Gro-Sat: The Development of an Extended Life Support System for Plants in Microgravity

The effects of a microgravity environment on the entire life cycle of plants is not yet fully understood. A conceptual design for the payload of a Get Away Special canister has been developed to implement a complete life support system for plants. This small satellite is a closed system that must maintain plant life for at least three months. It consists of an innovative lighting system and a complete plant nutrient delivery system. The use of hardware to limit long-term contamination of the nutrient solution in the closed system as well as other considerations are discussed. The design, based on the Northern Utah Satellite, considers control of both the thermal environment and the atmospheric composition. Levels of carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen in the atmosphere are optimized such that plant growth rate is increased. Control of additional environmental parameters is also considered. Proper monitoring of the system will increase knowledge of the effects of microgravity on plants in a closed system. Furthermore, information acquired from Gro-Sat will be used to improve the plant life support system for future Gro-Sat missions.