Off World Permaculture Environments...

[The Cell]

When man finally establishes himself in Deep Space whether it is Lunar, Martian or some variation it stands to reason that if we are to sustain life we must produce food on site. This conversation will cover this basic topic...






the cell mgmt

[The Cell]

The Bonzai Rotating Garden System

This compact rotating garden will grow an unprecedented number of plants in a very small space.

The BONZAI is actually an ebb & flow hydroponics system on steroids.
The cylinder makes a complete rotation around the light once every hour, and the plants get watered for about 10 minutes each as many times per day as required.


Growing medium used is inexpensive Rockwool blocks.

The beauty of this hydroponics system is that as the plants are constantly experiencing the stress of their own weight pulling on their stems, and with the uniformity of close, cool intense light, they grow short, and compact with fat stems for better nutrient uptake. What this all means is that not only are you fitting more plants into a small space than with any other type of system, but you are getting an increased yield from these plants, and you're getting this increased yield with less wattage.

The hydroponics system has a control lever that tips up the cylinder allowing easy access to the reservoir, and the propagation trays are removable for easy cleaning and Rockwool replacement.




The 6" tempered glass light cylinder will accept any wattage light(s) and comes complete with sockets ready to connect to ballast and a cooling fan. Because the light is completely enclosed, the 6" ducting can be pulled from outside of the grow-space and exhausted outside of the grow-space for "clean" exhaust. This keeps the temperature very cool for the plants.

The frame for the Bonzai systems is constructed of powder coated aluminum for years of durability. It is immaculately manufactured with perfect welds. Truly SHOWCASE quality workmanship.

The Bonzai's advantage over it's imitators?
It is chain-driven so there are NO belts to break.


The Bonzai has been on the market for about 4 years and everyone loves them! There have been no returns, nor any breakdowns. Astounding!

Because you use your own ballasts and bulbs you can choose any HID bulb range from 400 or 1000 watt.

The 120 plant hydroponics system uses one light. Dimensions are 32" D x 62" W x 66" H. (ballasts and bulbs not included)

The 240 plant hydroponics systems dimensions are 50" D x 62" W x 54" H. Choose either the stationary two light system or the newly introduced 240 with built-in light mover that uses 1 bulb (ballasts and bulbs not included).

The 360 plant hydroponics systems use two lights. Dimensions for Bonsai 360 are 68" D x 62" W x 64" H. (ballasts and bulbs not included)




the cell mgmt.

[The Cell]

Canadian University Works to Sustain Life in Deep Space


posted: 04:10 pm ET
22 May 2001

Life on Mars is one step closer to reality today. The University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada officially opened its Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility and launched a new element of the countrys space program -- sustaining life in deep space.

The facility will have the highest level of Canadian technology in controlled environment systems research, eventually containing 14 of the plant science worlds most sophisticated hypobaric (reduced pressure) chambers. The chambers -- the first of which was introduced this week -- will allow researchers to study the contributions of plants in supporting human life during long-term space missions such as that to Mars.

"Now that Canadas robotic arms are doing their jobs in orbit, advanced life support for long missions into deep space is the next phase," said project leader Mike Dixon, a plant agriculturist who has been studying how to sustain life in space for more than 15 years. "Were going to Mars in the next 20 years. This facility will allow the university to promote new and emerging technologies and participate in partnerships exploring space technology."

It is certain that future human exploration of space must be based on a biological life-support system, Dixon said. Currently, space mission vehicles are able to carry just enough air, food and water to keep crews alive for short missions. But during long space missions, the needs of the crew can be met only by developing renewable life-support systems based on plants and microorganisms. Plants are the most efficient means of sustaining life in space. They provide food and add oxygen to the atmosphere by removing carbon dioxide and helping eliminate polluting byproducts. They also help provide water and recycle waste.

"We believe that to choose our future, we must lead the way," said University of Guelph president Mordechai Rozanski.

"This unique facility definitely puts us at the forefront of the frontiers of science. It also allows us to foster collaborative interactions among European, American and Canadian specialists, helping us create and transfer new knowledge."

The new facility and hypobaric chambers will allow researchers to rigorously monitor the effect of growing plants at various pressures to sustain life in orbit. It will also support research in indoor air quality, recycled water and waste remediation, as well as the selection and breeding of plants in controlled environments and the development and testing of new sensor technologies.

The $7.9-million research facility was funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI); Ontario Innovation Trust (OIT); Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA); Centre for Research in Earth and Space Technology (CRESTech), an Ontario Centre of Excellence, as well as numerous industrial supporters.

Representatives from several international space agencies attended the buildings opening and are holding meetings in Guelph this week to discuss the future of advanced life-support research. They include the Canadian Space Agency, NASA, the European Space Agency and the National Space Development Agency of Japan.



www.space.com/news/deepspace_life_010522.html




the cell mgmt.

[The Cell]

It's Time to Seed Life on Mars, Scientist Says
By Henry Bortman
NASA Astrobiology Institute
posted: 10:00 am ET
11 May 2001


It's been nearly 25 years since NASA sent biological experiments to Mars. Chris McKay, a planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and a member of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, thinks it's time to try again.

McKay helped organize a NASA conference last year on terraforming -- that is, what it might take to make Mars fit for human habitation.

In a presentation at the conference, McKay proposed an intriguing experiment.

"I'd like to see NASA send a seed to Mars and try to grow it into a plant." It would be important, he stressed, to "use the sunlight, the soil and the nutrients that are available on Mars." McKay suggested that growing a flowering plant on the Red Planet might serve both as a valuable biology experiment and as a powerful symbol of humanity's expansion beyond Earth.

"One of the things that I'm very interested in is the notion of Mars as a home for life," he said. "If we think of life as being the main thread of the Mars exploration program, then I advocate that we should get serious about sending life to Mars."

Not everyone at NASA shares McKay's immediate enthusiasm for the project, however.

John Rummel, NASA's planetary protection officer, is one who has some doubts. Rummel believes that to try "to grow plants on Mars would take power and other resources" that could be put to better use. "We would need to do a lot of analysis of Mars surface material before sending a biological experiment there," he cautioned.

Rummel doesn't disagree that growing a plant on Mars could serve as a powerful symbol. He wonders, though, what the symbolic impact might be if the experiment failed. "If we want to think of Mars as a place where Earth organisms can grow, we want to know it will work."

Rummel suggests a more pragmatic approach to finding out whether plants could grow in Martian soil: Bring the soil back to Earth. "If we're going to challenge Earth organisms with Mars soil," he said, we could do it with returned samples.

Mike Meyer, NASA's Astrobiology Discipline Scientist, agrees with Rummel. He believes that it's important to take a step-by-step approach to understanding the potential for life on Mars. "If we learn enough about the soil on Mars," said Meyer, "we can simulate Mars here. Then we'd know what we want to test. Otherwise, we'd end up saying, 'Golly, it died, now what?'"

Meyer also makes another point. Until there is a concrete plan to send humans to Mars who will need to grow plants for food, there's no particular hurry to find out whether the plants could grow there. "We would need some reasonable commitment that we'd be sending humans to Mars before we'd do such an experiment," he argued.

McKay has heard these arguments before, but he's not swayed. "There are many logical reasons not to send a plant to Mars on a near-term mission," McKay said. But, he countered, "it is a bold and dramatic step that will, in my humble opinion, push the biological agenda for Mars ahead significantly."

"If we're going to send humans to Mars," he added, "we need to begin studying [that planet's] ability to support human life." And the sooner the better.

NASA does have funding in its budget to investigate some questions relevant to possible future human exploration of Mars. The 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, for example, contains an experiment to measure the amount of damaging radiation that humans traveling to Mars may face.

NASA also plans to send two "Mars Exploration Rovers" to the Red Planet in 2003. Experiments performed by the rovers will help to determine whether resources are available on Mars that will be needed to support humans living there. The European Space Agency will launch a mission in 2003 as well -- a combined orbiter/lander. Current plans are for its lander, Beagle 2, to contain biological experiments designed to search directly for evidence of life on Mars.

Future missions will perform even more experiments to investigate the possibilities and challenges of supporting a human outpost on Mars -- a daunting job made easier, perhaps, by oxygen-giving, food-producing plants. NASA's Mars-exploration road map contains no plan to actually send astronauts there for the next 20 years. But one day human explorers surely will venture to the Red Planet, and they might want to take a few leafy green companions with them.

Click here for more news and information about Mars and astrobiology.

Henry Bortman writes for NASA's Astrobiology Institute.




the cell mgmt

[The Cell]

Space-age Agriculture Comes Down to Earth
10.22.04

Plants are important to sustain life in space, and they're expected to play a great role in making the Vision for Space Exploration to go to the Moon, Mars and beyond become a reality. But growing live plants in space has had its challenges.

Commander Michael Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri Long interested in ways to aid plant growth, NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and Kennedy Space Center in Florida began initial work with Boulder Innovative Technologies (BIT) to find a way to provide nutrient-rich soil for long-term space travel.

Image Left: Expedition 8 Commander Michael Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri pose beside the pea plants growing in the Lada-4 greenhouse experiment. Image credit: NASA

Think of your own backyard garden and all of the tools and watering systems needed to grow plants to fruition. Then imagine trying to grow a garden on the Space Shuttle or International Space Station in small spaces with limited resources. Add on top of that the lack of gravity and we can see that maintaining a healthy garden could turn out to be downright difficult.

With lots of research and ingenuity, scientists developed a synthetic super-soil, loaded with zeolite minerals that contain essential plant-loving growth nutrients. This technique was named "zeoponics."

The plants are actually self-regulating: they take what they need, when they need it. Adding only water, plants grow in the zeoponic soil for several growth cycles.

Now what does that have to do with us here on Earth? The same mineral growth nutrients could be added to our soil to bring "space-age agriculture down to Earth," according to Richard Andrews, chief executive officer and chairman of ZeoponiX, Inc. based in Louisville, Colo. This company was established as a sister and spinoff company from BIT to bring zeoponic products to commercial industries.

Ohio Clearview golf course The first usage of the ZeoPro (the trademarked name for ZeoponiX, Inc. fertilizing products) has been used on golf courses, sports playing fields and greenhouses.

Image to Right: The Ohio Clearview Golf Club used ZeoPro™ nutrients to change the type of grass on the green. Success has exceeded expectations -- due to the release of zeoponic materials in the root zone of the new seedlings. Image credit: NASA/Spinoff

ZeoPro™ has proven to provide a slowly dissolving reservoir of nutrients to plants, increasing the plants' strength and performance.

Now available for use on lawns, shrubs and houseplants, NASA brings space-age technology right into your home and garden.





the cell mgmt.

[The Cell]

Here is an Astrobiology Primer. It goes into depth and is a great read, if your into that sort of thing .



www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/ast.2006.6.735





the cell mgmt.

[The Cell]

Astro Agroecology - The Study of Off World Permaculture Environments.

Astro Agroecology is concerned with the principles and practices applicable to the management of plant agroecosystems in space. There are two options: Integrated Crop Management (ICM) or Plant Science. Education in the Integrated Crop Management option emphasizes the principles of plant and soil management and the basic sciences upon which these principles are based. The Plant Science option requires additional emphasis in the basic sciences (mathematics, chemistry, physics, and biotechnology).







the mgmt

[The Cell]

MOSL
The Space Garden


Mission Briefing

The Space Lab is currently developing food systems for space vehicles and long duration
missions. Food crops are being assessed for nutritional content.
You have brought a new batch of seedlings for trial in the space garden.
Record all information in your Mission Log.

Name:
ALA – The Space Garden 2

Background Briefing
The estimated time for a round trip for a manned Mission to Mars is more than three years.
Astronauts will need air, water, food and fuel for those three years. The life support system must be
completely self-supporting. The astronauts will be unable to open the window if the air starts to
smell, nor send out for pizza if they run out of food. And if they use up too much fuel, there will be no
way to get home.

A life support system must also be completely integrated, recycling as much as possible. Air must
be cleaned of carbon dioxide and other dangerous gases, and oxygen levels maintained. Water
must be recycled. Waste must be composted and recycled where possible, and safely stored where
not.

The added benefits of growing plants in space are their contribution to regenerating the atmosphere
through photosynthesis, and the purification of wastewater through root systems and transpiration.
Additionally, the presence of a ‘space garden’ will provide psychological benefits for the crew.
Food quality and food safety are essential for the maintenance of crew health and well-being over
such a long period of time. If the spaceship safely makes it to Mars, but the crew are sick or dead
from food poisoning it will be a wasted journey.

It is anticipated that food quality and safety will involve a combination of stored foods and raw food
products produced from crops.

ALA – The Space Garden 3
The Space Laboratory Garden
Plants are being assessed for:
• Potential yield
• Harvest index (ratio of edible to total biomass),
• Nutritional value
• Growing requirements
• Processing requirements
• Acceptability

Astronauts must be happy to eat what they’ve grown.
Plant Growth
Plant growth and yield is directly dependent on the amount of light provided. High light intensity
increases yield, which reduces the amount of planted area required per person, but also increases
power requirements, which will require more fuel.
Plants must also grow successfully in a typical space cabin environment.

Temperature: 25 C (constant)
Relative humidity: 50% (constant)
Carbon dioxide: 4000 ppm
Lamps: cool-white fluorescent
Photoperiod: 16h light/ 8 hr dark.

Crops under current investigation by other space agencies include, wheat, potato, carrot, radish,
onion, spinach, lettuce, soybean, cauliflower, tomato, fresh herbs and strawberries.

Question 1: How would plants help with atmosphere regeneration?

Question 2: Why would the life support system have to be self-supporting during a return trip to
Mars?

Question 3: Suggest two ways plants would benefit the health of an astronaut crew?

ALA – The Space Garden 4
The Garden Experiment

Plants are grown under hydroponic conditions and tested for their harvest yield, minimal processing
requirements, and nutritional value. Crops may include radish, wheat grass and strawberries.
You will need a ruler, scissors, garden fork and sample bags.

Before you open the ‘garden’ check the timer for the lights is set for 16 hours on, and 8 hours off.

1. Record the temperature of the ‘garden’.
2. Record the humidity.
3. Record the level of hydroponic fluid. If necessary top up the container and record the amount
you added.


Open the garden and check the condition of the plants.

1. Record any general observations, such as plant colour or limpness. Note in particular any
signs of disease.
2. The crops have been planted to deliver a continuous yield.
3. With a ruler measure the height of each plant (measured from top of soil to growing tip – the
apex – rather than the tallest leaf) and record your measurements.
4. Plot the new information on the graph.

Harvest
1. Carefully collect one of the oldest plants from each crop, ensuring you don’t damage any
other plants.
2. Radishes may be carefully pulled up by the roots.
3. Wheat grass may be harvested with scissors.
4. Ripe strawberries may only be picked from one plant.
5. Note the date it was planted and calculate the number of days from planting to harvest.
6. Place the harvested plant in a sample bag.

Planting
1. Check the new seedlings are free from disease or insect pests. Immediately remove any
affected plants.
2. Measure the height of the new seedling before carefully removing it from the tray.
3. Create a new hole in the garden and plant the seedling, firming down the soil.
4. Record the new information.
5. Close the garden.

Harvest Yield
1. Take the harvested plants to the bench.
2. Weigh the samples and record your results.
3. Separate the edible and non-edible parts of the harvested plant.
4. Weigh the edible parts of the plant.
5. Calculate the harvest yield.

ALA– The Space Garden 5
The Garden Experiment Data Sheet
Date:
Time:
Temperature:
Humidity:
Water/hydroponic fluid: ml
Photoperiod: hours of light / hours of dark
Plant condition (include any general observations):

Plant Height:
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8


Harvest
Sample #1 date planted date harvested
Total days to harvest
Sample #2 date planted date harvested
Total days to harvest
Sample #3 date planted date harvested
Total days to harvest

Planting
Seedling #1 height (cm) Seedling #2 height (cm)
Seedling #3 height (cm)

Harvest Yield
Test sample Total Weight (g) Edible weight (g) Harvest yield (deduct nonedible
weight from total) (g)
Radish
Wheat grass
Strawberries

ALA – The Space Garden 6
Energy Requirements

Question 4: Calculate the energy used by the space garden for a 24 hour period. Power is the rate
at which energy is used and is measured in watts. The Space Garden uses a 100 watt bulb. The
amount of energy used is measured in JOULES. Joules = watts x seconds. Therefore every minute
the 100 watt bulb will use 600 joules.

Question 5: Calculate how much energy was required to grow various crops – daily power usage x
growing period to harvest.
Radish
Wheat grass
Strawberry

Palatability and processing
Carefully wash a small sample of each crop in clean water and assess the plant for palatability.
Taste it!

Question 6: Record your reaction. Was it tasty? Would you be happy to eat the produce raw, or
does it need further processing?

You may make recommendations to make the food more palatable.

REPORT
Write a brief report with your recommendations for the potential of each of these crops in a space
cabin environment.
(This might include, energy requirements, yield, nutritional content, processing
requirements, palatability and aesthetic preferences).



the cell mgmt.

[The Cell]

The type of vegetables that should be included into list..

Calypso Bean
1) Calypso Bean – Extremely productive and grows beans like crazy! One of the all time best for baking and soups. Strong 15" plants, round black and white seeds with contrasting eye. Averages 4-5 seeds per pod, productive. Bush habit, 70-90 days.

Hidatsa Red Bean
2) Hidatsa Red Bean - Originally grown by the Native Americans in the Dakotas. Introduced to gardeners by the Oscar Will Seed Company. Dark red seeds, used as a shell bean or dry. Sprawling plants, will climb to 3' or more if given support, 80-90 days. This bean is a great protein source and will even grow in arid conditions.

Tiger's Eye Bean
3) Tiger’s Eye Bean - Originally from either Chile or Argentina. One of the most beautiful of all the dry beans. Wonderfully rich flavor and smooth texture. Very tender skins almost disappear when cooked. Great for chili or refried beans. Can also be used as a fresh shell bean. Very productive 24" plants. Bush habit, 80-90 days.

Bloody Butcher Corn
4) Bloody Butcher Corn - Grown in the U. S. since 1845. Plants grow 9-12' tall and have 2 ears per stalk, each ear is 8-12" long. Good drought tolerance. Good for flour, cornmeal or corn-on-the-cob when young. Great for fall decorations. 100-110 days.

Country Gentlemen Corn
5) Country Gentlemen Corn - Introduced in 1890 by S. D. Woodruff & Sons of Orange, Connecticut and one year later by Peter Henderson & Company. Standard late white corn with deep narrow small "shoe peg" (non-rowed) kernels. Tapered ears grow 7-8" long on 7-8' stalks that often produce two ears. Standard white home garden variety for fresh use or canning. 88-92 days.

Forellenschuss Lettuce
6) Forellenschuss Lettuce - Austrian heirloom that translates literally as "trout, self-enclosing" meaning it’s a speckled romaine. Gorgeous romaine lettuce with medium green leaves and splotches of maroon. Superior flavor. Holds very well in the heat. Romaine, 55 days. Great source of protein and bio-available potassium.

Speckled Lettuce
7) Speckled Lettuce - Sent to SSE in 1983 by Mark Reusser. His father obtained it from Urias Martin, whose Mennonite family brought it to Waterloo County, Ontario in 1799 in a covered wagon from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Martin family immigrated to America from Germany, and earlier from Holland in 1660. 40-55 days.

Boule d'Or Melon
8) Boule d’Or Melon - (a.k.a. Golden Perfection) Famous French melon listed by Vilmorin in 1885. Hard yellow skin, lightly netted, pale-green flesh is an absolute delight. Fruit contain significant amount of natural lithium. Fruits will keep for several weeks if kept cool and dry. Very hard to fine. Fragrant, sure to be a new favorite. 95-110 days.

Austrailian Brown Onion
9) Australian Brown Onion - 1894 C. C. Morse & Co. obtained 5 pounds of Brown Spanish seed from Australia and sold the seed to W. Atlee Burpee in 1897 who renamed the variety Australian Brown. Medium-size flattened globes, yellow firm pungent flesh, great keeper. A great source of lysine. 100 days from transplant.

American Spinach
10) American Spinach - Long-standing compact Bloomsdale type, 8" tall plants, thick deep-green savoyed leaves, slow-growing, slow-bolting, heat and drought resistant. Fine quality, suited for spring sowing in long-day areas. Loaded with magnesium and glutathione. Fresh use, can or freeze. AAS in 1952. 43-55 days.

Scarlet Nantez Carrot
11) Scarlet Nantez Carrot – Cylindrical roots are 7" long by 1½" wide. Bright reddish-orange flesh, fine grained, nearly coreless, great flavor, sweet and brittle. Good as baby carrots. Good for storage, freezing and for juice. Variety chosen for its extremely high anti-oxidant constituents. Widely adapted, highly selected, uniform strain. 65-70 days.

White Box Radish
12) White Box Radish - Historic radish variety from the 1890s, listed by D. Landreth Seed Company (the oldest seed house in the U.S., established in 1784) in 1938 as a good variety for open cultivation or forcing in boxes. Nice and mild, sow in early spring or early fall. Store house of linolenic-acid. 30 days.

Siberian Tomato
13) Siberian Tomato - Dwarf sprawling plants with very early sets of fruits. Introduced through SSE in 1984 by Will Bonsall, originally from the Lowden Collection. Egg-shaped 2-3" fruits, good strong flavor. Not to be confused with Siberia, Siberian is superior in all qualities including lycopene content. Determinate, 57-60 days.

Amish Snap Pea
14) Amish Snap Pea - Superb snap pea that was being grown in the Amish community long before present snap pea types. Vines grow 5-6' tall and are heavy producers of 2" high protein pods. Yields over a 6-week period if kept picked. Delicate and sweet even when the seeds develop. Curved sickle-shaped pods. Snap, 60 days.

Mammoth Red Rock Cabbage
15) Mammoth Red Rock Cabbage - Introduced in 1889. Solid round heads are 8" in diameter and weigh 7 pounds. Red throughout, vigorous and uniform, small to medium core, sure cropper, fine flavor. Excellent for cooking, salads and pickling. Contain the trace element Yitrium. Bacteria in human gut needs this element to survive. Very important! 98 days from transplant.

Swiss Chard
16) Giant Swiss Chard - Introduced in 1934 by W. Atlee Burpee and Company. Broad dark-green heavily crumpled leaves with white veins and stalks. Plants grow 24-28" high with 2½" wide stalks. Abundant crops all season and even after the first light frosts. 50-60 days.

Dark Red Beet
17) Dark Red Beet - The standard for beets, introduced in 1892. Original selections were made from Early Blood Turnip by Mr. Reeves of Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. Nearly globe, blood-red 3" diameter roots. Solid roots are great for canning and fresh eating. Prolific, good keeper. Great tryptophan source. 60-65 days.

Butternut Squash
18) Big Butternut Squash - Prized for its uniform shape, rich dry yellow-orange flesh, nutty flavor and high-yielding vines. Fruits are 3-6 pounds and exceptional keepers loaded with calcium. The result of years of patient refinement and selection by Bob Young of Waltham, Massachusetts. AAS winner in 1970. 83-100 days.

King of the North Pepper
19) King of the North Pepper - From the Republic of Georgia. Plants grow 24" tall and produce heavily over a long period. Fruits are 2" at the shoulder by 6-8"long. Thick, crunchy flesh. An excellent pepper to use for salsa. 90 days from transplant. Heat Scale:Hot. One of the best peppers.

Georgia Flame Pepper
20) Georgia Flame Pepper - Arguably the best red bell for northern gardeners where the seasons are cool and short. Nice blocky fruits, great sweet flavor. Our stock is from Fedco Seeds in Maine. 70 days from transplant. Heat Scale: Hot Great source of phosphorus.

Double Yeild Cucumber
21) Double Yield Cucumber - Developed by a home gardener and introduced in 1924 by Joseph Harris & Co. of coldwater, New York. In the words of the introducer, "The remarkable thing about this new cucumber is its wonderful productiveness. For every pickle that is cut off, two or three more are produced." Very productive pickling type and very rich in manganese and selenium. Slender fruits are 5-6" long by 2" in diameter, symmetrical, smooth and uniform.

Rossa Bianca Eggplant
22) Rossa Bianca Eggplant - Stunning Italian heirloom, beautiful fruits are prized by chefs. Very meaty 4-6" round fruits, mild flavor and almost never bitter. Well suited for all of your cooking needs, great for Eggplant Parmisiana. 80 days from transplant.



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