Space Discovery: Seeds Mission

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ogZoBFescBmSgy5Qr1hFTAcTO4_VkwAy/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118259164337162890607&rtpof=true&sd=true

https://walterm128.github.io/spaceapp2021/

GENERAL STRUCTURE OF THE SYSTEM:

• Materials used are aerospace alloys.
• Reel width: 0,421m
• Height, width and length of chamber: 0.5m X 0.5m X variable length.
• Height, width and length of electronics: 0.3m X 0.5m X 0.6m
• Electronics module at the top.
• Radiation / Protection: has radiation protection material such as polyurethane. It is a textile product, it can be enclosed in molds and shaped into specific spacecraft components". And since it is a derivative of polyethylene, it is also an excellent radiation shield.

It grows seeds for the generation of various plants needed to supplement the diet of a crew of 4-6 astronauts to be implemented in interplanetary travel.

It operates largely autonomously, with minimal human intervention and low maintenance because of the combination of technologies already known as AI/ML adapted to this need.

Its shape contemplates the possibility of being stowable and embeddable depending on the available storage space.

The System has 4 main sections. These are:

• Deployable growth chamber.
• Pre-seeded deployable reel.
• Electronic control and monitoring system.
• Fluid recovery system.

The growth chamber is deployed remotely, but can also be deployed manually. The length of deployment is variable depending on the available space, having a maximum allowed of 1.5m, which would be the equivalent of three times its initial size.

It is built with light materials and its main component is a transparent bellows that allows to see the crop at every moment.

It is a controlled and monitored atmosphere space as described below. Capable of utilizing the available space.

Inside, an automatically deployable pre-seeding reel operates.

It is made up of compartments containing packets of biodegradable pressed peats with their respective seeds and nutrients. These compartments are interconnected by an autonomous irrigation system.

The cultivation surface varies with the length of the chamber and the available space. It allows for a continuous supply, taking advantage of the space available when consuming feed rations. The reel can always continue to advance in the chamber by unfolding as it is harvested, thus maintaining a constant production of fresh, vitamin-rich food.

Once harvesting is complete, it is wound back onto a second recovery reel. This can be reused by replacing each cell then incorporating a new pack of peat with seeds. This allows it to be recycled as fertilizer for future crops, thus achieving minimum waste generation.

The system has sensors for monitoring and telemetry, which allows it to operate autonomously and thus maintain the optimal state of the crops.

The main elements to achieve this function are: temperature, light, humidity, CO2 and O2 sensors, and others.

A Machine Learning is in charge of monitoring the color of the plants to determine their health and identify them spatially using QR codes. If the system detects any anomaly in any of the crops, the crew will be alerted by an alarm.

This data is displayed in a simple and organized way from a mobile device (tablet), which also allows the crew to take the actions they deem appropriate.

The last stage of the system is composed by the following components:

• H2O recovery tank and irrigation system. ( by condensation)
• CO2 and O2 regulator.
• Drain system.
• Air filtration system.
• Lighting system: this must be of bluish colors and it is the one that promotes the photosynthesis of the plants.

This innovative system provides many benefits we can list the following:

• The system requires minimal crew intervention, being practically autonomous, being minimized until the moment of harvesting, or in case of alarm.
• Its maintenance is practically zero, as well as cleaning.
• Another very important point is that the plants will have positive psychological effects, as they will help the astronauts to relax and distract themselves after their hard days. Not to mention the pleasant moment they will enjoy the pleasant textures and palatability of a totally natural product that has not been preserved for months in a sealed package.
• The consumption of cultivated vegetables gives the possibility to supplement vitamins that degrade over time in pre-packaged food rations.
• An additional benefit is this system can also be used in gravity. It can be implemented in inhospitable areas of the earth or in future habitats on the Moon or Mars.
• Fresh crops will be obtained with a minimum energy requirement.
• Minimal waste generation, allowing a recycling rate of 90%.

We hope this system will be implemented in the near future, so that astronauts can eat fresh and natural food. Thus directly enabling space agriculture.

All this represents a big step for the future of space exploration, to make humanity a multi-planetary civilization.

The final objective is to contribute to the communication of this type of information for public and educational use as support material for future developments in this type of technology.

TOOLS:

What tools, coding languages, hardware, or software did you use to develop your project?

Hardware: ESP32S - RaspberryPi.

Software: FreeCAD, Blender, C (Arduino), Android Studio (Java), Arduino IDE, Inkscape, Boostrap, VSCode, Ubidots Free, Google Drive, Google Documents, Google Presentations, Github, Discord, Openshot.

These resources were used as inspiration for our project:

Growing Plants in Space

https://www.nasa.gov/content/growing-plants-in-space

Veggie Project https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/veggie_fact_sheet_508.pdf

Advanced Plant Habitat

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/advanced-plant-habitat.pdf

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Resources

https://asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/sciences/food-production/default.asp

We are also inspired by the movie "THE MARTIAN

Our participation in the NASA Space App Challenge was incredibly satisfying. It was a weekend of very intense activity, where we were able to realize the ideas discussed since the previous week. We achieved an interaction as a team where the best qualities of each of the team members were revealed, overcoming the difficulties that were presented to us.

We learned it is necessary to increase the communication of information that NASA and other space agencies provide, so they can be used in multiple areas of people's diary lives. We can also mention by forming multidisciplinary teams, the knowledge of the use of certain tools is shared and this increases the probability of success.

Likewise, we nourish ourselves even more with technical knowledge about the different technologies currently in use and those under development.

Finally, we continue to develop our creativity, imagination and patience.

Resources SpaceApp challenge, Wiki, NASA, ESA

http://www.space.bas.bg/astro/Aerosp16/tania1.pdf

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/spacelife/topics/plants/index.html

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/pgig003.html

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/10-074.html

https://elpais.com/ciencia/2020-11-07/los-agricultores-del-espacio.html

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/pgig003.html

https://ciencia.nasa.gov/science-at-nasa/2005/25aug_plasticspaceships

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/spanish/news/04_104AR.html

#SEED #PLANTS #NASA #MACHINELEARNING #EDUCATION #IOT #ML #NSAC #ARGENTINA #DESIGN #ELECTRONICS #DATA

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