title: Engineering concepts for inflatable Mars surface greenhouses.
abstract: A major challenge of designing a bioregenerative life support system for Mars is the reduction of the mass, volume, power, thermal and crew-time requirements. Structural mass of the greenhouse could be saved by operating the greenhouse at low atmospheric pressure. This paper investigates the feasibility of this concept. The method of equivalent system mass is used to compare greenhouses operated at high atmospheric pressure to greenhouses operated at low pressure for three different lighting methods: natural, artificial and hybrid lighting.
authors.affiliation: Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-0570, USA. inka@ufl.edu
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hublitz
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Henninger
authors.forename: B G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Drake
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eckart
mesh_terms: D000389:Air Conditioning; D001274:Atmospheric Pressure; D018504:Ecological Systems, Closed; D005160:Facility Design and Construction; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008021:Life Support Systems; D008027:Light; D008029:Lighting; D018535:Mars; D010945:Plants, Edible / Q000254:growth & development; D011835:Radiation Protection; D013472:Sunlight