Space Travel Plant Scifair Projects

Zero Gravity

One aspect of space travel is the concept of zero gravity. Without a gravitational pull plant life can be disrupted. Learn how.

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Objectives/Goals

Space travel is a major concern for the 21st Century. Astronauts will need to provide much of their own food for lunar habitats and deep-space travel. The engineering goal was to build a 4:1 scale prototype for a Lunar Plant Growth Chamber (LPGC). This project was inspired by the NASA Lunar Plant Growth Chamber Design Challenge. Multiple prototypes were built and evaluated. Each prototype was judged on a 48 point evaluation scale. The 48 criterions were divided into 5 sections ( transportation, set-up, usage, harvest/store, production materials ). Each criterion was judged on a 1-5 scale.

Methods/Materials

Three prototypes were designed for preliminary evaluation. They were then evaluated against the criteria and scored comparatively. Based on the results a final prototype design was synthesized from the best of these results. The final prototype was constructed and evaluated against the criteria. Sweet basil plants were grown in the chamber as a functional test.

A wide variety of materials were used in the construction of the final prototype chamber including: 3/8 and 1/4 acrylic sheets, aluminum electronics box, 12 volt battery, DC-AC inverter, switches, wire, rubberized canvas, LED light array, DC pump, plant nutrients, acid, plants. We found that the selection of materials is a non-random pursuit in developing an engineered product. Re-stated, material science plays a key role in the design of a LPGC.

Results

The final prototype design scored 35 more design points over the next highest prototype. The final prototype was superior in every evaluation criteria except for one. When the sweet basil plants were placed in the chamber all of the plants survived and grew as expected for a period of one week. On average the plants grew 2 cm and produced two more leaves. Other plants were also evaluated as potential plants for a hydroponic system used in the LPGC: bib lettuce, cinnamon basil, bell peppers, and watercress.

Conclusions/Discussion

The final prototype LPGC scored best against the 48 criterions as compared to the earlier prototype designs. The final prototype design proved to be effective at growing plants of potential use on the lunar surface. The engineering team believes that the prototype should be finalized as a design giving due attention to space qualified materials. 3rd party contributor