Category: Greenhab Report

Crew 206 Green Hab Report – 25-FEB-2019

GreenHab Officer: Norbert Pouzin

Environmental control: Heating and Cooling w/ ambient air (0 hrs)

Shade Cloth (40%)

Average temperatures:

Low: 18.1°C
High: 31.4°C

Hours of supplemental light: 5 Hours
Daily water usage for crops: 6.3 gallons
Water in Blue Tank: ~ 293.7 gallons

Crops watered at 0900 hours (2.1 gallons) and 1830 hours (4.2 gallons):

TIME NOTED TEMPERATURE(° C ) / HUMIDITY(%)

1) 09.00 AM 24.4° C / 21 %
2) 11.30 AM 29.4° C / 0 %
3) 15:00 PM 23.3° C / 0 %
4) 18:00 PM 19.6° C / 27 %

Changes to crops: I planted 8 pots of radish, as part of my plant experiment. I put them in a shelf and moved some tomatoes plant to the other shelf.

Narrative: Yesterday night, the blue tank was refill so we have a full water tank for the greenhab.
In the morning I changed the yellow fly papers.

This afternoon, I started the installation of my plant experiment. I planted 8 pots of radish (Raphanus Sativus), following my protocol. I tried the UV lamp for the experiment, but it doesn’t work. We tried to fix it at the RAM, but it seems that the fact that the frequency used for electricity is deferent from Europe makes it impossible to work. Thus the base we have needs to be changed. I think our UV bulb works properly.

As yesterday, I opened the door from 1200 to 1700 to cool down the greenhab.
7.0g of basil and 1.1g of parsley were harvested for soup.

Harvest: 7.0 g basil and 1.1 g of parsley.

Support/supplies needed: A UV lamp, or a base for the UV bulb we have.

GreenHab Officer: Norbert Pouzin

Environmental control: Heating and Cooling w/ ambient air (0 hrs)

Shade Cloth (40%)

Average temperatures:

Low: 17.0°C

High: 33.2°C

Hours of supplemental light: 5 Hours

Daily water usage for crops: 6.6 gallons

Water in Blue Tank: ~ 152.9 gallons

Crops watered at 0905 hours (3.3 gallons) and 1800 hours (3.3 gallons):

TIME NOTED TEMPERATURE(° C ) / HUMIDITY(%)

1) 09.05 AM 21.8° C / 18 %
2) 12.00 AM 33.0° C / 0 %
3) 14:30 PM 19.7° C / 0 %
4) 18:00 PM 21.9° C / 30 %

Changes to crops: None.

Narrative: The door was opened from 1200 to 1700 to cool down the
greenhab, since the temperature reached 33°C.
After our formation with Atila, and with his agreement, we decided to
move the grow tent from the science dome to the greenhab, so I could
start my plant experiment tomorrow (study of the influence of music,
to improve radish defence mechanism to radiation).
A plant stake was added for the chives.
The blue tank wasn’t fil today, it will be tomorrow.
7.0g of basil were harvested for soup.

Harvest: 7.0 g basil

Support/supplies needed: None.

Crew 205 Green Hab Report – 23-FEB-2019
GreenHab Officer: Nathan Hadland
Environmental control: Heating and Cooling w/ ambient air (6 hrs)

Shade Cloth (40%)

Average temperatures:
Low: 17.5°C

High: 28.9°C

Hours of supplemental light: 5 Hours
Daily water usage for crops: 7 gallons
Water in Blue Tank: ~ 159.5 gallons

Crops watered at 0940 hours and 1800 hours:

TIME NOTED TEMPERATURE(° C ) / HUMIDITY(%)

1) 9.40 AM 20.2° C / 0 %
2) 12.20 PM 23.6° C / 11 %
3) 16:00 PM 25.2° C / 0 %
4) 18:00 PM 21.4° C / 43 %

Changes to crops: None.

Narrative: At 0940 hours, the door to the GreenHab was opened to allow ambient airflow and was closed at 1600 hours. The sugar snap peas are continuing to improve and the yellow coloration present in the tomatoes continues to decrease. 2.5 g of sage was harvested for lunch. The blue tank will be filled tomorrow for the new crew’s use. The red romaine lettuce samples do not have red coloration which may be a sign of continued stress and should be monitored.

Thank you for the support and best of luck to the new crew.

Harvest: 2.5 g sage

Support/supplies needed: More fly paper.

Crew 205 Green Hab Report – 22-FEB-2019

GreenHab Officer: Nathan Hadland

Environmental control: Heating and Cooling w/ ambient air (2 hrs)

Shade Cloth (40%)

Average temperatures:

Low: 17.1°C

High: 32.2°C

Hours of supplemental light: 5 Hours

Daily water usage for crops: 6.5 gallons (an extra 6 gallons were used for cleaning rovers)

Water in Blue Tank: ~ 166.5 gallons

Crops watered at 0900 hours and 1800 hours:

TIME NOTED TEMPERATURE(° C ) / HUMIDITY(%)
1) 10.30 AM 21.3° C / 25 %
2) 12.00 PM 19.4° C / 21 %
3) 15:00 PM 32.0° C / 11 %
4) 18:00 PM 23.4° C / 54 %
Changes to crops: None.

Narrative: The A. thaliana experiments were concluded today. A full summary of the experiments is available in mission summary. Two particular simulants stood as the most successful. Approximately 500 mL of leftover Hoagland’s #2 hydroponic nutrient solution was used on the mystery greens to help in their seedling phase as well as on some of the tomato plants.

The door to the GreenHab was opened to allow for ambient airflow at 1110 hours and then closed at 1200 due to a temperature drop. The door was opened again at 1500 hours because the temperature had spiked due to the intensified sunlight reflecting off of the snow. The door was closed again at 1600 hours for the remainder of the day.

Harvest: None

Support/supplies needed: None.

Crew 205 Green Hab Report – 21-FEB-2019

GreenHab Officer: Nathan Hadland

Environmental control: Heating and Cooling w/ ambient air (0 hrs)

Shade Cloth (40%)

Average temperatures:

Low: 17.1°C
High: 22.8°C

Hours of supplemental light: 5 Hours

Daily water usage for crops: 10 gallons

Water in Blue Tank: ~ 179 gallons

Crops watered at 0900 hours and 1800 hours:

TIME NOTED TEMPERATURE(° C ) / HUMIDITY(%)

1) 10.00 AM 19.3° C / 30 %
2) 12.15 PM 21.5° C / 28 %
3) 15:45 PM 20.2° C / 38 %
4) 18:15 PM 19.4° C / 38 %

Changes to crops: None.

Narrative: The A. thaliana experiments will be concluded tomorrow with final results available in the mission summary. The tomatoes and sugar snap peas are visibly looking much better, likely due to the decrease in watering frequency and allowing the soil to aerate. The yellow pigmentation is decreasing and they are more stable in their stem structure. 16.4 g of dead biomass was groomed from several of the plants, including the sugar snap peas.

Fallen material was removed from the surface of the soil to prevent the growth of fungi or other contamination. This material was dried out in the Science Dome oven and this data will contribute of our ISR cellulosic ethanol study. 3.2 g of sage and 8.0 g of basil were harvested for soup and pizza. Similar to yesterday, the door remained closed for most of the day due to the low ambient temperatures and snowy weather.

Harvest: 3.2 g sage

8.0 g basil

Support/supplies needed: None.

Crew 205 Green Hab Report – 20-FEB-2019

GreenHab Officer: Nathan Hadland

Environmental control: Heating and Cooling w/ ambient air (2.5 hrs)

Shade Cloth (40%)

Average temperatures:
Low: 17.3°C

High: 27.7°C

Hours of supplemental light: 5 Hours

Daily water usage for crops: 9 gallons

Water in Blue Tank: ~ 189 gallons

Crops watered at 0900 hours and 1800 hours:

TIME NOTED TEMPERATURE(° C ) / HUMIDITY(%)

1) 09.00 AM 19.8° C / 23 %
2) 12.00 PM 27.1° C / 20 %
3) 15:20 PM 19.3° C / 23 %
4) 18:00 PM 22.0° C / 30 %

Changes to crops: None.

Narrative: The nutrient supplementation in regolith experiments are still ongoing. However, due to mishaps in shipping, chlorophyll analysis may not be possible since the methanol has not arrived to the Hab (an organic solvent to help extract chlorophyll from the biomass). Consequently, these experiments may have to end without further analysis and they will be repeated upon return to Florida Institute of Technology using the same regolith samples. These experiments performed at the Hab do nevertheless represent the baseline tests astronauts will have to perform to determine the viability of substrates to support plant growth.

The nutrient deficiency observed in the tomato plants appear to be improving, since the yellow coloration is decreasing. The “Mystery Greens” from the spilled seed bank have sprouted and appear to be healthy, with two apparent variants of seedlings. Tomorrow, we will perform some additional grooming of dead biomass from several of the unhealthy plants to stimulate growth as well as contribute to our ISRU cellulosic ethanol study. Similar to yesterday, the door remained closed for most of the day due to the low ambient temperatures and overcast weather. However, at 1200 hours, the door was opened to allow for ambient airflow and closed at 1340 hours due to the drop in temperature.

Harvest: None.

Support/supplies needed: None.

Crew 205 Green Hab Report – 19-FEB-2019

GreenHab Officer: Nathan Hadland

Environmental control: Heating and Cooling w/ ambient air (1 hrs)

Shade Cloth (40%)

Average temperatures:
Low: 18.4°C

High: 31.7°C

Hours of supplemental light: 5 Hours

Daily water usage for crops: 7.5 gallons

Water in Blue Tank: ~ 198 gallons

Time(s) of watering for crops:

TIME NOTED TEMPERATURE(° C ) / HUMIDITY(%)
[AT TIME OF WATERING]

1) 09.30 AM 20.6° C / 27 %
2) 12.30 PM 31.4° C / 21 %
3) 15:30 PM 23.9° C / 22 %
4) 18:00 PM 23.5° C / 32 %

Changes to crops: More “Mystery Greens” began to sprout and sprouts were emerging around the planter.

Narrative: It is becoming clear that not all regolith simulants are created equal. Several Arabidopsis thaliana experiments are performing very well and others continue to dry out, likely due to the alkaline nature and wettability properties. In addition, the paper towel germinations have finished and we may transfer them to pots for future crews to maintain.

We are decreasing watering frequency due to the constant saturation of the soil and to allow the substrate to aerate. The door remained closed for most of the day due to the low ambient temperatures. However, when the environmental data was checked at noon, the temperature had jumped to 31 degrees C due to the intense sunlight. However, after approximately one hour of ambient airflow, the temperature had dropped to 19 degrees so the door was closed at 1330.

Harvest: None.

Support/supplies needed: None.

Crew 205 Green Hab Report – 18-FEB-2019
GreenHab Officer: Nathan Hadland

Environmental control: Heating and Cooling w/ ambient air (0 hrs)
Shade Cloth (40%)
Average temperatures:

Low: 17.7°C

High: 23.5°C
Hours of supplemental light: 5 Hours

Daily water usage for crops: 11 gallons

Water in Blue Tank: ~ 205.5 gallons

Time(s) of watering for crops:

TIME NOTED TEMPERATURE(° C ) / HUMIDITY(%)
[AT TIME OF WATERING]

1) 09.40 AM 21.4° C / 31 %
2) 12.30 PM 19.2° C / 37 %
3) 15:30 PM 22.6° C / 47 %
4) 18:00 PM 20.6° C / 42 %

Changes to crops: Basil plants flowering and the “Mystery Greens” from the seed bank began sprouting. One of the remaining pots of cucumbers was scrapped.

Narrative: The Arabidopsis thaliana experiments are performing very well compared to the previous trial. Two regolith samples appear to be standing out as more viable candidates for plant growth substrates. The pH study on the regolith samples was completed today and the samples’ inability to support Arabidopsismay be in part due to their wettability properties and alkaline nature.

Miracle Grow nutrient supplement was sprayed sparingly on tomatoes, sugar snap peas, and basil. One of the remaining struggling cucumber plants died and the dead biomass weight will be used in our cellulosic ethanol ISRU project. The door remained closed throughout the day due to the consistent snowfall and consequently caused a fairly constant temperature throughout the day. 9.8 g of parsley and 6.4 g of basil were harvested as a garnish for lunch and dinner. Two of the basil plants flowered, which we groomed as a preventative measure against the plant entering another stage in its lifecycle. Upon further investigation, it appears that the radish plant that flowered is healthy contrary to our hypothesis in our last report.

Harvest: 9.8 g parsley

6.4 g of basil

Support/supplies needed: Several pots and the large grow bed appear to be over-saturated. Should we decrease the frequency of watering from 4 times a day to allow the soil to aerate.

GreenHab Officer: Nathan Hadland

Environmental control: Heating and Cooling w/ ambient air (~0.5 hrs)

Shade Cloth (40%)

Average temperatures:

Low: 18.6°C

High: 26.3°C

Hours of supplemental light: 5 Hours

Daily water usage for crops: 12 gallons

Water in Blue Tank: ~ 216.5 gallons

Time(s) of watering for crops:

TIME NOTED TEMPERATURE(° C ) / HUMIDITY(%)
[AT TIME OF WATERING]

1) 09.25 AM 22.3° C / 23 %
2) 12.05 PM 24.4° C / 24 %
3) 15:15 PM 22.6° C / 69 %
4) 18:00 PM 21.5° C / 45 %

Changes to crops: Radish plant is flowering.

Narrative: The Arabidopsis thaliana experiments died overnight despite ample watering due to dehydration. Consequently, the experiments were restarted this afternoon (see Science Report). Miracle Grow nutrient supplement was sprayed sparingly on sugar snap peas, tomatoes, mustard, and cucumbers. Dead biomass on the sugar snap peas was pruned in order to help improve the productivity and health of the plants. The dead biomass weight will be used in our cellulosic ethanol ISRU project. The door was opened at 1515 hours to allow for ambient airflow but closed at 1545 because of the snow storm and drop in temperature. 4.2 g of Mixed Salad Greens were harvested as a garnish for dinner. One of the radish plants is flowering which may be cause for concern (angiosperms often flower when stressed). We will investigate when the radishes were planted in the logbook to determine whether this is part of the natural lifecycle or actually a stressed organism.

The GreenHab inventory and inventory of plants currently growing at the facility was completed today by the GreenHab officer and today’s XO. These will be made available for future crews and updated by crews during their rotation.

Harvest: Mixed salad greens: 4.2 g

Support/supplies needed: None.

Crew 205 Green Hab Report – 16-FEB-2019

GreenHab Officer: Nathan Hadland

Environmental control: Heating and Cooling w/ ambient air (4.5 hrs)

Shade Cloth (40%)

Average temperatures:

Low: 16.9°C

High: 26.8°C

Hours of supplemental light: 5 Hours

Daily water usage for crops: 12 gallons

Water in Blue Tank: ~ 228.5 gallons

Time(s) of watering for crops:

TIME NOTED TEMPERATURE(° C ) / HUMIDITY(%)
[AT TIME OF WATERING]

1) 09.00 AM 25° C / 20 %
2) 12.00 PM 22.2° C / 24 %
3) 15:30 PM 21.5° C / 23 %
4) 18:15 PM 20.5° C / 35 %

Changes to crops: Some of the Arabidopsis seedlings died overnight due to the regolith drying out (see narrative). Damp paper towel germinations are starting to sprout.

Narrative: Arabidopsis seedlings were transferred into collected regolith samples yesterday and watered with Hoagland’s hydroponic nutrient supplement. However, some of the regolith samples are exhibiting interesting wettability properties and appear to be absorbing the water at an extremely high rate, causing the samples to dry out quickly. After watering with approximately 5 mL per 15 mL of regolith substrate yesterday evening, the samples dried out by this morning and several of the experiments had died. We will transfer additional seedlings into the samples later this evening. The damp paper towel germinations are starting to sprout as well so we will have additional seedlings available for experiments.

The digitized inventory of seeds as well as an inventory of the equipment available in the GreenHab and Science Dome is nearing completion and will be available to future crews prior to their rotations. More information will be available in the next Science Report.

The cucumbers that we kept in their pots are looking healthier. However, the peas are not improving and the crew will continue to keep an eye on their progress. The door was opened at 1100 hours for ambient airflow and closed at 1530 hours to prevent dramatic climate shifts.

Harvest: None.

Support/supplies needed: None.