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Technical Paper

Development and Operation of a Space-Oriented Salad Machine ‘Phytoconveyer’;

2005-07-11
2005-01-2842
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.
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