Crew 290 GreenHab Report 09-01-2024 (Sol 2)
Greenhab Officer: Ben Kazimer
Heater on, fan off, door closed
Average temperatures: 1136: 76⁰F & 15%, 1743: 65.8⁰F & 27%
Hours of supplemental light: Nominal 4 hours overnight
Daily water usage for crops: 7 gal
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 2 gal
Water in Blue Tank 181.8 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops: 1136, watering and misting
Changes to crops: pruned some dead flowers off the cucumbers in the large blue planter. Harvested some dill from herb garden
Narrative:
Today was wicked busy as the first full sol of simulation, so I didn’t get to check out the greenhouse until around 1130. The heat inside wasn’t as abrasive as yesterday, and it was actually welcome after the EVA. I first noticed some yellow leaves on the tomatoes and that a few flowers were starting to wilt, so after my usual watering level I checked the soil with the moisture meter. A relatively low reading encouraged me to add extra water to the colony of stalks, where I was happy to see they all looked happy and healthy during the 1743 check. Tomato plant No. 4 is this sol’s rising star with the most and healthiest looking flowers, with Tomato plant No. 9 holding the MVP slot. The cucumber leaves still looked rough, but the flowers seemed a bit more vibrant. I pruned off a couple of the wilted dead flowers and gave a double dose of GD music therapy. I was originally only planning for China Cat Sunflower but the transition into I Know Your Rider was too good to turn off (still from 3/9/81 show at MSG). While that played, I harvested a good bit of dill (23 grams!) from the herb garden with the Greenhab scissors. I’m hopeful for basil, cilantro, and potentially lettuce harvests by the end of this week, and maybe even some tomatoes by the end of the mission! Supplemental Note: The crew engineer tested the water supply I provided to the Science Dome and found the salinity registered at 0.4. A reference guide stated plants should receive water at least above 0.5, so this could be the reason the cucumbers are struggling. We will continue investigating this issue and its possible connection to the cukes.
Harvest: 23 grams of Dill
Support/supplies needed: None!