A greenhouse in Antarctica testing applied sciences that would one day develop meals for Mars colonists has produced an plentiful harvest of greens, greens and spices utterly with out soil and pure mild, displaying promise for future space missions.
The greenhouse, known as EDEN ISS, is operated by the German Aerospace Center (recognized by its German acronym, DLR) close to the Neumayer III Station, a polar analysis outpost positioned on the Ekström Ice Shelf on the jap coast of Antarctica.
NASA scientist Jess Bunchek, who joined this yr’s overwintering crew on the station, planted a variety of greens and greens within the totally automated greenhouse a number of months in the past. The crops — which included broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, chard, chilli peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and a variety of lettuces and spices — enlivened the in any other case uninteresting eating regimen of long-shelf-life meals that the crew members must depend on.
Related tales: Could space greenhouses solve Earth’s food crisis?
“We have never been able to grow so many different varieties of vegetables and herbs during an overwintering mission with EDEN ISS,” Daniel Schubert, EDEN ISS venture chief at DLR, stated in a statement.
The greenhouse grows vegetation with out soil, utilizing a way known as aeroponics, which sprays a nutrient-rich answer onto the vegetation’ roots, that are suspended within the air. The greenhouse is totally artificially lit, because it has to function all through the pitch-black 9 weeks of the Antarctic winter.
Some of the vegetation grown by Bunchek have beforehand been grown on the International Space Station. The scientist plans to match how the vegetation fared within the Earth-based “space” greenhouse in comparison with these grown in two mini-gardens on the orbital outpost, the Veggie and the Advanced Plant Habitat experiments.
“I am relieved by how well the crops have grown thus far,” Bunchek stated within the assertion. “EDEN ISS is unique and groundbreaking in that respect. We are collecting large amounts of data on system performance and resiliency, crop health and production, environment and crop microbiology, food safety, nutrition, crew psychology and the required inputs such as power, water and crew time.”
Studying the psychological well being advantages of being round inexperienced vegetation and accessing contemporary meals is a vital a part of the experiment as properly. Just like astronauts on the International Space Station, the Antarctic crew is totally remoted in a hostile atmosphere the place survival is unattainable with out superior applied sciences. Injecting a bit of coloration and life into the crew’s every day routine might help maintain their spirits up.
“We will now be able to compare the crew psychology of the astronauts on the Space Station as they work with ‘Veggie’ and the Advanced Plant Habitat with the Antarctic overwintering crew members at Neumayer interacting with EDEN,” stated Bunchek. “With a small overwintering crew and a long isolation period, Neumayer is a great space analogue setting for this kind of study.”
The greenhouse is positioned 1,300 toes (400 meters) from the Neumayer III Station. When polar storms hit the world, the greenhouse has to maintain its greens with out Bunchek’s assist for a number of days, as taking the every day supervision stroll could be too harmful for the scientist. On such days, a workforce on the DLR management heart in Bremen, Germany, displays the greenhouse remotely, utilizing its central pc to regulate the vitamins, temperature and humidity to the vegetation’ wants.
“Similar to agriculture, we have to accept the fact that weather and climate are the determining factors,” stated Bunchek. “But I am here to learn how we can use technology to thrive in extreme conditions, whether it is a crew in space or communities dealing with climate change.”
Bunchek has spent practically a yr on the Neumayer III Station and can return residence in early 2022.
Follow Tereza Pultarova on Twitter @TerezaPultarova. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
