CHOOSING CROPS FOR CULTIVATION IN SPACE

• Main Authors: Dueck, Tom, Kempkes, Frank, Esther, Meinen, Cecilia, Stanghellini
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: 46th International Conference on Environmental Systems 2016
• Subjects: selection methodology; human well-being; crop yield; production; ISS; Neumayer III; Antarctic; Esther; Neumayer; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2346/67596

Netherlands Wagenigen UR Greenhouse Horticulture 204 ICES204: Bioregenerative Life Support Vienna, Austria Tom Dueck, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands Frank Kempkes, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands Esther Meinen, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands Cecilia Stanghellini, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands The 46th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Vienna, Austria, USA on 10 July 2016 through 14 July 2016. Future space missions require bio-regenerative life-support systems. Eating fresh food is not only a fundamental requirement for survival but also influences the psychological well-being of astronauts operating on long duration space missions. Therefore the selection of plants to be grown in space is an important issue. Part of the EDEN ISS project entails the development and application of a methodology to select suitable plants for cultivation on-board the ISS and at its “stand-in” (for this project), the Neumayer III Antarctic station. A methodology was developed taking physical and physiological constraints, and human well-being (quality) aspects into account. It includes a framework for the selection process, a list of relevant criteria based on plant characteristics, engineering constraints and human nutrition and psychology. It entails a scoring system to assess and weigh these criteria for each crop, in order to rank the chosen crops. Human quality aspects, such as taste, texture and appearance were related to the well-being of astronauts. Yield aspects combined crop yield and efficiency in time and space, while production aspects concentrated on physical constraints of the planned growth modules and the technical aspects of cultivation. The methodological framework used for the selection of plants was based on several approaches. Physical and physiological constraints determine whether or not the crop can be cultivated in space (and/or in Antarctica) and all other parameters are ...