A MEMBRANE-BASED SUBSYSTEM FOR WATER-VAPOR RECOVERY FROM PLANT-GROWTH CHAMBERS

NASA IS INVESTIGATING THE USE OF PLANT-GROWTH CHAMBERS (PGCS) FOR SPACE MISSIONS AND FOR BASES ON THE MOON AND MARS. PGCS SERVE SEVERAL IMPORTANT PURPOSES; OXYGEN AND FOOD PRODUCTION, CARBON-DIOXIDE REMOVAL, AND WATER PURIFICATION AND REUSE. KEY TO THE SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF PGCS IS A SYSTEM THAT WILL RECOVER AND REUSE THE WATER VAPOR TRANSPIRED FROM THE LEAVES OF THE GROWING PLANTS. THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A SIMPLE, RELIABLE, MEMBRANE-BASEDSYSTEM THAT ALLOWS THE RECOVERY, PURIFICATION, AND REUSE OF THE TRANSPIRED WATER VAPOR THROUGH CONTROL OF TEMPERATUREAND HUMIDITY LEVELS IN THE PGC. THIS SYSTEM HAS CHARACTERISTICS THAT MAKE IT IDEALLY SUITED TO USE IN SPACE:MINIMAL POWER REQUIREMENTS, SMALL VOLUME AND MASS, SIMPLICITY, RELIABILITY, AND VERSATILITY. IN PHASE I, AN ACCURATE, PREDICTIVE MODEL OF THE FIRM'S TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY-CONTROL SYSTEM WILL BE DEVELOPED, BASED ON PARAMETRIC TESTS OF MEMBRANE MODULES. THIS MODEL WILL BE USED TO DESIGN SYSTEMS FOR SELECTED PGCS. PHASE II WOULD FOCUS ON THE DESIGN, FABRICATION, TESTING, AND DELIVERY OF ABREADBOARD UNIT TO NASA FOR TESTING ON A PC. NASA IS INVESTIGATING THE USE OF PLANT-GROWTH CHAMBERS (PGCS) FOR SPACE MISSIONS AND FOR BASES ON THE MOON AND MARS. PGCS SERVE SEVERAL IMPORTANT PURPOSES; OXYGEN AND FOOD PRODUCTION, CARBON-DIOXIDE REMOVAL, AND WATER PURIFICATION AND REUSE. KEY TO THE SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF PGCS IS A SYSTEM THAT WILL RECOVER AND REUSE THE WATER VAPOR TRANSPIRED FROM THE LEAVES OF THE GROWING PLANTS. THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A SIMPLE, RELIABLE, MEMBRANE-BASEDSYSTEM THAT ALLOWS THE RECOVERY, PURIFICATION, AND REUSE OF THE TRANSPIRED WATER VAPOR THROUGH CONTROL OF TEMPERATUREAND HUMIDITY LEVELS IN THE PGC. THIS SYSTEM HAS CHARACTERISTICS THAT MAKE IT IDEALLY SUITED TO USE IN SPACE:MINIMAL POWER REQUIREMENTS, SMALL VOLUME AND MASS, SIMPLICITY, RELIABILITY, AND VERSATILITY. IN PHASE I, AN ACCURATE, PREDICTIVE MODEL OF THE FIRM'S TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY-CONTROL SYSTEM WILL BE DEVELOPED, BASED ON PARAMETRIC TESTS OF MEMBRANE MODULES. THIS MODEL WILL BE USED TO DESIGN SYSTEMS FOR SELECTED PGCS. PHASE II WOULD FOCUS ON THE DESIGN, FABRICATION, TESTING, AND DELIVERY OF ABREADBOARD UNIT TO NASA FOR TESTING ON A PC.