Wednesday, November 7, 2007 - 2:05 PM
239-11
Controlled Environment Studies in Advanced Life Support.
Cara Ann Wehkamp, Michael Stasiak, Jamie Lawson, and Michael Dixon. University of Guelph, Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility, Department of Environmental Biology, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
As space exploration advances and re-supply of life support consumables from Earth becomes challenging, the need for a bioregenerative life support system is recognized. Bioregenerative life support systems must be capable of complete resource recycling to provide the crew with food, revitalized air, and potable water. To address the engineering requirements for plant growth structures on the Moon or Mars, decreased atmospheric pressure is required to reduce start-up consumables, the mass of the structure and leakage to the ambient environment. The Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility at the University of Guelph represents a core of technical expertise and analytical infrastructure focused on the development of international advanced life support research with an aim for technology transfer to the agricultural and horticultural industries. The facility investigates the contributions of plants and microbes to life support, including the technologies and management strategies required to simultaneously control pressure, temperature, vapour pressure deficit (humidity), gas composition and nutrient delivery. The facility possesses five canopy-scale hypobaric plant growth chambers which act as a test bed for the integration of these parameters for low pressure advanced life support research. The objective of this research was to quantify the effect of light intensity and oxygen partial pressure on NCER in radish (Raphanus sativa L. cv. Cherry Bomb II) grown under reduced pressures.