Category: Greenhab Report

Crew 281 GreenHab Report 20 May 2023
GreenHab Officer: Megan Kane
Environmental control: mixed door open/ door open with fan
Average temperatures: 89.04 °F
Hours of supplemental light: None
Daily water usage for crops 2.38 gallons
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 0.4 gallons
Water in Blue Tank 165.74 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops:
0700: refilled 3 water bottle (1.5 L) watered other plants as needed 2 L
1750: refilled 5 water bottle (2.5 L) watered other plants as needed 2.5 L
Changes to crops:
More of the tomatoes shed their old and damaged leaves that previously showed signs of stress. Some of the new growth on various plants across the growing area showed signs of scorch, likey from the hot mid-day weather and very low humidity.
Narrative:
In the morning the GreenHab was checked and watered as required. The temperature and humidity was checked intermittently. At 1555, the water for the cooling test was mostly dry and was refilled. The plants are growing well. The maximum recorded temperature in the GreenHab today was 101.7 degrees Fahrenheit.
Harvest: (include which crop and mass in grams): None
Support/supplies needed: None

Crew 281 GreenHab Report 19 May 2023
GreenHab Officer: Megan Kane
Environmental control: mixed door open/ door open with fan
Average temperatures: 89.7 °F
Hours of supplemental light: None
Daily water usage for crops: 2.25 gallons
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 1.59 gallons
Water in Blue Tank 168.51 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops:
0700: refilled 7 water bottle (3.5 L) watered other plants as needed 2 L
1830: refilled 1 water bottle (500 mL) watered other plants as needed 2 L
Changes to crops:
Several of the tomatoes that had shown stress on Sol 0 have shed a few of the leaves that showed stress at the time. Their appearance had remained similar (chlorosis with purple veins and necrotic spots) for the past several days prior to abscision. New growth on all plants looks to be green and in good health.
Cucumbers are closer to being ready to harvest. There are 3 cucumbers and more flowers that may become cucumbers.
Narrative:
In the morning the GreenHab was checked and watered as required. Initial temperature was 71.4 degrees Fahrenheit at at 41 % humidity. Humidity remained above 10 % throughout the day. The cooler temperature and increased humidity seems to have cheered up the plants. While the greenhab made it up to 105 degrees, it did not stay there long due to the afternoon storm.
The watering experiment is going well.
The experimental cooling setup which uses a cloth with water seems to be helping a little with the temperature and humidity, espcially at night when the building can be closed, however we will know more in the next couple of days. The surface area for evaporation and amount of available water is limited but, with more matierials, we could potentially try and keep the temperature under 100 degrees Fahrenheit and increase humidity so that stomata can open to allow photosynthesis. The prototype passively evaporated 1 liter of water and was not refilled until evening. Tomorrow checks will be done earlier in the day to verify water level over time.
Harvest: (include which crop and mass in grams):
Lettuce 34
Rocket(Arugula) 1
Micro greens 8
Support/supplies needed: None

Crew 281 GreenHab Report 18 May 2023
GreenHab Officer: Megan Kane
Environmental control: mixed door open/ door open with fan
Average temperatures: 92.4 °F
Hours of supplemental light: None
Daily water usage for crops: 1.45 gallons
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 0.4 gallons
Water in Blue Tank 172.34 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops:
0834: refilled 2 water bottle (1 L) watered other plants as needed 1.5 L
1230: refilled 1 water bottle (500 mL) watered other plants as needed 1 L
Changes to crops: None
Narrative:
In the morning the GreenHab was checked and watered as required. Initial temperature was 90.8 degrees Fahrenheit dropping to only 86.9 degrees after the door was propped open. Air was stagnant. As per instructions the fan was not turned on.
Mission control was sent a request to permit working on ideas to cool the GreenHab with the goal of extending the greenhouse operations into the summer weather. This was granted and we began working to improve the airflow. We were able to generate a passive cross breeze in the GreenHab. Supplemental airflow was utilized during the midday peak heat of 105 °F and turned off when the clouds came back.
Utilizing several measurements in the GreenHab and referencing a psychrometric chart, we started the calculations to see if an alternative form of evaporative cooling could be constructed. We did a few tests with materials available to see which would be best for creating an adhoc cooling system. Further work will be done on this tomorrow. The goal being to always keep the GreenHab under 100 degrees. The temperature varied from 86 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. It is noted that it is hottest in the morning and noon time frame due to the additional shade provided by the hab in the late afternoon.
Harvest: (include which crop and mass in grams): None
Support/supplies needed: None

Crew 281 GreenHab Report 17 May 2023
GreenHab Officer: Megan Kane
Environmental control: fan with door open
Average temperatures: 90.38
Hours of supplemental light: None
Daily water usage for crops: 1.72 gallons
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: NA
Water in Blue Tank 174.19 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops:
0800: refilled 8 water bottle (4 L) watered other plants as needed 1.5 L
1505: refilled 1 water bottle (500 mL) watered other plants as needed 500 mL
Changes to crops:
Average temperature was the highest it has been since we started. The highest tomato leaves dropped a little during the hottest part of the day but there is no sign of wilting. The plants are in good condition.
Narrative:
In the morning the greenhab was checked and watered as required. For plants without a passive watering system, a dowel rod was used to perforate the soil crust in 1-3 places per planter to allow the water to get down to the roots more efficiently and reduce evaporation.
The morning was a bit hazy and the temperature during the initial test of the airflow diverter went well. However once the haze dissipated the interior quickly rose in temperature. Opening the door after the test had a slight effect. The Crew Engineer and Greenhab officer looked at the evaporative cooling system to see if it could be utilized as we have entered the time of year and weather conditions where it would be effective. It was determined that we would need to reach out to mission control and that setup would likely require an EVA.
This afternoon ingredients for making a marinara sauce were harvested.
There is concern about the lack of humidity in the greenhab and the increasing temperatures.
Harvest: (include which crop and mass in grams)
Tomatoes 514
Basil 1
Sage 1
Chives 7
Oregano 1
Thyme 1
Support/supplies needed:
We request additional information on evaporative cooler including:
· Make and model
· Date last used
· Status when last used (operational or broken)
· Method of connecting the system to a water supply and which one.

Crew 281 GreenHab Report 16 May 2023
GreenHab Officer: Megan Kane
Environmental control: fan with door open
Average temperatures: 84.38
Hours of supplemental light: None
Daily water usage for crops: 0.66 gallons
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: NA
Water in Blue Tank 175.91 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops:
0730: refilled one water bottle (500 mL) watered other plants as needed 1 L
1810: refilled 1 water bottle (500 mL) watered other plants as needed 500 mL
Changes to crops:
Crops seem to be responding well to the conditions. New growth on tomatoes and other plants is in good condition.
Narrative:
In the morning the greenhab was checked and watered as required. It was noted that water in planters had to be added little by little to ensure water was absorbed into the soil. Will survey more closely to determine if perforation of the soil would be helpful to water absorption and retention.
Trained 2 crew members on Greenhab startup procedures.
For two hours this afternoon a test was conducted to see if the greenhab operation remained constant or was improved by turning up the fan and closing the door to allow the louvers to open. The test showed that the temperature and humidity conditions in the greenhab were stable with the door open or closed as long as the fan was on.
Crew engineer created an airflow diverter out of cardboard for the fan to reduce the intensity of the airflow on the plants directly in front of the fan. Diverter was completed at approximately 6 pm. Will test its effectiveness tomorrow.
Harvest: (include which crop and mass in grams)
Rocket(Arugula) 15g
Lettuce 23g
Chives 6g
Basil 1g
Note: greens measured as Rocket appear to be mixed microgreen seeds.
Support/supplies needed:
None
NOTE: Photos included per Dr. Rupert’s request yesterday.

Crew 281 GreenHab Report 15 May 2023
GreenHab Officer: Megan Kane
Environmental control: fan with door open
Average temperatures: 88.6
Hours of supplemental light: None
Daily water usage for crops: 3.43 gallons
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: NA
Water in Blue Tank 176.57 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops:
Watered herb, cucumbers and tomato buckets on the left side of the greenhouse at 0947. Took approximately 5 minutes.
Between 1345 and 1442.
Changes to crops:
There were no noticeable change to the plants. It was noted that all of the tomatoes show some amount of nutrient deficiency.
Narrative:
In the morning the greenhab was checked and it was noted that many of the plants soil was still saturated. In the afternoon the tomatoes were harvested and the passive watering system installed in approximately half of the planters. Overall, 10 terracotta watering spikes with 500mL bottles attached were set up to supply water as needed to the plants in their planters. All plants were watered with fertilizer due to noticeable nutrient deficiencies in the tomatoes and other plants.

Harvest: (include which crop and mass in grams)
Tomatoes 60 harvested for a total of 252 grams and an Average Mass of 0.238095g per tomato.
Support/supplies needed:
None

Crew 261 GreenHab Report 13-05-2023
GreenHab Officer: Cécile Renaud
Environmental control: Door open from 6:45 to 17:30
Average temperatures: 55.3°F at 06:45, 85.3°F at 11:35, 17:30
Hours of supplemental light: N/A
Daily water usage for crops: 6 gal at 06:45 + 6 gal at 17:30
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 1 gal
Water in Blue Tank 143 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops: 06:45 and 17:30
Changes to crops: N/A
Narrative: N/A
Harvest: (include which crop and mass in grams) : Mint (10 g), sage (10g), Thym (10g), Origano (10g).
Support/supplies needed: None

Crew 261 GreenHab Report 11-05-2023

GreenHab Officer: Cécile Renaud

Environmental control: Door open from 6:30 to 18:40

Average temperatures: 54.3°F at 06:30, 84.3°F at 11:10, 91.6°F at 12:30, 81.5 at 18:40

Hours of supplemental light: N/A

Daily water usage for crops: 4 gal at 07:15 + 6 gal at 19:00

Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 1 gal (including watering solution for biostimulant exp)

Water in Blue Tank 156 gallons

Time(s) of watering for crops: 06:30 and 18:40

Changes to crops: N/A

Narrative: N/A

Harvest: (include which crop and mass in grams) : Spinach (11g), lettuce (27g), microgreens (23g), Tomatoes (861g), Mustard spinach (65g), sage (10g), Thym (17g), 4 black carrots (27g of black carrots harvested today).
Support/supplies needed: None

Crew 261 GreenHab Report 10-05-2023
GreenHab Officer: Cécile Renaud
Environmental control: Door open from 6:45 to 16:00
Average temperatures: 57.6°F at 06:45, 65.3°F at 09:00, 85.3°F at 14:20, 86.7 at 18:00
Hours of supplemental light: N/A
Daily water usage for crops: 6 gal at 07:15 + 6 gal at 19:00
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 1 gal (including watering solution for biostimulant exp)
Water in Blue Tank 167 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops: 07:00 and 18:00
Changes to crops: N/A
Narrative: N/A
Harvest: (include which crop and mass in grams) : None
Support/supplies needed: None

Crew 261 GreenHab Report 09-05-2023
GreenHab Officer: Cécile Renaud
Environmental control: Door open from 6:45 to 19:00
Average temperatures: 60.2°F at 06:35, 89.8°F at 12:20, 90.7°F at 16:20, 86.6 at 17:00
Hours of supplemental light: N/A
Daily water usage for crops: 4 gal at 07:15 + 6 gal at 19:00
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 3 gal (including watering solution for biostimulant exp)
Water in Blue Tank 180 gallons (considering the 120gal resupply)
Time(s) of watering for crops: 07:00 and 19:00
Changes to crops: N/A
Narrative: N/A
Harvest: (include which crop and mass in grams) : 755g of tomatoes (orange+red), thym (10g), mint (12g), sage (10g).
Support/supplies needed: None