Mars Life Systems

Río Negro | Have seeds will travel!

Deployable Aeroponic Greenhouse

High-Level Project Summary

I developed a deployable greenhouse that doesnt take a lot of space inside the transport vehicle in the initial steps of the mission but that it can be deployed in Mars or inside the transport vehicle when the crew is coming back to Earth .

Link to Project "Demo"

https://youtu.be/ZCduYgB_gvY

Link to Final Project

https://view.genial.ly/615a411fa629b00dcc93033e/presentation-deployable-aeroponic-greenhouse

Detailed Project Description

HIGH-LEVEL PROJECT SUMMARY

I have developed a deployable greenhouse that uses small space inside the spaceship in the initial steps of the mission, but that can be deployed on Mars or inside the spaceship when the crew comes back to Earth.

DETAILED PROJECT DESCRIPTION

What exactly does it do?

The system allows a crew of 4 to grow edible crops on Mars or on the spaceship while they are returning to Earth from Mars.

How does it work?

This system is inspired by NASA's low-mass Inflatable Aeroponics System (AIS). The main difference is that the system is semi-rigid with rigid walls on each end, while the side walls and entry chamber are inflatable. It works by spraying a mist of water and nutrients into a plant's roots via a special high-pressure nozzle, aiming to achieve mist particles within the range of 5 to 50 microns.

The system is composed of three rows with horizontal tubes arranged one above each other with thirty to forty centimeters between each of the tubes, like shelves. The LED lights for the tube below will be located outside each tube. Inside each tube, in the bottom, there is a line that carries water with the nutrients already dissolved in it. The high-pressure nozzles are also connected to this line. Inside this tube is where the roots of the plants will grow.

To avoid water from clumping or sticking to the roots the high-pressure nozzles will apply the mist from one side of the root trying to displace the water to one side of the tube every time the nozzles activate. In the end where the water is moving to the horizontal tubes will be connected to a vertical one. At the bottom of the vertical tube will be a high-airflow fan aiming at it's other end achieving a and airflow which will help to pump the mist of of the horizontal tubes into a reservoir at the top of the system. A similar method is going to be used to move the water from the plant's transpiration.

At the top of the system a Swirl Flow Separator will be located. I will separate the water from the air. Allowing the water with nutrients to be used again in the system and the air to be pumped back to the transport vehicle.

Heating will be managed by two electric heaters, one on each end of the system, and also the mist applied to the roots will also be thermally regulated by a separate electric water heater. Once the plants have been harvested the roots of the plant can be placed with other residue in an anaerobic digester. The methane created would be burned for heating of the system and to reduce the electric load. The CO2 generated by burning the methane will be stored and then pumped back at the system when needed.

There will be an array of sensors located close to the roots of each plant and also around other points of the system. The sensors are meant to relay information back to a control unit which will be in charge of adjusting most of the parameters like: O2, CO2, humidity, temperature and light. This will give the system a good level of autonomy.

What benefits does it have?

The benefits of this system are:

Low use of water due to the method used for cultivating.
Capable of reusing water from the system
Deployable inside the transport vehicle, on a martian station or back here on Earth with minimal modifications.
Capable of being shielded from radiation with an exterior cover that can be mounted from the rigid walls of the system.
Lower volume than a fully-rigid system while stored or in transport.

What do you hope to achieve?

I am aiming to develop a system that incorporates research and experimentation from as many fields as possible while maintaining a relation with each other. The system should require little maintenance from the crew and also be capable of growing fresh food to help with crew nutrition and their mental health on their way back from Mars.