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The space flight environment presents a number of unique conditions which may be used to expand our understanding and enhanced utilization of various plant biology processes on Earth and in Space. While a significant level of research has been conducted using a range of plant species and space flight plant growth and research facilities, the use of a single standardized system may now prove to be a more effective investigative paradigm. Recent constraints in both launch opportunities and the availability of in-flight resources on the Shuttle and International Space Station has already focused the need for facilities that are more efficient and compact in design. Based on these various interests and the limited availability of funding, there is a compelling argument to promote the establishment of a single, compact and standardized facility, which is gravity independent and can support research equally on Earth, the Moon, Mars and beyond.

Constraints in both launch opportunities and the availability of in-flight resources for Shuttle and Space Station life science habitat facilities has presented a compelling impetus to improve the operational flexibility, efficiency and miniaturization of many of these systems. Such advances would not only invigorate the level of research being conducted in low Earth orbit but also present the opportunity to expand life science studies to outer space and planetary bodies. Work has been directed towards the development of a miniature Plant Cultivation Facility (PCF) capable of supporting the automated and controlled growth and spectral monitoring of small plant species such as Arabidopsis thaliana. This paper will present data on the design and operational performance of the PCF plant cultivation module, and the extent to which such a system may be used to support plant growth studies in and beyond low Earth orbit.

The present suite of advanced space plant cultivation facilities require a significant level of resources to launch and maintain in flight. The facilities are designed to accommodate a broad size range of plant species and are, therefore, not configured to support the specific growth requirements of small plant species such as Arabidopsis thaliana at maximum efficiency with respect to mass and power. The facilities are equally not configured to support automated plant harvesting or tissue processing procedures, but rely on crew intervention and time. The recent reorganization of both spaceflight opportunities and allocation of limited in-flight resources demand that experiments be conducted with optimal efficiency. The emergence of A. thaliana as a dominant space flight model organism utilized in research on vegetative and reproductive phase biology provides strong justification for the establishment of a dedicated cultivation system for this species.

Plant growth chambers, whether designed for Earth or space applications, should provide the basic means for supporting healthy plant growth of almost any species. These chambers typically satisfy species- and age-specific light, atmosphere composition, water and nutrient requirements. Engineering solutions to satisfy these basic requirements in different plant chambers may vary widely, and each species or each experimental protocol may need individual testing and adaptation of the supporting hardware and science protocols. This paper will summarize the design trades, tests and evaluation experiments conducted to ensure proper hardware functionality and proper hardware / lifeware compatibility for the desired experimental protocols in space.

During the past three decades, both the Russian and American space programs have demonstrated that human presence in space can be sustained for either short or long durations as long as essential life support expendables are regularly resupplied from Earth. In the last decade, increasing attention has been placed on the development of bioregenerative life support systems which minimize resupply requirements in order to sustain long-duration human exploration of the Moon or Mars and eventually human settlement beyond Earth. Bio-regenerative life support systems, however, remain among the most challenging of all the critical elements required for long duration human space missions. In the near term, the in-space cultivation of salad-type vegetables for crew consumption has been proposed as critical first step towards using bioregenerative technologies to effectively reduce the total reliance by crewmembers on the resupply of food.

Improvements in plant illumination, irrigation, and thermal control systems have led to significant progress in the cultivation capability of space flight plant growth facilities. An area that has received little attention, however, is the on-orbit ability to sow and initiate the germination of seed within these facilities. In addition to the need for adequate levels of water and gas exchange, seeds must be maintained in a specific physical orientation due to the absence of a gravity vector to ensure that emerging root and shoot material is directed in an appropriate orientation. An approach involving the immobilization of seed in a matrix material is being evaluated as a means of not only providing appropriate germination conditions but also the efficient physical manipulation of seed. The design of a mechanized sowing system, based on the manipulation of matrix immobilized seed is presented in this paper.