Browsing by Author "Kohlberg, Eberhard"
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Item Design of a Containerized Greenhouse Module for Deployment to the Neumayer III Antarctic Station(44th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2014-07-13) Bamsey, Matthew T.; Zabel, Paul; Zeidler, Conrad; Poulet, Lucie; Schubert, Daniel; Kohlberg, Eberhard; Graham, ThomasDesigns for an Antarctic plant production system to be deployed at Germany’s Neumayer Station III are presented. Characterization and testing of several key controlled environment agriculture technologies are ongoing at the German Aerospace Center’s Institute of Space Systems. Subsystems under development at the Evolution and Design of Environmentally-Closed Nutrition-Sources (EDEN) laboratory include, tuned LED lighting, aeroponic nutrient delivery, ion-selective sensors and modular growth pallets. The Antarctic greenhouse module baseline form factor is a standard sea shipping container, which allows for use of nominal Antarctic logistics networks. The facility will be fixed onto a specially constructed platform and co-located near the Alfred Wegner Institute’s Neumayer Station III. The plant production facility will be operated year-round with maximum production per unit volume achieved through the deployment of modular grow units in a stackable rack architecture. In such a configuration the greenhouse module system can provide several kilograms of fresh edible biomass per day. Forty foot and 20 ft container configurations are described as well as the general design requirements, including specifics relevant to operations at Neumayer III. Successful deployment of such a facility will further the technology readiness and operational experience of space-based bioregenerative life support systems. Finally, the general design is presented in the context of an historical review of past Antarctic plant production facilities. This first known inventory of documented Antarctic plant production facilities, organizes the facilities with respect to Antarctic station, dates of operation, internal/external configuration and estimated production area.Item Early Trade-offs and Top-Level Requirement Definition for Antarctic Greenhouses(46th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2016-07-10) Bamsey, Matthew; Zabel, Paul; Zeidler, Conrad; Vrakking, Vincent; Schubert, Daniel; Kohlberg, Eberhard; Stasiak, Michael; Graham, ThomasThe development of plant production facilities for extreme environments presents challenges not typically faced by developers of greenhouses in more traditional environments. Antarctica represents one of the most inhospitable environments on Earth and presents unique challenges to facility developers with respect to environmental regulations, logistics, waste management, and energy use. The unique challenges associated with plant production in Antarctica heavily influence the selection of subsystem components and technologies as well as the operational paradigms used to operate the facilities. This paper details a wide array of the early design choices and trade-offs that have arisen in the development of Antarctic plant production facilities. Specific requirements and several guidelines stemming from the Antarctic Treaty’s Protocol on Environment Protection and their influence on Antarctic plant production facilities are described. A review of guidelines for Antarctic greenhouses published by several national Antarctic operators is also described. The specific technology choices of several past and present Antarctic greenhouses are summarized, as are the general operational strategies, such as solid and nutrient solution waste handling. Specific lessons learned input was compiled directly from developers and operators of a number of these facilities. A discussion on the Antarctic climate, differences in Antarctic installation locations, internal versus external station plant growth facilities, preshipment testing programs, carbon dioxide enrichment and numerous other Antarctic facility design trade-offs are elaborated. It is hoped that this paper can serve as a useful checklist for future Antarctic plant production facility developers.Item Introducing EDEN ISS - A European project on advancing plant cultivation technologies and operations(45th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2015-07-12) Zabel, Paul; Bamsey, Matthew; Zeidler, Conrad; Vrakking, Vincent; Johannes, Bernd-Wolfgang; Rettberg, Petra; Schubert, Daniel; Romberg, Oliver; Imhof, Barbara; Davenport, Robert; Hoheneder, Waltraut; Waclavicek, René; Gilbert, Chris; Hogle, Molly; Battistelli, Alberto; Stefanoni, Walter; Moscatello, Stefano; Proietti, Simona; Santi, Gugliemo; NAzzaro, Filomena; Fratianni, Florinda; Coppola, Raffaele; Dixon, Mike; Stasiak, Mike; Kohlberg, Eberhard; Mengedoht, Dirk; Bucchieri, Lorenzo; Mazzoleni, Erik; Fetter, Viktor; Hummel, Thomas; Boscheri, Giorgio; Massobrio, Federico; Lamantea, Matteo; Lobascio, Cesare; Petrini, Alessandro; Adami, Marco; Bonzano, Giuseppe; Fiore, Lorenzo; Dueck, Tom; Stanghellini, Cecilia; Bochenek, Grazyna; Gilley, Anthony; McKeon-Bennett, Michelle; Stutte, Gary; Larkin, Tracey; Moane, Siobhan; Murray, Patrick; Downey, Peter; Fortezza, Raimondo; Ceriello, AntonioPlant cultivation in large-scale closed environments is challenging and several key technologies necessary for space-based plant production are not yet space-qualified or remain in early stages of development. The EDEN ISS project foresees development and demonstration of higher plant cultivation technologies, suitable for future deployment on the International Space Station and from a long-term perspective, within Moon and Mars habitats. The EDEN ISS consortium will design and test essential plant cultivation technologies using an International Standard Payload Rack form factor cultivation system for potential testing on-board the International Space Station. Furthermore, a Future Exploration Greenhouse will be designed with respect to future planetary bio-regenerative life support system deployments. The technologies will be tested in a laboratory environment as well as at the highly-isolated German Antarctic Neumayer Station III. A small and mobile container-sized test facility will be built in order to provide realistic mass flow relationships. In addition to technology development and validation, food safety and plant handling procedures will be developed. This paper describes the goals and objectives of EDEN ISS and the different project phases and milestones. Furthermore, the project consortium will be introduced and the role of each partner within the project is explained.Item Review of Antarctic Greenhouses and Plant Production Facilities: A Historical Account of Food Plants on the Ice(45th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2015-07-12) Bamsey, Matthew T.; Zabel, Paul; Zeidler, Conrad; Gyimesi, Dávid; Schubert, Daniel; Kohlberg, Eberhard; Mengedoht, Dirk; Rae, Joanna; Graham, ThomasAntarctic crews have been transporting plants and their supporting infrastructure to Antarctic field sites since as early as 1902. More than 46 distinct plant production facilities have, at one time or another, operated in Antarctica. Production facilities have varied significantly in size, technical sophistication, and operational life. Many of these efforts have been driven by the expeditioners themselves, which clearly demonstrates the fundamental desire that people have to associate themselves with plants while living and working in inhospitable environments. The need for this biological association can be solely psychological, while at other times it is based on the more practical need for fresh food. Although the nature of plant growth activities has evolved with the implementation of increasingly stringent environmental regulations, there remains strong interest in deploying such systems within or near Antarctic stations. Current Antarctic plant growth facilities are predominately organized and administered at the national program level to ensure such regulations are adhered to. Nine hydroponic facilities are currently operating in Antarctica. This paper summarizes historic and existing Antarctic facilities by incorporating information from expeditioners, environmental assessment reports, direct communication with national contact points, as well as published reference documents, unpublished reports, and web-based sources. A description of the country operating the facility, the specific Antarctic station, as well as specific information with regard to the facility size and the nature/type of the deployed systems are provided. Looking towards the future of Antarctic plant growth facilities, a number of previously and currently planned Antarctic facilities are also reviewed. The potential for future Antarctic plant production systems are discussed and considered not only for food production but also as bioregenerative life support systems, in that they can provide supplemental station capacity for air and water regeneration. Antarctic testing can also advance the readiness of hardware and operational protocols for use in space-based systems, such as in orbit/transit or on the surface of the Moon and Mars.