title: [Prototype of space vitamin greenhouse "Phytoconveyor"].
abstract: Installation of a greens production system on the International space station will mean a leap toward biological regeneration of food in long-duration space mission. Today, priority is given to green cultures as supplements of space rations and a psychological support to crews in exploration missions to Mars, and also as least resource-intensive. Cylindrical salad greenhouse "Phytoconveyor" designed at the Institute for Biomedical Problems is highly productive, energy-efficient, and requires minimum of crew time for. Dimensions of the greenhouse are 540 x 590 x 400 mm, power demand is 0.25 kW, and the Plant chamber volume is about 0.09 m3. 'Phytoconveyor" has a planting unit with six cylindrical root modules. The total illuminated crop area is about 0.4 m2. The lighting unit consists of red (660 nm) and blue (470 nm) light-emitting diodes on the inner surface of a spiral cylinder coaxial with the roots module unit that generate the photon flux density 350 micromol x M(-2) x s(-1) at a distance of 4 cm. Each root module has a porous tube wrapped up in a fiber substrate with ion-exchange resins and is covered with a lightproof plastic with seed slits. The "Phytoconveyor" design includes a programmable reverse watering system. Given the 24-hr light period, the laboratory model of "Phytoconveyor" can produce up to 300 gram of fresh greens every 4-5 days. The greenhouse was designed with due account of resource limitations on the ISS Russian orbital segment.
authors.forename: Iu A
authors.initials: IuA
authors.lastname: Berkovich
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Erokhin
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Krivobok
authors.forename: S O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Smolianina
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Baranov
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Shanturin
authors.forename: V P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Droniaev
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Radostin
authors.forename: Iu V
authors.initials: IuV
authors.lastname: Trofimov
authors.forename: V K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Sivenkov
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D018504:Ecological Systems, Closed; D002149:Energy Intake; D004867:Equipment Design; D018525:Germination; D006801:Humans; D008021:Life Support Systems / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009753:Nutritive Value; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000254:growth & development*; D012639:Seeds / Q000254:growth & development; D013026:Space Flight; D018561:Space Simulation