Internal communication

10.12.2015
Plant cultivation beyond
earth
Nutrient delivery in microgravity
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Van Solheim & Omdal,Prototech, Noorwegen
Food production for space missions, space colonisation.
Closing cycles :
• Gas (CO2/ O2 ), water and nutrient recycling.
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Providing human comfort and purpose.
Fundamental plant research (research from a different perspective) generates "Spin‐off" for application on earth.
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Alternatives ?
Plant space projects
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plant foods) that are involved in major metabolic processes such as energy and enzyme production.
2. It contains high amounts of simple and complex carbohydrates which provide the body with a source of additional fuel. In particular, the sulfated complex carbohydrates are thought to enhance the immune system’s regulatory response.
3. It contains an extensive fatty acid profile, including Omega 3 and •
Omega 6. These essential fatty acids also play a key role in the production of energy.
Projects on plantcultivation in space:
• MELISSA (Lasseur, Paille)
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Are plants your best option ?
What about algae?
1. It is a complete protein with essential amino acids (unlike most 4
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Why put plants in space?
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Human needs
Plant needs
Space conditions
The challenge
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Why put plants in space?
• Plant space projects
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• EDEN (Dueck)
• TIMESCALE
(Marcelis, Vermeulen, van Delden)
• MarsOne
(Wamelink)
And other projects at: • NASA, ESA, JAXA, CSA, Roskosmos
4. It has an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements in naturally‐occurring synergistic design.
5. Poor taste
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Presentation structure
Conditions on Mars
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Mars
• Galactic Cosmic Rays •
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• ~30 µSv/hour background radiation earth 0.29 µSv/hour
• 5 m thick soil bunker makes radiation comparable to earth.
Why put plants in space?
• Plant space projects
• Thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide, approximately 1% as thick as the Earth’s atmospheric pressure at sea level.
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Space conditions
Human needs
Plant needs
TIME SCALE: Our challenge
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• 2% volume, 1.2% mass and 7% surface compared to Earth’s
• Galactic Cosmic Rays 100 and 1,000 times higher dose rate of radiation Why put plants in space?
• Plant space projects
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Space conditions
Human needs
Plant needs
The challenge
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Wheeler R, Stutte G, Subbarao G, Yorio N. 2001. Plant growth and human life support for space travel. … of Plant and Crop Physiology.
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Fundamental research
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Element essential to plants and to humans:
• macro‐elements: C, O, H, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S • micro‐elements: Fe, Mn, Cu, B, Zn, Mo, Cl, Ni
• In additions humans need:
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• Potato tuber caloric value of about 3.75 kcal/g fresh weight.
• Production of 20 g/m2/day1 fresh w. equates to about 75 kcal/m2/day.
• 3000 kcal/person/day would then require about 40 m2 per person (3000/75).
• High yielding wheat 15 m2 io
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What do humans need?
Oxygen
• 0.75 ‐ 0.90 kilogram
Water
• 2 L drinking water
• 26 L personal hygene, washing etc.
Food
• Woman +/‐ 2000 kcal/day; Man 2500 kcal/day (Voedingscentrum NL)
• 3000 kcal in USA/NASA ;‐) 10
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Presentation structure
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• Tilted on its axis by 1.54° (Earth’s 23.4°)
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• Temperature ‐153 oC dark side to 123 oC
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• Day length 27 days
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And at its most distant point, called apogee, 406,696 km (252,088 miles)
• Gravity 16% of earths g
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Gravity 38% of earths gravity
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• At its closest point, known as the perigee, 363,104 km (225,622 miles). than on earth
Temperature ‐140 oC in winter to 20 oC in summer (Avg. ‐55 oC)
• 15% volume and 11% mass of Earth’s
Moon
• Atmosphere is vacuum.
About 60 tot 100 million km from earth
• Tilted on its axis by 25.2° (Earth’s 23.4°)
• Year length 687 days
• Day length 24 hours 37 minutes
Conditions on our Moon
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Dust storms (tornado strength) that can last for months at a time
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(9 elements)
(8 elements)
• Fluor (F), Selenium (Se), Chromium (Cr), Iodine (I)
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There is also a list of “Plant beneficial elements”. Not essential but might enhance plant performance in some cases
• Sodium (Na) [essential for halophytes]
• Silicon (Si)
• Cobalt (Co) [essential for nodule metabolism]
• Selenium (Se)
• Aluminium (Al)
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Daily intake recommendations
Daily intake recommendations
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32011R1169&rid=4#page=44
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N and S ??
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32011R1169&rid=4#page=44
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(Lambers et al. 2006)
What do plants need?
Conditions on Mars
Atmosphere below 1% of earths atmosphere
Radiation
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O2
H2O
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CO2
O2 ?
H2O
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Light
Temperature
Water and nutrients
Substrate
Atmosphere (gasexchange CO2 , O2, H2O)
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Space conditions
Human needs
Plant needs
The challenge
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• Plant space projects
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What do plants need?
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• Galactic Cosmic Rays • ~30 µSv/hour background radiation earth 0.29 µSv/hour
• 5 m thick soil bunker makes radiation comparable to earth.
• Thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide, approximately 1% as thick as the Earth’s atmospheric pressure at sea level.
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Dust storms (tornado strength) that can last for months at a time
About 60 tot 100 million km from earth
CO2
O2 H2O
Temperature ‐140 oC in winter to 20 oC in summer (Avg. ‐55 oC)
Gravity 38% of earths gravity
• 15% volume and 11% mass of Earth’s
• Tilted on its axis by 25.2° (Earth’s 23.4°)
• Year length 687 days
• Day length 24 hours 37 minutes
MARS
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Presentation structure
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Why put plants in space?
• Plant space projects
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Space conditions
Human needs
Plant needs
TIME SCALE project
TIME SCALE: What do plants need?
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Space is a large place: where will our plant be cultivated?
Deep space
Mars Moon • Research platform
• Which plants are we using?
• How to establish plant requirements? (Build breadboard)
• Fundamental research on:
(UGent)
(WUR, CGrow)
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• Plant stress • Plant‐Nutrient relations
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Choosing a model plant species
Tomato (Micro Tom)
Lettuce
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• Gravity
Arabidopsis
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Topics of plant research TIMESCALE ni
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TIME SCALE MISSION
• Preparation future gravitation research on international space station
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• Water and minerals (delivery and total recycling) [WUR, CGrow]
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• Plant ‐ Nutrient relations
• Sensor development
• Plant stress and volatile production [UGent]
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EMCS Rotor with 4 plant cultivation chambers
http://florette.be/nl/bladsoorten/veldsla/
http://www.allegrow.be/nl/sla‐333.htm
http://www.seaspringseeds.co.uk/shop/tomato‐seed/micro‐tom‐detail
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Corn Salad
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• Volatiles, e.g. Ethylene production
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International
space station (ISS)
Experiment Container (EC) Experiment Container (EC)
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Focus on nutrient delivery
Arabidopsis experiment on EMCS rotor in ISS
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Solheim & Omdal, Prototech,
Norway
EMCS MULTIGEN‐1 ‐
PCC I Design Overview
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‐ 13.09.2006
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• ….?
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• Membrane (e.g. Imec film)
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What kind of substrate or nutrient delivery system should we choose?
• Aeroponics (mist)
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Solid media
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Space substrates
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Aeroponics
Heinse R, Jones SB, Tuller M, Bingham GE, Podolski IG, Or D. 2009. Providing Optimal Root‐Zone Fluid Fluxes: Effects of Hysteresis on Capillary‐Dominated Water Distributions in Reduced Gravity. SAE Technical Paper 2009‐01‐2360 4970.
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Imec® Film Farming
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Port greenhouse technology to the EMCS
• Closed water and nutrient system
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Plant roots are attached to the surface of the Imec® film.
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Conclusions
“Spin off”: Looking forward to contribute!
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Closed growth environment; pressure cabins; radiation shields
• LED lighting
• Closed loops (minerals, water, oxygen, CO2)
• Substrate?
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Failsafe ‐ Foolproof system
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Crops in space are a possibility In
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• But there is a lot to do!
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