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The Porous Tube Insert Module (PTIM) is a plant growth apparatus utilizing a porous tube design. The PTIM is under development by the Bionetics Corporation and has been designed as an insert to the Plant Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (PGBA: Developed by Bioserve Space Technologies). The Water Offset Nutrient Delivery ExpeRiment (WONDER) will perform a side by side evaluation of the PTIM's Porous Tube Nutrient Delivery System (PTNDS) and a Substrate Nutrient Delivery System (SNDS). The PGBA will serve as the environmental chamber and environmental control system for the PTIM. The PGBA will also host the WONDER sequencer software within its control computer. The PTIM integrates six porous tubes wrapped with seed mats. In the SNDS, the tubes and mats are embedded within a substrate material while in the PTNDS, they are exposed to the chamber environment. The PTIM hydraulic equipment includes porous tubes fed by computer controlled miniature pumps and valves.

Installation of a ‘salad machine’; in the International Space Station (ISS) will be the first step toward long-term biological regeneration of food during space missions. Salad crops have demonstrated promise for providing dietary supplements and psychosocial benefits. A cylindrical conveyer-type design (called the Phytoconveyer) under development exhibits high productivity and low energy and crew time demands. The overall dimensions are 54 × 59 × 40 cm. Power consumption is 0.25 kW and the volume of the plant growth chamber is 0.09 m3. The Phytoconveyer includes a cylindrical planting surface area comprised of six root modules. Each root module contains a porous tube wrapped in a fibrous ion-exchange resin substrate (BIONA V-3) enclosed within a black plastic cover with an open slot on the top for seed insertion. The total outer diameter of the root module is 5 cm.