Establishment of a design guideline for material recycling plant factory for maintaining human healthy life in long-term manned space activities – Publicly Invited Research 2018－2019

  1. A01 Ogura
  2. A01 H. Takahashi
  3. A01 S. Takahashi
  4. A01 Michiue
  5. A01 Hinoi
  6. A01 Tsumoto
  7. A01 Nikawa
  8. A01 Chatani
  9. A01 Kawakami
  10. A01 Akiyama
  11. A01 Tomita
  1. A02 Shinohara
  2. A02 Mieda
  3. A02 Maekawa
  4. A02 Abe
  5. A02 Ohgami
  6. A02 Kawano
  7. A02 Takano
  1. A03 Suzuki
  2. A03 Nakamura
  3. A03 Harada
  4. A03 Kobayashi
  5. A03 Miyamoto
  6. A03 Funayama
  7. A03 Kakinuma
  1. B01 Lazarus
  2. B01 Kato
  3. B01 Kunieda
  4. B01 Kitaya
  5. B01 Sawano
Research Subject Establishment of a design guideline for material recycling plant factory for maintaining human healthy life in long-term manned space activities
Research Group Leader
name
Yoshiaki Kitaya
Professor, Graduate School of Life and Environmental sciences, Osaka Prefecture University
Website
http://envbio.envi.osakafu-u.ac.jp/staff/kitaya (*Written in Japanese)
Research Collaborator(s)
  • Hirai Hiroaki
    Associate Professor, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University
  • Sachiko Yano
    Researcher, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, JAXA

In order to maintain human healthy life in long-term manned space activities, the system called Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) producing plants as food, purifying air and water, and recycling all of substances will be essential in a closed space. Plant culture apparatus as a plant production factory with a material recycling function is the core in the CELSS. The apparatus can produce plants under precise environmental control, and automatically monitoring morphogenesis at all stages of plant growth from germination to harvests, gas exchanges (photosynthesis and transpiration), water circulation, and also environment elements. The objective of this study is to establish design guidelines for this apparatus, aiming to evaluate effects of space environment on plants from cell level to individuals and population levels, and to demonstrate food production in a small scale prototype installed in the ISS.

A small scale prototype of the plant culture apparatus as a plant production factory with material recycling function in CELSS for maintaining human healthy life in long-term manned space activities.