth dwellers.
"On another planet, you need to minimize your labor, recycle all you can and operate as efficiently as possible," Principal Investigator and CEAC Director Gene Giacomelli told Space.com. "All that we learn from the life support system in the prototype lunar greenhouse can be applied right here on Earth."
The scientists feel the research can be especially useful for growing crops underground in large urban centers.
"There's great interest in providing locally grown, fresh food in cities, for growing food right where masses of people are living," Giacomelli said. "It's the idea of growing high-quality fresh food that only has to be transported very short distances. There also would be a sense of agriculture returning to the everyday lives of urban dwellers. I think that idea is as exciting as establishing plant colonies on the moon."
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