Moorestown Team 1 Food in space

1. 2017-18 Moorestown High School
Innovative Conceptual Engineering Design
The Challenges Associated with the
Colonization of Mars
Louis Spier, Rachel Han,
Matt Button, Liam Taylor
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2. MARS
• Life Support needed
• Takes 6-9 months to reach Mars but will only live 60 days
without long term life support
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3. Using Plants for Life Support
• Reliable supply of food needed
• Growing it on Mars could be best option due to costs
associated with bringing it from Earth.
• Energy efficient LED lamps could be used.
• Martian regolith or hydroponics possible ways for
growing food.
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4. Research Question
“Can plants be used to
maintain the proper CO2 and
O2 concentrations for a Mars
human habitat?”
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5. Procedure (soil)
Grass in biosphere with gas
sensors attached to SPARK
Biosphere with O2 and CO2
sensors displayed
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6. Procedure (Hydroponics)
Wick system used with
distilled water +
FloraGro nutrients
Close up of wick- towel
and coconut coir as
growing medium
Coconut Coir and
grass shown
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11. Results
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12. Fresh Water Collected vs. Time in Desalination Device
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13. Lettuce experiments
• We have also been experimenting with growing lettuce
hydroponically.
• We tried to get an increase in O2 production by adding CO2 to the
containers.
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14. Locations for building a Habitat
• Lava tubes
• Protection from outside weather conditions and possibly radiation.
• Several possible sites researched using a map put together at
Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands.
• One possible location would be the area where the Opportunity
rover landed.
• The landing sites of Mars Pathfinder (Ares Vallis) and Viking 1
(Chryse Planitia) were also found to be near suitable areas.
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15. Fresh Water Collected vs. Time in Desalination Device
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16. Fresh Water Collected vs. Time in Desalination Device
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17. Fresh Water Collected vs. Time in Desalination Device
Opportunity
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18. Fresh Water Collected vs. Time in Desalination Device
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19. Fresh Water Collected vs. Time in Desalination Device
Viking 1
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20. Fresh Water Collected vs. Time in Desalination Device
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21. Fresh Water Collected vs. Time in Desalination Device
Mars Pathfinder
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22. Energy
• 20-25 m2 of growing area would be needed for CO2 removal/O2
production for one person.
• 150 W of light per m2 of growing area.
• This converts to 3.0-3.75 kW per person each day to for CO2
removal/O2 production.
• This number will double in order to provide all of the food for one
person because you need to double the growing area.
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23. Energy
• Assuming a habitat consisting of 10 people, these numbers will be
multiplied by 10.
• 30-37.5 kW for O2 production/CO2 removal.
• 60-75 kW for food production.
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24. Energy
• The solar panels on NASA’s Juno spacecraft would produce 12-14
kW of power on Earth.
• They would produce less power on Mars because it is farther away
from the sun.
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25. Conclusion
• Our results were not entirely what we expected. We did expect to
see a decrease in CO2 levels, but instead of an increase in O2 levels,
we saw a decrease.
• We then contacted Dr. Ray Wheeler and he explained that if the CO2
level drops too low, photosynthesis will slow and we might only be
seeing plant respiration.
• According to our data, further research would be needed in order to
figure out how to use plants for CO2 removal/O2 production.
• Future hydroponic research.
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26. References
• The Ideal Settlement Site on Mars – Hotspots if You Asked a Crop.”, Wageningen
University & Research, 27 Feb. 2018, https://www.wur.nl/en/newsarticle/The-
idealsettlement-site-on-Mars-hotspots-if-you-asked-a-crop.htm.
• Wheeler, R. “Plants for Human Life Support in Space: From Myers to Mars.”,
Gravitational and Space Biology, Vol. 23, No. 2, 2010, pp. 25-35.
• “Engineering Life”, NASA,
https://settlement.arc.nasa.gov/Contest/Results/96/winner/seis.html
• Greicius, Tony. “Juno Spacecraft and Instruments.” NASA, 3 Aug. 2017,
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/spacecraft/index.html
• “Juno Solar Panels Complete Testing.” NASA, 27 May 2011,
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/news/juno20110527.html
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