D2.4 Plant Analysis Report

• Main Authors: Dueck, Tom, Kempkes, Frank, Stanghellini, Cecilia
• Format: Report
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2015
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3229727

The purpose of this work package is the development and application of a methodology to select plants for cultivation at the Neumayer III Antarctic station and on-board the ISS aimed at enhancing the psychological well-being of expeditioners and astronauts by providing them with fresh food supplements in the form of fruits, herbs and/or vegetables. The methodology takes (human) quality, physical and plant aspects into account. The methodology 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 scoring systems to assess these criteria for each plant including their weighting factors to rank the choices. A methodology is preferred over a simple list of plants, because it can be adapted later on. It allows plants that were not originally included in the analysis to be evaluated. This does not only mean that new species can be evaluated but also that new cultivars, for example shorter tomato plants, can be selected or even bred for. It is of great importance that the methodology is flexible so that it can be adjusted when situations change. It must be flexible because there will likely be changes in conditions before and during the implementation of the plant production facilities on-board the ISS and on future space missions.