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NASA's Biomass Production Chamber: a testbed for bioregenerative life support studies.
R M Wheeler1, C L Mackowiak, G W Stutte
1Biomedical Operations and Research Office, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899, USA.
Advances in Space Research : the Official Journal of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR)
|January 1, 1996
Summary
The Biomass Production Chamber successfully grew multiple crops for NASA, producing significant biomass and resources. Edible biomass yields were slightly lower than anticipated, indicating areas for future optimization in controlled environment agriculture.
Area of Science:
- Space exploration
- Controlled environment agriculture
- Life support systems
Background:
- The Biomass Production Chamber (BPC) at Kennedy Space Center supports NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) program.
- The BPC is a large, closed environment designed for extensive crop growth testing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the long-term operational reliability and crop production capabilities of the BPC.
- To monitor key physiological and atmospheric parameters during crop growth.
- To evaluate biomass yields and system performance for future space missions.
Main Methods:
- Continuous operation of the BPC for over 1200 days since 1988.
- Cultivation of wheat, soybean, lettuce, and potato crops under controlled conditions.
- Monitoring of photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration, nutrient uptake, and volatile organic compounds.
Main Results:
- Produced 481 kg dry plant biomass, 196 kg edible biomass, 540 kg oxygen, and 94,700 kg condensed water.
- Total biomass yields met expectations, but edible biomass and harvest indices were slightly below projections.
- System demonstrated high operational reliability with minimal major failures.
Conclusions:
- The BPC is a reliable platform for crop production in space life support systems.
- Further research is needed to optimize edible biomass yields and harvest indices.
- Future studies will focus on long-term production, waste nutrient utilization, and multi-species cultivation.