MarsOasis - An Efficient Autonomously Controlled Martian Crop Production System

The MarsOasistrade; cultivation system is a versatile, autonomous, environmentally controlled growth chamber for food provision on the Martian surface.nbsp; MarsOasistrade; integrates a wealth of prior research and Mars growth chamber concepts into a complete system design and operational prototype.nbsp; MarsOasistrade; includes several innovative features relative to the state of the art space growth chambers. nbsp;It can operate on the Mars surface or inside of a habitat.nbsp; The growth volume maximizes available growth area and supports a variety of crop sizes, from seeding through harvest.nbsp; It utilizes in-situ CO2 from the Mars atmosphere.nbsp; Hybrid lighting takes advantage of natural sunlight during warmer periods, and supplemental LEDs during extreme cold, low light, or indoor operation.nbsp; Recirculating hydroponics and humidity recycling minimize water loss.nbsp; The structure also supports a variety of hydroponic nutrient delivery methods, depending on crop needs.nbsp; The growth chamber uses solar power when outside, with deployable solar panels that stow during dust storms or at night.nbsp; It can also use power from the habitat or other external sources.nbsp; The growth chamber is mobile, so that the crew can easily relocate it.nbsp; Autonomous environmental control manages crop conditions reducing crew time for operation. Finally, remote teleoperation allows pre-deployment, prior to crew arrival. nbsp;nbsp;This project directly addresses the NASA STTR technology area T7.02 ldquo;Space Exploration Plant Growthrdquo; and will be a major step towards closed-loop, sustainable living systems for space exploration.nbsp; This collaborative effort between Space Lab Technologies, LLC and the Bioastronautics research group from the CU Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department will culminate in the development of a pilot-scale engineering demonstration unit (EDU) for key components.nbsp; Finally, thermal analysis, PAR distribution models, and ESM estimates for the MarsOasistrade; concept will be refined, based on EDU testing results.nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;