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Space Lab Technologies, Llc

$133,000

Total funding

2

Grants

Funding over time

peak $133K · FY2017–20

$200K$150K$100K$50K$0

'17

'18

'19

'20

Funding mix

By agency

NASA$133,000 · 2

By mechanism

—$133,000 · 2

Investigators at Space Lab Technologies, Llc

Investigator-initiated All funding

Investigatorsi

Rising Stars

First grant in the last 5 yrs

Not enough data

Emerging Leaders

6–10 yrs in

Not enough data

All-Time

Most funded here, all years

Not enough data

Largest grants

THIS PROPOSED INVESTIGATION ADDRESSES THE NEED FOR VERSATILE RELIABLE AND EFFICIENT CROP PRODUCTION SYSTEMS FOR LONG DURATION HUMAN SPACE EXPLORATION. NASA S TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP NOTES THAT SELF-SUFFICIENCY OF LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS IS CRUCIAL LONG-DURATION EXPLORATION MISSIONS. REGENERATIVE LIFE SUPPORT WILL UNDOUBTEDLY REQUIRE FOOD PRODUCTION TO RECOVER NUTRIENTS AND CLOSE THE CARBON LOOP IN A SPACECRAFT HUMAN HABITAT. HYDROPHYTES (OR AQUATIC PLANTS) HAVE ENORMOUS POTENTIAL FOR EDIBLE BIOMASS PRODUCTION BUT HAVE BEEN LITTLE STUDIED AS POTENTIAL FOOD CROPS FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS. THE PHASE I NASA SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROJECT G-LILYPOND: FLOATING PLANT POND FOR MICROGRAVITY INVESTIGATED THE BENEFITS OF THE HYDROPHYTE DUCKWEED (A.K.A. WATER LENTILS) AS A SUPPLEMENTAL SPACE FOOD CROP. DURING THIS PHASE I INVESTIGATION WATER LENTILS WERE FOUND TO BE 100 % EDIBLE (WITH NO INEDIBLE BIOMASS) NUTRITIOUS AND EXCEPTIONALLY FAST GROWING. FOR THIS REASON WATER LENTILS ARE GAINING RECOGNITION AS A PROMISING NEW FOOD INGREDIENT FOR THE RAPIDLY GROWING PLANT PROTEIN MARKET IN THE UNITED STATES. THEY ARE NUTRITIONALLY DENSE PROVIDING ANTIOXIDANTS HIGH OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS (N-6 : N-3<<1) A COMPLETE AMINO ACID PROFILE UP TO 45% PROTEIN AND VITAMINS A C AND E. BECAUSE THEY CAN GROW ON THIN FILMS OF WATER VOLUMETRIC BIOMASS YIELDS ARE CONSIDERABLY HIGHER THAN OTHER FOOD CROPS CONSIDERED FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS. THE PHASE I STTR G-LILYPOND EFFORT INCLUDED AN INVESTIGATION INTO WATER AND NUTRIENT TRANSPORT BY PASSIVE CAPILLARY PRESSURE AND WATER LENTIL HARVESTING BY ROTARY SIEVE FOR THE MICRO-GRAVITY SPACE ENVIRONMENT. THE PROPOSED WATER AND NUTRIENT DELIVERY SYSTEM PROVIDES RELIABLE SELF-REGULATING PASSIVE TRANSPORT VIA CAPILLARY PRESSURE AND IS THE FIRST SPACE TECHNOLOGY TO ALLOW A LIQUID-AIR INTERFACE FOR AQUATIC PLANTS. THE GROWTH BED NOT ONLY PROVIDES PASSIVE WATER TRANSPORT BUT ALSO PROVIDES STABILITY SUCH THAT THE LIQUID ON THE BED IS RESISTANT TO HIGH AIR FLOW VIBRATIONS AND SHOCK EVENTS. THE GROWTH CHAMBER DESIGN CONTAINS MANY INNOVATIVE FEATURES THAT WILL ADVANCE THE STATE OF THE ART IN SPACE CROP PRODUCTION. IN PARTICULAR G-LILYPOND : ALLOWS GROWTH OF BOTH AQUATIC PLANTS AND ROOTED LAND PLANTS PROVIDING VERSATILITY PROVIDES FULL LIFECYCLE AND MULTI-GENERATION AQUATIC PLANT GROWTH PROVIDES CONTINUOUS PASSIVE WATER/VARIABLE NUTRIENT DELIVERY IMPROVING RELIABILITY ALLOWS AUTONOMOUS NUTRIENT PROVISION&AQUATIC PLANT HARVESTING REDUCING CREW TIME FOR OPERATION INCREASES GROWTH AREA/VOLUME WITH DUAL SIDE GROWTH TRAYS REDUCING EQUIVALENT SYSTEM MASS (ESM) PROVIDES RE-USABLE GROWTH BEDS ALLOWING LONG TERM USE HYDROGEL FILMS PROVIDE DISEASE RESISTANCE BLOCKING PATHOGENS INCREASING ROBUSTNESS RECYCLES WATER EFFLUENT AND HUMIDITY CONDENSATE MINIMIZING POTABLE WATER USAGE USES CLOSE CANOPY LIGHTING REDUCING VOLUME AND POWER USAGE DECREASING ESM MITIGATES CREW HEALTH RISK BY PROVIDING NUTRIENTS IN DIET THAT COMBAT SPACE ENVIRONMENT EFFECTS THE G-LILYPOND PHASE I STTR PROJECT BROUGHT THE CAPILLARY DRIVEN GROWTH BED AND HARVESTER FOR BIOMASS/EFFLUENT SEPARATION TO A TRL OF 4. THE TECHNOLOGY IS READY FOR INVESTIGATION IN A MICROGRAVITY ENVIRONMENT. SPACE LAB AND THE BIOASTRONAUTICS GROUP OF THE AEROSPACE ENGINEERING AND SCIENCES DEPARTMENT AT CU PROPOSE A FLIGHT TEST OF TECHNOLOGY PROTOTYPES TO CHARACTERIZE THE MICROGRAVITY EFFECTS ON WATER AND NUTRIENT TRANSPORT AND BIOMASS/EFFLUENT SEPARATION.$133,000

· FY2020 · National Aeronautics and Space Administration

THE PROPOSED GLILYPOND IS AN AUTONOMOUS ENVIRONMENTALLY CONTROLLED FLOATING PLANT CULTIVATION SYSTEM FOR USE IN MICROGRAVITY. THE GLILYPOND CONCEPT EXPANDS THE TYPES OF CROPS THAT CAN BE GROWN ON A SPACECRAFT IN A FLEXIBLE EFFICIENT LOW MAINTENANCE PACKAGE. THE GLILYPOND FEATURES SEVERAL INNOVATIONS RELATIVE TO STATE OF THE ART INCLUDING PASSIVE WATER AND NUTRIENT DELIVERY TO FLOATING PLANTS VOLUME EFFICIENCY MINIMAL TIME FOR MAINTENANCE FULL LIFECYCLE (SEED TO SEED) SUPPORT AND CROP FLEXIBILITY. SMALL FLOATING MACROPHYTES LIKE DUCKWEED AND AZOLLA ARE 100% EDIBLE (WITH NO INEDIBLE BIOMASS) NUTRITIOUS (HIGH IN PROTEIN) EXCEPTIONALLY FAST GROWING AND ABLE TO THRIVE IN NUTRIENT RICH WASTEWATER. THE GLILYPOND CONCEPT AIMS TO MAXIMIZE PRODUCTION OF THESE TINY PLANTS IN A VERY SMALL VOLUME FOR USE AS A CREW DIETARY SUPPLEMENT ATMOSPHERIC REVITALIZATION COMPONENT (CO2 REDUCTION TO O2) AND POTENTIALLY A METABOLIC WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY. THE GOAL OF THIS PHASE I PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A CONCEPTUAL DESIGN FOR A RELIABLE FLEXIBLE AND EFFICIENT FLOATING PLANT PRODUCTION SYSTEM FOR USE IN MICROGRAVITY. PHASE 1 OBJECTIVES ARE TO 1. DETERMINE FEASIBILITY OF PASSIVE WATER DELIVERY TO FLOATING AQUATIC PLANTS IN MICROGRAVITY? 2. DETERMINE FEASIBILITY FOR CONTINUOUS AUTONOMOUS BIOMASS HARVEST AND WATER (EFFLUENT) EXTRACTION? 3. DETERMINE FEASIBILITY OF AUTONOMOUS FLOATING PLANT PROPAGATION? 4. DEFINE AUTONOMOUS ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND CONTROL METHODS TO SUPPORT CANDIDATE CROPS? 5. ESTIMATE CULTIVATION SYSTEM EFFICIENCY IN TERMS OF PRODUCTION CAPACITY VERSUS EQUIVALENT SYSTEM MASS? AND 6. PLAN FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF A FULLY FUNCTIONAL FLIGHT UNIT. THIS COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN SPACE LAB TECHNOLOGIES LLC AND THE BIOASTRONAUTICS RESEARCH GROUP FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO (CU) BOULDER AEROSPACE ENGINEERING SCIENCES DEPARTMENT WILL COMBINE MODELING ANALYSIS AND ENGINEERING TO DEMONSTRATE TECHNOLOGY FEASIBILITY.$0

· FY2017 · National Aeronautics and Space Administration