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An MIT student team took second place for designing a multi-level greenhouse to be used on Mars during NASA's 2019 Innovative and Revolutionary Ideas Challenge last month.
Each year, NASA organizes the BIG Idea contest for innovative and futuristic ideas. This year's challenge has invited US universities to submit their designs for a sustainable, cost effective and efficient method of feeding food for astronauts during future crewed Mars explorations. Dartmouth College won first place in this year's highly contested competition.
"It was definitely a success for the whole team," says team leader Eric Hinterman, a graduate student in Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT (AeroAstro). The team received contributions from 10 undergraduate and graduate students from all MIT departments. Support and assistance were provided by four architects and designers in Italy. This project was completely voluntary. the 14 contributors share a similar passion for space exploration and enjoy working on the challenge during their free time.
The MIT team named its design "BEAVER" (architecture designed by the biosphere for a viable extraterrestrial residence). "We designed our greenhouse to provide 100% of the food needs to four active astronauts each day for two years," says Hinterman.
Environmentalists and agricultural specialists on the MIT team identified eight types of crops to provide the calories, proteins, carbohydrates, oils and fats that astronauts would need; these include potatoes, rice, wheat, oats and peanuts. The flexible menu offers substitutes, depending on the specific dietary needs of astronauts.
"Most space systems are metallic and very robotic," explains Hinterman. "It was fun to work on something involving plants."
The parameters provided by NASA – a power budget, the dimensions required for rocket transport, the ability to provide adequate livelihoods – determined the shape and overall design of the greenhouse.
Last October, the team organized a first brainstorming session and presented project ideas. The iterative process continued until the final design: a cylindrical growth space of 11.2 meters in diameter and 13.4 meters in height after deployment.
Innovative design
The greenhouse would be packed in a rocket bound for Mars and, after landing, a waiting robot would move it to its site. Programmed with folding mechanisms, it would then expand horizontally and vertically and begin to form an ice shield around its exterior to protect plants and humans from the intense radiation on the Martian surface.
Two years later, when the orbits of the Earth and Mars would again be optimally aligned for launch and landing, a crew would arrive on Mars, where it would complete the installation of the greenhouse and begin operations. to grow crops. "Every two years or so, the crew departed and a new crew of four arrived and continued to use the greenhouse," explains Hinterman.
To maximize space, BEAVER uses a large spiral that moves around a central core in the cylinder. The seedlings are planted at the top and descend into the spiral as they grow. By the time they reach the bottom, the plants are ready for harvest and the team enters the ground floor to harvest the potatoes, peanuts and cereals. The planting trays are then moved up the spiral and the process begins again.
"A lot of engineering went into the spiral," says Hinterman. "Most of this work is done without moving parts or mechanical systems, making it the ideal tool for space applications. You do not want a lot of moving parts or things that can break. "
The human factor
"One of the big problems with sending human beings into space is that they will be content to see the same people every day for a few years," Hinterman says. . "They will live in a closed environment with very little personal space."
The greenhouse provides a pleasant space to ensure the psychological well-being of astronauts. On the top floor, just above the spiral, a glazed "mental relaxation space" overlooks the greenery. The ice shield lets in natural light and the crew can sit on sofas and admire the view of the Mars landscape. And rather than pushing the pipes from the top water tank to the crops, Hinterman and his team designed a cascading waterfall on the edge of the area, adding to the mood.
Sophomore Sheila Baber, a major in Earth Sciences, Atmosphere and Planets (EAPS) and responsible for the ecology of the team, was eager to take part in the project. "My grandmother worked in the Korean mountains and I remember going there to pick the crops," she says. "When I came to MIT, I felt like I was away from my roots. I'm interested in life sciences, physics and everything related to space, which has allowed me to combine all that. "
His work on BEAVER led to Baber's awarding one of NASA's five internships at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, this summer. It plans to continue exploring the greenhouse project and its applications on Earth, particularly in urban areas, where space for food production is limited.
"Some of the farming decisions we've made about hydroponics and aquaponics could potentially be used in terrestrial environments to produce food," she says.
"It was a pleasure to work with the MIT team," says Hinterman. "They were very enthusiastic and hardworking, so we created a great design."
Siranush Babakhanova (physics), Joe Kusters (AeroAstro), Hans Nowak (global operations manager), Tajana Schneiderman (EAPS), Sam Seaman (architecture), Tommy Smith (systems design and management) also joined), Natasha Stamler ( Mechanical Engineering and Urban Studies and Urban Planning) and Zhuchang Zhan (EAPS). Italian designers and architects Jana Lukic, Fabio Maffia, Aldo Moccia and Samuele Sciarretta helped out. The team's advisors were Jeff Hoffman, Sara Seager, Matt Silver, Vladimir Aerapetian, Valentina Sumini and George Lordos.
The BIG Idea Challenge project is sponsored by NASA's Technology Transformation Development Program, managed by NASA, and managed by the National Institute of Aerospace.
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