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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Space Crop Production

An outreach talk to kickoff the 2023-2024 Growing Beyond Earth School Year.

Gioia Massa↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Space Crop Production

Standard crop production slides for technical interchange meeting

Gioia Donna Massa↗
NASA NTRS2024

Augmentation of Seed Film Technology With Probiotics in Support of Space Crop Production

This project set out to establish a method for introducing Plant Growth Promoting Microbes to seed film for use in a flight-based crop production system. The inoculation method, demonstrated in this paper, succeeded in this introduction while simultaneously avoiding disrupting the integrity of the seed film material. Future research should continue to explore the idea of growth production and crop protection via intentional introduction of an exophytic microbiome including the verification of effects of varying inoculum concentrations on mature plants. Positive effects are more likely to be noted when multiple organisms are introduced simultaneously. Additional benefit is likely to be seen on an experimental basis when crops are challenged via the introduction of both biotic and abiotic stressors.

Aubrie E Orourke↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Space Crop Production

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Gioia Massa↗
NASA NTRS2020

Development of a Photosynthesis Measurement Chamber under Different Airspeeds for Applications in Future Space Crop-Production Facilities

Space crop production systems are being developed to grow fresh produce in-situ to supplement the astronauts’ diet, but the required ventilation rates for crops in different gravity environments remains poorly understood. The reduction or lack of buoyancy-driven convection in reduced gravity environments leads to impaired gas exchange (CO2 absorption, water transpiration and O2 release) at the leaf surface if no extra ventilation is provided, and this could lead to a reduction in biomass production in the long run. To better characterize the influence of different airspeeds on photosynthesis and be able to model this in low gravity, a chamber was designed to interface with a LI-6800 portable photosynthesis system. This paper details the design of this chamber, specifically made to measure whole-plant and small canopy gas exchange at different airspeeds. The fans provide turbulent mixing in the chamber to ensure that it behaves like a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR)and that the residence time distribution (RTD) is the same for any fan speed; the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model of the gas domain (the air in the chamber) hence uses a k-omega turbulence model. An airflow map of the chamber was created using anemometer measurements for the different airspeeds tested, and this was used together with the CFD simulation results to relate the experimentally measured fan outputs to actual airspeeds on top of an artificial plant. Environmental parameters (air temperature, relative humidity, CO2level) are controlled by the LI-6800. This work was funded by NASA Space Biology through the NASA postdoctoral program / USRA.

Lucie Poulet↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Simulated High CO 2 Spaceflight Environment Increases Plant Preference for Ammonium as a Nitrogen Source.

Future long-duration missions will require a sustainable supply of food to support human crews. The spaceflight cabin environment often contains very high concentrations of CO 2 due to release of CO 2 by astronauts that is not completely scrubbed from the cabin, and it is therefore crucial to understand plant responses to elevated CO 2 (eCO 2 ) environments. Much focus has been given to changes in plant photosynthetic and performance parameters in response to eCO 2 , but the effects of eCO 2 on nitrogen (N) uptake are poorly understood. Shoot nitrate reduction may be reduced at eCO 2 , likely due to less reductant available for nitrate reduction because of reduced photorespiration and increased carbon fixation 1. Relative growth rate can be reduced at eCO 2 when N is provided only as nitrate and can be unaffected when N is supplied as ammonium. However, N uptake in response to eCO 2 has, to our knowledge, not yet been studied. An increased ‘preference’ for plants to take up N as ammonium at eCO 2 could have important implications for growth in the space environment, where N is currently only supplied as nitrate. In this study, novel stable isotope approaches were used in conjunction with hydroponics and isotope ratio mass spectrometry to determine the effect of eCO 2 on N preference for ammonium or nitrate in spring barley and lettuce when both N forms are provided equally. Several varieties of spring barley displayed increased ammonium preference at eCO 2 (720 ppm) compared to ambient CO 2 (410 ppm), though this was not true for all varieties. In most cases, increases in ammonium preference were driven by increases in ammonium uptake at eCO 2 and not decreases in nitrate uptake. Current research is assessing whether similar responses are observed in the candidate space crop lettuce, at levels of CO 2 like those observed on ISS (3000 ppm), and these results will also be presented. This work will enable the development of optimized nutrient regimes for candidate crops in space environments and the selection of crop varieties adapted to eCO 2 environments. Plants adapted to ammonium nutrition may play a role in future plant-based bioregenerative life support systems with higher ammonium concentrations due to waste recycling. Moreover, this research will further our understanding of plant responses to the eCO 2 environment brought about by climate change, allowing the development of future-proof crops that will help to maintain food security.

nitrogen↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Plant Nitrogen Uptake Responses to Elevated Carbon Dioxide

Future long-duration missions will require a sustainable supply of food to support human crews. The spaceflight cabin environment often contains very high concentrations of CO 2 due to release of CO 2 by astronauts that is not completely scrubbed from the cabin, and it is therefore crucial to understand plant responses to elevated CO 2 (eCO 2 ) environments. Much focus has been given to changes in plant photosynthetic and performance parameters in response to eCO 2 , but the effects of eCO 2 on nitrogen (N) uptake are poorly understood. Shoot nitrate reduction may be reduced at eCO 2 , likely due to less reductant available for nitrate reduction because of reduced photorespiration and increased carbon fixation 1. Relative growth rate can be reduced at eCO 2 when N is provided only as nitrate and can be unaffected when N is supplied as ammonium. However, N uptake in response to eCO 2 has, to our knowledge, not yet been studied. An increased ‘preference’ for plants to take up N as ammonium at eCO 2 could have important implications for growth in the space environment, where N is currently only supplied as nitrate. In this study, novel stable isotope approaches were used in conjunction with hydroponics and isotope ratio mass spectrometry to determine the effect of eCO 2 on N preference for ammonium or nitrate in spring barley and lettuce when both N forms are provided equally. Several varieties of spring barley displayed increased ammonium preference at eCO 2 (720 ppm) compared to ambient CO 2 (410 ppm), though this was not true for all varieties. In most cases, increases in ammonium preference were driven by increases in ammonium uptake at eCO 2 and not decreases in nitrate uptake. Current research is assessing whether similar responses are observed in the candidate space crop lettuce, at levels of CO 2 like those observed on ISS (3000 ppm), and these results will also be presented. This work will enable the development of optimized nutrient regimes for candidate crops in space environments and the selection of crop varieties adapted to eCO 2 environments. Plants adapted to ammonium nutrition may play a role in future plant-based bioregenerative life support systems with higher ammonium concentrations due to waste recycling. Moreover, this research will further our understanding of plant responses to the eCO 2 environment brought about by climate change, allowing the development of future-proof crops that will help to maintain food security.

nitrogen↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Simulated High CO 2 Spaceflight Environment Increases Plant Preference for Ammonium as a Nitrogen Source.

Future long-duration missions will require a sustainable supply of food to support human crews. The spaceflight cabin environment often contains very high concentrations of CO 2 due to release of CO 2 by astronauts that is not completely scrubbed from the cabin, and it is therefore crucial to understand plant responses to elevated CO 2 (eCO 2 ) environments. Much focus has been given to changes in plant photosynthetic and performance parameters in response to eCO 2 , but the effects of eCO 2 on nitrogen (N) uptake are poorly understood. Shoot nitrate reduction may be reduced at eCO 2 , likely due to less reductant available for nitrate reduction because of reduced photorespiration and increased carbon fixation 1. Relative growth rate can be reduced at eCO 2 when N is provided only as nitrate and can be unaffected when N is supplied as ammonium 1. However, N uptake in response to eCO 2 has, to our knowledge, not yet been studied. An increased ‘preference’ for plants to take up N as ammonium at eCO 2 could have important implications for growth in the space environment, where N is currently only supplied as nitrate. In this study, novel stable isotope approaches were used in conjunction with hydroponics and isotope ratio mass spectrometry to determine the effect of eCO 2 on N preference for ammonium or nitrate in spring barley and lettuce when both N forms are provided equally. Several varieties of spring barley displayed increased ammonium preference at eCO 2 (720 ppm) compared to ambient CO 2 (410 ppm), though this was not true for all varieties 2. In most cases, increases in ammonium preference were driven by increases in ammonium uptake at eCO 2 and not decreases in nitrate uptake. Current research is assessing whether similar responses are observed in the candidate space crop lettuce, at levels of CO 2 like those observed on ISS (3000 ppm), and these results will also be presented. This work will enable the development of optimized nutrient regimes for candidate crops in space environments and the selection of crop varieties adapted to eCO 2 environments. Plants adapted to ammonium nutrition may play a role in future plant-based bioregenerative life support systems with higher ammonium concentrations due to waste recycling 3. Moreover, this research will further our understanding of plant responses to the eCO 2 environment brought about by climate change, allowing the development of future-proof crops that will help to maintain food security. References: 1. Bloom (2015). The increasing importance of distinguishing among plant nitrogen sources. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 25, 10-16. 2. Fountain (2023). Understanding interactions of barley (Hordeum vulgare) with soil nitrogen cycling activity and links to plant nitrogen preference. Ph.D. Thesis, The University of Sheffield. 3. Schiefloe et al. (2023). From urine to food and oxygen: effects of high and low NH4+:NO3- ratio on lettuce cultivated in a gas-tight hydroponic facility. Frontiers in Plant Science 14:1229476.

nitrogen↗