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This paper describes a design proposal for adapting the OGEGU Food Production Unit (FPU) to the surface of Mars in order to produce up to 40% of the diet for a six-member crew by growing a pre-defined set of vegetable food species. The external structure, lighting system and plant support system are assessed using ESM analysis. The study shows that the mass of an FPU operating on the Mars surface, featuring an opaque inflatable structure plus all the required subsystems and equipment, is in the order of 14,000 kg. The required volume is around 150 m3 and the power consumption is around 140 kW. A reduction of c. 20 kW could be obtained by exploiting natural light using transparent materials. Finally, the paper concludes with the identification of some technological gaps that need to be investigated further for the purpose of establishing a feasible FPU on Mars.

The capacity of producing fresh food meeting crew’s nutritional requirements is an essential need for long-term planetary missions. To this end, the European Space Agency (ESA) has commissioned a feasibility study of Food Production Units (FPU) for their application in microgravity, transit and planetary environments. This paper describes the “On Ground Experimental Growth Unit” (OGEGU), which is a ground-based, closed loop FPU concept for plant cultivation, conceived as a first approach in the adaptation of food production systems to Space. The OGEGU design is based on state-of-the-art greenhouse technology. Nine OGEGU key subsystems (external structure, irrigation, lighting, plant support structure, crop handling, crop and seed preservation, climate control, water and nutrient delivery, and waste management) are discussed and implementation options are proposed considering constraints such as power, mass or volume imposed by their eventual use in Space.

The biological autonomy of man when isolated from his original biosphere can be ensured only by Biological Life Support technologies. Among these, bioreactors are of prime importance and can be divided into two main groups: biomass producing bioreactors and materials transforming bioreactors. The latter case requires, if possible, high concentrations of active cells, in order to obtain a maximum efficiency in the transformation of substracts to products. One way to obtain such objectives is to immobilise the microorganisms. Specific and precise tools are required to control continuously the immobilised biomass. Among them there is a biomass monitor able to measure both free and immobilised biomass concentration. Such a monitor has been developed by Nuevas Tecnologías Espaciales (NTE) in collaboration with the Chemical Engineering Unit of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) under the Technology Research Programme (TRP) of the European Space Agency (ESA).