The Roles of Plants in a Commercial Space Habitat

As "Commercial Space" becomes established, the need to generate additional revenue as a commercial entity may significantly expand the role of plants in long duration space missions. Salad crop production has been considered for inclusion in habitats such as space stations and Mars transit habitats to provide nutrient supplementation, increase diet variety and food acceptability, and provide a source of crew recreation. However, new habitat concepts, such as Orbital Reef, would have an increased emphasis on meeting commercial goals that may include space tourism, research, exploration, a remote supply depot, an industry base (including biomanufacturing), and site for consumer productions including entertainment, media, and advertising. Tourism, for example, may require high-level hospitality for adventure tourists who represent a source of significant revenue to such commercially financed stations. Providing a high-end guest experience in any setting includes, among other things, elevated dining experiences and enhanced accommodations. Fresh salad crops can enhance even high-quality prepacked food by providing more complex tastes and improved presentation. Candidate plants beyond general salad crops studied to-date would be selected to achieve a broader array of characteristics such as increased flavors (herbs), sweetness, spiciness (peppers, radishes), textures (mouthfeel) and aromas, and vibrant colors (garnishes). Plants can also improve "quality of life" by making accommodations more pleasant through incorporation of live plant stands into social interaction volumes (lounges, dining areas). Even small non-edible plantings for aesthetic reasons might be feasible. Growing edible and ornamental plants in space presents technical challenges including development of efficient microgravity subsystem technologies, containment of plant debris and microbial contamination, maintenance of system cleanliness, and food safety. Aesthetic improvements for a crop production system can be accommodated without impacting functional performance, and might include modified culture subsystems for specific aesthetics, modified housings for plant visibility, and improved noise reduction.