MarsOASIS: A predeployable miniature Martian greenhouse for crop production research
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Abstract
In order to enable long term habitation on planetary surfaces, a means of sustainable food production must be developed. The MarsOASIS greenhouse concept evolved to research crop production and serve as a proof of concept for larger scale food production facilities that would support manned missions to the surface of Mars. Utilizing in situ resources such as the Martian atmosphere, sunlight, and UV-C radiation, the greenhouse aims to provide a sustainable method of long-term food production requiring minimal consumable resources. The MarsOASIS system is capable of growing a full life cycle of Outredgeous lettuce with its autonomous control system designed for an unmanned environment and the option for teleoperation. A reduced-scope prototype of MarsOASIS is being developed to test technologies such as natural/artificial hybrid lighting, water recycling, remote teleoperation, and fully autonomous monitoring and control of the greenhouse. The prototype is currently in the final stages of design, with a full demonstration of plant life cycle testing set to occur in summer 2015. Results from this prototype demonstration will help quantify the feasibility of the innovative approaches incorporated in the MarsOASIS design.
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The 45th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Bellevue, Washington, USA on 12 July 2015 through 16 July 2015.
Asa Darnell, University of Colorado, USA
Anurag Azad, University of Colorado, USA
Brennan Borlaug, University of Colorado, USA
Daniel Case, University of Colorado, USA
Christine Chamberlain, University of Colorado, USA
Kier Fortier, University of Colorado, USA
Paul Guerrie, University of Colorado, USA
Henna Jethani, University of Colorado, USA
John Marino, University of Colorado, USA
Chaitanya Soma, University of Colorado, USA
Aastha Srivastava, University of Colorado, USA
Alex Wassenberg, University of Colorado, USA
James A. Nabity, University of Colorado, USA
Jordan Holquist, University of Colorado, USA