Awards & Nominations
HEX has received the following awards and nominations. Way to go!
Global Nominee
Hex System
High-Level Project Summary
We developed a modular smart growing system, which will allow the crew to plant on Mars.Through a modular design, stackable, resistant to the conditions of Mars, and practical.We provide the solution to the feeding of a crew of 4-6 people, focusing on vitamins and nutritional contributions under the selected crops.We approach this challenge under a modular concept, easy to implement and that compromises the crew's time as little as possible so that they can focus on their assigned tasks for the mission.The system has an intelligent terrarium, an intelligent power distributor and unions that allow with solar energy to have crops in production on Mars
Link to Project "Demo"
Link to Final Project
Detailed Project Description
Nutrition plays a key role in maintaining the health and optimal performance of astronauts before, during, and after spaceflight. Food flown on-orbit is not only required to be nutritious, but also must be appetizing, since it plays a critical social and psychological role during an astronaut's mission. 1
At present, the Space Food Systems team is required to meet the nutritional needs of each crew member while adhering to the requirements of food safety, limited storage space, limited preparation options, and the difficulties of eating in microgravity. Crew members have the opportunity to supplement a few of their standard menu choices with commercial off-the-shelf items or personal favorites which provide them comfort while away from home. 1
However, pre-packaged food won't be a solution for long-duration and exploration-class missions. When crews venture further into space, traveling for months or years without resupply shipments, the vitamins in prepackaged form break down over time, which presents a problem for astronaut health.
Advanced Plant Habit (APH)
The Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) is a growth chamber on station for plant research. It uses LED lights and a porous clay substrate with controlled release fertilizer to deliver water, nutrients and oxygen to the plant roots 2
This system differs from the Vegetable Production System (Veggie) since it is enclosed and automated with cameras and more than 180 sensors that are in constant interactive contact with a team on Earth at Kennedy Space Center. Its water recovery and distribution, atmosphere content, moisture levels and temperature are all automated. Compare to Veggie, it has more colors of LED lights including red, green, blue, white, far red and even infrared to allow nighttime imaging 2
We designed a modular system capable of deploying individual pots where a crop will be planted, grown and harvested. This pots will act as an enclosed environment for the crop to get the right temperature, light, humidity level, air flow, water and fertilizers. Both water and fertilizers will be injected through a vascular system integrated in the pots, reaching the points where the plant can access to them through wicking (similar as Veggie does). X
The purpose of this design is to make the most of the available space of the vehicle. We visualize that at the beginning of the journey, most of the stowage space will be occupied by prepackaged food, and a little space will have our HEX pots un-assembled. While the crew eats the food, the space from the prepackaged food will be free, so the astronauts will be deploying the HEX pots in that space and planting the crops. This will keep a continuous food production system even when the prepackaged food finally depletes.
Space Agency Data
https://www.nasa.gov/content/space-food-systems
https://www.nasa.gov/content/growing-plants-in-space
https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/2016/04/08/veg-03-plant-pillows-readied-at-kennedy-space-center-for-trip-to-space-station/
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/veggie_fact_sheet_508.pdf
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opag-2017-0002/html
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228484167_Plants_for_human_life_support_in_space_From_Myers_to_Mars
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/Giving_Roots_and_Shoots_Their_Space_APH
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/astronauts-harvest-radish-crop-on-international-space-station
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/Giving_Roots_and_Shoots_Their_Space_APH
https://www.space.com/meat-grown-in-space-station-bioprinter-first.html
https://www.zerogk.space/space-oven
Hackathon Journey
Like last year it was an opportunity to solve a real problem, like every day in the lives of engineers, but in space. We feel lucky to be part of this new challenge!
References
https://www.nasa.gov/content/space-food-systems
https://www.nasa.gov/content/growing-plants-in-space
https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/2016/04/08/veg-03-plant-pillows-readied-at-kennedy-space-center-for-trip-to-space-station/
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/veggie_fact_sheet_508.pdf
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opag-2017-0002/html
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228484167_Plants_for_human_life_support_in_space_From_Myers_to_Mars
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/Giving_Roots_and_Shoots_Their_Space_APH
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/astronauts-harvest-radish-crop-on-international-space-station
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/Giving_Roots_and_Shoots_Their_Space_APH
https://www.aleph-farms.com/aleph-zero
https://www.space.com/meat-grown-in-space-station-bioprinter-first.html
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Preparing_for_the_Future/Discovery_and_Preparation/ESA_investigates_cultured_meat_as_novel_space_food
Tags
agriculture hex food mars solar power engineering
Global Judging
This project has been submitted for consideration during the Judging process.