Estimating plant growth area with the biomass production chamber sizing model

摘要

The Biomass Production Chamber (BPC) Sizing Model has been designed to incorporate plant growth chamber options into NASA's Advanced Life Support Sizing Analysis Tool. The concept addressed by the model is that the gas exchange from a biomass production chamber, in conjunction with human metabolic data and food consumption rates, can be used to estimate the chamber size necessary for the gas exchange and food production rate required for a specific crew size. NASA's baseline design utilizes a 78m{sup}2 (840 ft{sup}2) plant growth area and a 9.45m (31 ft) center shelf length. Using an iterative comparison method, the center shelf is incremented by 1.5m (5 ft) sections until necessary food production requirements and gas exchange rates are satisfied.