GLOBAL CHALLENGES

Lunar Greenhouse Could Help Colonization of Moon

Rebecca Kutzer-Rice | Date: 10-22-10 | Comments

At the University of Arizona, scientists have designed a greenhouse that could be used by colonies on the moon. Equipped with fiber-optic cables and hydroponic vegetables, the module is self-operated by robotlike machines.

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Lunar Greenhouse Could Help Colonization of Moon
As global warming threatens to melt ice caps and we struggle to find renewable fuels, many are hoping that space will be humanity's next frontier. But since possible habitats�like Mars or the moon�lack Earth's climate conditions, humans will require many new technologies to adapt to strange conditions. Recognizing this challenge, researchers at the University of Arizona's Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC) have created a "lunar greenhouse" that could be used to grow plants on the moon, on other planets and even in large cities on Earth.

The greenhouse prototype measures 18 feet long but can be collapsed down to a 4-foot-wide disk for easy storage during travel. It contains water-cooled vapor sodium lamps and long envelopes containing seeds. Since the moon lacks the Earth's rich soil, the scientists have been experimenting with plants that can grow in only water�a process known as hydroponic growth. Plants that can be hydroponically grown include potatoes, peanuts, tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables.

"We can deploy the module and have the water flowing to the lamps in just 10 minutes," Phil Sadler, president of Sadler Machine, which built the prototype module, said in a statement. "About 30 days later, you have vegetables."

Plants that can be grown in the module include potatoes and peanuts (source: Norma Jean Gargasz/UANews).

The greenhouse will be self-operating, relying on robotlike components. Sensors will collect data from plants, and algorithms will monitor progress.

"We want the system to operate itself," said Murat Kacira, an associate professor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Arizona. "However, we're also trying to devise a remote decision-support system that would allow an operator on Earth to intervene. The system can build its own analysis and predictions, but we want to have access to the data and the control system."

In the team's design, tubes of underground greenhouses would connect to the lunar bases in which people live. Unlike traditional greenhouses, which capture sunlight, the lunar greenhouse would shield the plants from the sun's unfiltered rays. The module would be stored underground to limit exposure to deadly solar flares, micrometeorites and cosmic rays. Natural light would be collected and delivered to the crops through fiber-optic cables.

Next: Greenhouse Will Work on Moon and Earth >>