Aether

https://prezi.com/view/zlqhwpD45MlogYY6cbFZ/

https://www.tinkercad.com/things/hYIFwdbjk6u-copy-of-space-apps/edit?sharecode=XBsdCCSlnoOpksIVSfRSRBdRm8aopQFlUOaStvWG8Xo

Imec system that we use for agriculture aims at multi-layered production. The layers consist of a thin plastic film that is made of polypropylene or polyethylene,[2] an anti-grass sheet, a waterproof sheet, a lower drip tube, nonwoven fabric, hydro membrane, for strawberry, and melon about 1 cm depth of artificial soil which is set on the hydro membrane, the foamed PS board with planting holes, the upper drip tube and lastly mulching film.[1]

Possible systems as an agricultural system were the IMEC system and the hydroponic agricultural system. The logic of the Hydroponic gardening system is farming only with water. This method has many advantages such as faster growth of plants, growing more plants in fewer areas, the continuity of water cycle without stopping, the plants that hinder and make agriculture inefficient are blocked. However, the fact that it is costly requires more care than usual, and some problems such as a disease transmitted to one of the plants can spread very quickly and easily to all plants makes it difficult to use this system,[3] so we decided that the system that we will use is IMEC system.

For agriculture to be done, first, there must be seeds. As a result of our research, we have concluded that the most suitable plants that we can use are melons[12], and strawberries. At the same time, we will use blue-green algae, in other words, Cyanobacteria, which is one of the main oxygen producers of our planet, to balance the CO2 level that these plants will use. Since this type of algae is also edible,[6] we will use it as a second food source by cutting it when it grows too much.[4]

Based on a terrarium logic, we used 3 layers of glass in our design in the form of a closing bell. These are the interior pressure pane, optical pane, and thermal pane. We use aluminosilicate glass for the thermal pane, which is the outermost layer. Aluminosilicate glass is highly resistant to high heat, scratches, and chemicals.[10] Its thermal conductivity is (at 20°C) 0.91 - 1.1 W/(m·K) and its coefficient of thermal expansion is 9.8x10-6 1/K (at 300°C).İts glass transition temperature is between 620°C and 790°C. İts annealing temperature is up to 800°C and its softening temperature can reach up to 1010°C. We used quartz glass/fused silica in another layer for the optical pane, which is the pane of the agricultural area that we designed to withstand the conditions both inside and outside the shuttle. The advantages are resistance to thermal shock and chemicals, low coefficient of expansion, excellent electrical insulation qualities, and resistance to radiation.[7] Its thermal conductivity is (at 20°C) 1.38 W/(m·K) and its coefficient of thermal expansion is 5.0 × 10 -7 / °C. İts softening temperature is 1600 °C and its annealing temperature is 1100°C. For the pressure pane, which is the last layer, we used fused silica again.

While designing the rotating mechanism, we aimed to create a stabilizing force similar to gravity by rotating a plate on which we will put the plants in the terrarium. For this rotation action, we placed gear to the end of the rod which is connected to the bottom of the plate, and placed another gear connected to the motor opposite this gear, so that the plate on which the plants are located will rotate easily and create an artificial gravity field with the help of the principle of inertia. In this way, the plants and the terrarium will continue to function easily without falling apart. We created an algorithm that measures the gravity of the environment. As the gravitational force decreases, it will increase the rotational speed, keeping the G-force constant at all times. We installed a solar panel system to supply the energy of the engine system of the design. We've also added a spare battery, just in case. These solar panels will be placed perpendicular to the sunrise and sunset directions, and 3 of them will face east with a 45° pitch and 3 will face west at the same angle.

The design consists of three parts: algae tank, solar panels, and terrarium. The terrarium is placed in the middle of the algae tank and solar panels are on top of the algae tank, so we can take the algae tank as the main part. The algae chamber is a box surrounded by glass and tecapeek plastic on all four sides. 75% of this box is filled with water so that we can grow algae. We decided that algae were the most suitable living thing to produce, both to provide an oxygen cycle and to be used as food when it is dried. There is a geoid-shaped terrarium in the middle of the algae chamber. Inside the terrarium, there is an artificial gravity zone (AGZ). The artificial gravity zone is connected to a gear system. The motor in the gear system is connected to the lower box by a thick cable. The box is located under the algae tank and acts as a center where all the cables are connected. This box is also connected to solar panels.  There is a Pressure Balancing Access Zone (PBAZ) that is connected to the terrarium so that the foods in the terrarium can be collected. When the person who wants to take the food from inside puts his hand on the PBAZ and waits for a few seconds, the pressure is balanced and the door to the terrarium opens so that he can reach the plant that he wants from inside the terrarium. We put PBAZ on both sides so that it is possible to reach from both sides. For the oxygen produced by the algae to reach the upper part of the terrarium, holes are placed in the part between the algae chamber and the terrarium.

Design dimensions:

- Cable Box: Base: 171.92 cm x

182.52 cm Height: 7.53 cm

- Algae Chamber: Base: 171.92 cm x

175.22 cm Height: 52.70 cm

- Terrarium: -Because it is in geoid shape- Horizontal diameter:

128 cm Vertical Diameter: 118.91 cm

- Pressure Balancing Access Zone (PBAZ):

-Base: 29.20 x 38.68 Height: 22.59

- Solar Panels: Base: 35.82 x 42.34 Height: 27.11

- Battery: Base: 31.52 x 13.14

-Height: 66.27

The Algorithm for Rotation Mechaznism:

1 Start

2 Run the G sensor

3 Activate the motor driver

4 Fetch data from sensor per 0.1 second

5 If data>g (gravitational force of the Earth) increase the driver signal

6 Is data = g? If not, return to step 5

7 If data>g decrease the driver signal and return to step 5

8 Keep the program running until it is stopped with intervention and return to step 5

Frazier, S. (2015). Real Martians: How to protect astronauts from space radiation on Mars. Date of Access: 14 September 2021, https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/real-martians-how-to-protect-astronauts-from-space-radiation-on-mars

Date of Access:22 September 2021, https://www.nasa.gov/johnson/HWHAP/radiation-shielding (2018).

Date of Access:20 September 2021, https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/audio/ep75_radiation_shielding.mp3

Date of Access:22 September 2021, https://www.nasa.gov/johnson/HWHAP/hazard-1-radiation (2018).

Date of Access:22 September 2021, https://www.nasa.gov/johnson/HWHAP/space-weather/ (2018).

Date of Access:30 September 2021, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/webcasts/shuttle/sts113/processing-qa.html (2007).

We supported each other throughout our entire hackathon journey. We have learned to be a team and always support the members of this team, to cover each other's mistakes despite the difficulty of working as a team. No one on our team was alone. Everyone had a duty set according to their interests. As with every project, we also had problems with our project. We have never given up. We want to thank all the mentors and local leaders who have supported us from social networks such as discord throughout our entire journey. In addition, we especially would like to thank our physics teacher Erkan Teacher, who is always with us and does not spare his support.

[1] Cirillo, G., Spizziri, U. G., Iemma, F. (2015). Functional Polymers in Food Science: From Technology to Biology, Volume 2: Food Processing. New Jersey:Wiley-Scrivener Publishing, s.39-45.

[2] Mori, Y.. [TEDx Talks]. (2021, May 21). Soil-free agriculture [English]: Yuichi Mori at TEDxTokyo. Date of Access: 17 Sepember 2021 https://youtu.be/XWUt6hT_8Lo.

[3] https://greendiary.com/good-bad-ugly-hydroponic-gardening.html Date of Access: 17 September 2021

[4] Kusby, A. (October 2017). A simple guide to eating algae. Date of Access: 1 October 2021, https://gardencollage.com/nourish/farm-to-table/simple-guide-eating-algae/ .

[5] Shapley, P., (2010). Cyanobacteria and the formation of oxygen. Date of Access: 1 October 2021, http://butane.chem.uiuc.edu/pshapley/environmental/l30/1.html . 

[6] Kooienga, M. (2018). What is algae and should you eat it?. Date of Access: 1 October 2021, https://nutritionstripped.com/algae-nutrition-health-benefits/ .

[7] Properties of fused silica. Date of Access: 30 September 2021, https://www.heraeus.com/en/hca/fused_silica_quartz_knowledge_base_1/properties_1/properties_hca.html .

[8]Date of Access: 30 September 2021, https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=4766 (2009).

[9] All about aluminosilicate glass - What you need to know. Date of Access: 18 September 2021, https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/plant-facility-equipment/aluminosilicate-glass/ .

[10] Aluminosilicate glass: properties, production and applications. Date of Access: 19 September 2021, https://matmatch.com/learn/material/aluminosilicate-glass .

[11] Fused silica material properties. Date of Access: 1 October 2021, https://www.translume.com/resources/item/186-fused-silica-material-properties .

[12] Barros, V. S., Figueirêdo, M. C. B., Potting, J., Kroeze, C. (May 2013). The carbon footprint of exported Brazilian yellow melon. Journal of Cleaner Production, 47, 404–414 DOI:10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.09.015

#gravity #algae #agriculture #space #food #greenfood #spacefarming

This project has been submitted for consideration during the Judging process.