Engineering topics

Chetirkin, P. V.

Publications and source records attributed to Chetirkin, P. V..

6 records

NASA NTRS2005

International Space Education Outreach: Taking Exploration to the Global Classroom

With the development of the International Space Station and the need for international collaboration for returning to the moon and developing a mission to Mars, NASA has embarked on developing international educational programs related to space exploration. In addition, with the explosion of educational technology, linking students on a global basis is more easily accomplished. This technology is bringing national and international issues into the classroom, including global environmental issues, the global marketplace, and global collaboration in space. We present the successes and lessons learned concerning international educational and public outreach programs that we have been involved in for NASA as well as the importance of sustaining these international peer collaborative programs for the future generations. These programs will undoubtedly be critical in enhancing the classroom environment and will affect the achievements in and attitudes towards science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Dreschel, T. W.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Evaluating and optimizing horticultural regimes in space plant growth facilities

In designing innovative space plant growth facilities (SPGF) for long duration space flight, various limitations must be addressed including onboard resources: volume, energy consumption, heat transfer and crew labor expenditure. The required accuracy in evaluating on board resources by using the equivalent mass methodology and applying it to the design of such facilities is not precise. This is due to the uncertainty of the structure and not completely understanding the properties of all associated hardware, including the technology in these systems. We present a simple criteria of optimization for horticultural regimes in SPGF: Qmax = max [M x (EBI)2/(V x E x T], where M is the crop harvest in terms of total dry biomass in the plant growth system; EBI is the edible biomass index (harvest index), V is volume occupied by the crop; E is the crop light energy supply during growth; T is the crop growth duration. The criterion reflects directly on the consumption of onboard resources for crop production. c2004 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems↗

NASA NTRS1994

Performance and reliability of the NASA biomass production chamber

The Biomass Production Chamber (BPC) at the Kennedy Space Center is part of the Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) Breadboard Project. Plants are grown in a closed environment in an effort to quantify their contributions to the requirements for life support. Performance of this system is described. Also, in building this system, data from component and subsystem failures are being recorded. These data are used to identify problem areas in the design and implementation. The techniques used to measure the reliability will be useful in the design and construction of future CELSS. Possible methods for determining the reliability of a green plant, the primary component of CELSS, are discussed.

Fortson, R. E.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Performance and reliability of the NASA Biomass Production Chamber

Sager, J. C.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Statistical analysis of environmental variability within the CELSS breadboard project's biomass production chamber

Variability in the aerial and root environments of NASA's Breadboard Project's Biomass Production Chamber (BPC) was determined. Data from two lettuce and two potato growouts were utilized. One growout of each crop was conducted prior to separating the upper and lower chambers; the other was subsequent to separation. There were little or no differences in pH, EC, or solution temperature between the upper and lower chamber or within a chamber. Variation in the aerial environment within a chamber was two to three times greater than variation between chambers for air temperature, relative humidity, and PPF. High variability in air velocity, relative to tray position, was observed. Separating the BPC had no effect on PPF, air velocity, solution temperature, pH, or EC. Separation reduced the gradient in air temperature and relative humidity between the upper and lower chambers, but increased the variability within a chamber. Variation between upper and lower chambers was within 5 percent of environmental set-points and of little or no physiological significance. In contrast, the variability within a chamber limits the capability of the BPC to generate statistically reliable data from individual tray treatments at this time.

Stutte, G. W.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Simulated spaceflight effects on mating and pregnancy of rats

The mating of rats was studied to determine the effects of: simulated reentry stresses at known stages of pregnancy, and full flight simulation, consisting of sequential launch stresses, group housing, mating opportunity, diet, simulated reentry, and postreentry isolation of male and female rats. Uterine contents, adrenal mass and abdominal fat as a proportion of body mass, duration of pregnancy, and number and sex of offspring were studied. It is found that: (1) parturition following full flight simulation was delayed relative to that of controls; (2) litter size was reduced and resorptions increased compared with previous matings in the same group of animals; and (3) abdominal fat was highly elevated in animals that were fed the Soviet paste diet. It is suggested that the combined effects of diet, stress, spacecraft environment, and weightlessness decreased the probability of mating or of viable pregnancies in the Cosmos 1129 flight and control animals.

Sabelman, E. E.↗