Sealed environment chamber for canopy light interception and trace hydrocarbon analyses.

Two sealed chambers were constructed, each measuring approximately 4.5 m x 3 m x 2.5 m (LxWxH). Heat exchangers and air handling components were integrated within the sealed environment. Construction materials were chosen to minimize off-gassing and oxidation. Acceptable materials included stainless steel, Teflon (TM), glass and Heresite (TM) or baked enamel coated metal parts. The glass-topped chambers have externally mounted microwave powered light sources providing minimum PAR at canopy level of 1000 micrometers m-2 s-1. Major gases (CO2, O2) were monitored. Other environmental variables relevant to plant production (humidity, temperature, nutrient solution) were monitored and controlled continuously. Typical environment control capability and system specifications are presented. The facility is described as a venue ideally suited to address specific research objectives in plant canopy light interception, such as the roles of novel microwave powered overhead and inner-canopy light sources for dense plant canopies. In addition, control of recycled hydroponic nutrient solutions and analysis of trace atmospheric hydrocarbons in the context of sealed environment life support can be concurrently monitored.     

The AGROBOT project.

The aim of this paper is to illustrate the AGROBOT project. This project was initiated to develop a complete robotic system for the production cycle of tomato plants in a greenhouse environment. The robot architecture is based on a vehicle carrying the picking arm (a six degrees of freedom anthropomorphic arm with a gripper/hand), the head with the two micro cameras (for the color stereoscopic vision system) and the VME rack for the complete control of the system. The head was purposely developed to permit complete visibility of the overall area. The vision system drives the head to point the path during navigation or to explore the plants looking for the work objects. The robot will be able to navigate between rows of plants, stop near each plant and identify the relevant objects (fruits or flowers) so as to be able to pick ripe tomatoes or spray anticryptogamic substances on flowers. Due to its flexible architecture, the system can be suited to operate on other kinds of cultivation or could be modified to perform other kinds of operations such as transplanting or packaging. Also the field of action could be different from greenhouses: changing from a wheeled locomotion system to a tracked system, the robot will be able to operate on particularly irregular surfaces. These features make this robotic system particularly adapted to replace human from tiring and harmful tasks or operating within adverse environment.     

光学原位法探针测量超低减排烟气

随着燃煤电厂超低减排的开展,烟气监测技术的要求也越来越严格。研制了应用差分光学吸收光谱(DOAS)和多波长消光的实时在线烟气监测探针,可同时对SO_2、烟尘等浓度进行监测。并在实验室进行了标定,SO_2浓度及烟尘反演误差均小于10%,不同浓度SO_2反演浓度曲线线性度好,线性相关系数为0.999 64。利用该系统对某燃煤电厂烟气中的SO_2和液滴颗粒物进行了现场监测。结果表明:该系统对SO_2、液滴颗粒的监测结果与锅炉运行工况、实际运行状况吻合。     

视觉导航下基于H2/H∞的航迹跟踪

为了从理论上研究视觉导航系统的特性,首先在物理上将视觉导航系统划分为传感器(摄像头、激光测距仪)和视觉处理计算机。针对视觉处理计算机,建立视觉位置测量模型。将视觉位置测量模型的不确定性分为参数不确定性和输入干扰2种。然后通过仿真详细分析了视觉位置估计针对不同模型不确定性的敏感程度。最后在引入视觉位置测量模型不确定性的基础上研究H₂/H_∞混合鲁棒控制在航迹跟踪上的应用,并给出了保证航迹控制系统稳定性和跟踪性能情况下的视觉位置测量模型摄动范围,对计算机视觉算法的研究具有一定的指导意义。     

生物工程微操作机器人视觉系统的研究

针对生物工程领域显微操作的要求和特点,设计并实现了一个显微视觉系统.该系统采用基于相关系数的模板匹配算法和基于形态学运算的识别算法,能同时获得至少3个目标的二维位置信息.这两种算法均可由能够用硬件并行实现的离散卷积运算来实现,从而能够快速地计算目标的位置信息,实现了实时视觉伺服控制.实验结果表明视觉伺服控制能有效地提高系统的性能;视觉系统能够满足实时控制的要求.     

The C23A: first step to a monitoring system of CELSS in flight.

Studies for every level of CELSS: Waste processing, food production, photosynthesis system, and so on ..., imply an automatic system to control, command and quantify gases, water and chemical compounds. Used for many years in plant physiology studies, the C23A system monitors the analysis and quantifies gases (O2, CO2. N2, ...), physical parameters (temperature, humidity, ...) and chemical compounds (NH4+, N03-, ...) on numerous experiments. In the new version, the architecture of the computing system is near of the space requirements. We have chosen a structure with three independent levels: acquisition, monitoring and supervision. Moreover, we use multiplexed analysers: IRGA, mass spectrometer and cheminal analyser. The multiplexing increases the accuracy of the measurements and could facilitate the spatialization. Thus the whole structure anticipates the entire separation between automation in space and control-command on ground.     

Atmosphere behavior in gas-closed mouse-algal systems: An experimental and modelling study

Concepts of biologically-based regenerative life support systems anticipate the use of photosynthetic organisms for air revitalization. However, mismatches in the rates of production and uptake of oxygen or carbon dioxide between the crew and the plants will lead to an accumulation or depletion of these gases beyond tolerable limits. One method for correcting these atmospheric changes is to use physicochemical devices. This would conflict with the constraint of minimal size and weight imposed upon the successful development of a competitive bioregenerative system. An alternate control strategy is based upon reducing the gas exchange mismatch by manipulation of those environmental parameters known to affect plant or algae gas exchange ratios. We have initiated a research program using a dual approach of mathematical modelling and laboratory experimentation aimed at examining the gas exchange characteristics of artificial animal/plant systems closed to the ambient atmosphere. Our goal is to develop control techniques and management strategies for maintaining the atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen at physiological levels. A mathematical model simulating the atmospheric behavior in these systems has been developed and an experimental gas-closed system has been constructed. These will be described and preliminary results will be presented.     

嫦娥一号卫星飞行控制模拟器的设计与研制

飞行控制模拟器,简称飞控模拟器,是飞控中心用来验证飞行程序和地面测控方案,训练操作人员的模拟仿真系统,为系统演练构造一个尽量逼真的任务环境.介绍了嫦娥一号飞控模拟器的功能、结构和使用模式.提出了带轨道根数跳时的新方法,使模拟器具备加速跳时至任意轨道段的能力,提高了任务演练的灵活性.建立了高精度轨道动力学模型,并首次在模拟器中直接嵌入了部分星载软件,大大提高了模拟器的保真度.同时专门设计了图形化的集中监控软件,方便了用户的操作和管理.该模拟器在嫦娥一号卫星任务准备中得到了充分的应用,为嫦娥一号卫星任务的圆满完成奠定了坚实的基础.根据该模拟器的开发经验,对未来模拟器的研制提出了几点建议.     

Effect of CO2 and O2 on development and fructification of wheat in closed systems.

The cultivation of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was performed in controlled environment chambers with the continuous monitoring of photosynthesis, dark respiration, transpiration and main nutrient uptakes. A protocol in twin chambers was developed to compare the specific effects of low O2 and high CO2. Each parameter is able to influence photosynthesis but different effects are obtained In the development, fructification and seed production, because of the different effects of each parameter on the ratio of reductive to oxidative cycle of carbon. The first main conclusion is that low level of O2, at the same rate of biomass production, strongly acts on the rate of ear appearance and on seed production. Ear appearance was delayed and seed production reduced with a low O2 treatment (approximately 4%). The O2 effect was not mainly due to the repression of the oxidative cycle. The high CO2 treatment (700 to 900 microl l-1) delayed ear appearance by 4 days but did not reduce seed production. High CO2 treatment also reduced transpiration by 20%. Two hypothesis were proposed to explain the similarities and the difference in the O2 and CO2 effects on the growth of wheat.     

Current concepts and future directions of CELSS.

Studies of bioregenerative life support systems for use in space indicate that they are scientifically feasible. Preliminary data suggest that they would provide cost- and weight-saving benefits for low Earth orbit, long duration space platforms. Concepts of such systems include the use of higher plants and/or micro-algae as sources of food, potable water and oxygen, and as sinks for carbon dioxide and metabolic wastes. Recycling of materials within the system will require processing of food organism and crew wastes using microbiological and/or physical chemical techniques. The dynamics of material flow within the system will require monitoring, control, stabilization and maintenance imposed by computers. Future phases of study will continue investigations of higher plant and algal physiology, environmental responses, and control; flight experiments for testing responses of organisms to weightlessness and increased radiation levels; and development of ground-based facilities for the study of recycling within a bioregenerative life support system.     

Mass balances for a biological life support system simulation model.

Design decisions to aid the development of future space-based biological life support systems (BLSS) can be made with simulation models. Here we develop the biochemical stoichiometry for 1) protein, carbohydrate, fat, fiber, and lignin production in the edible and inedible parts of plants; 2) food consumption and production of organic solids in urine, feces, and wash water by the humans; and 3) operation of the waste processor. Flux values for all components are derived for a steady-state system with wheat as the sole food source. The large-scale dynamics of a materially-closed (BLSS) computer model is described in a companion paper. An extension of this methodology can explore multi-food systems and more complex biochemical dynamics while maintaining whole-system closure as a focus.     

Top-level modeling of an ALS system utilizing object-oriented techniques.

The possible configuration of an Advanced Life Support (ALS) System capable of supporting human life for long-term space missions continues to evolve as researchers investigate potential technologies and configurations. To facilitate the decision process the development of acceptable, flexible, and dynamic mathematical computer modeling tools capable of system level analysis is desirable. Object-oriented techniques have been adopted to develop a dynamic top-level model of an ALS system.This approach has several advantages; among these, object-oriented abstractions of systems are inherently modular in architecture. Thus, models can initially be somewhat simplistic, while allowing for adjustments and improvements. In addition, by coding the model in Java, the model can be implemented via the World Wide Web, greatly encouraging the utilization of the model. Systems analysis is further enabled with the utilization of a readily available backend database containing information supporting the model. The subsystem models of the ALS system model include Crew, Biomass Production, Waste Processing and Resource Recovery, Food Processing and Nutrition, and the Interconnecting Space. Each subsystem model and an overall model have been developed. Presented here is the procedure utilized to develop the modeling tool, the vision of the modeling tool, and the current focus for each of the subsystem models.     

Carbon balance in bioregenerative life support systems: some effects of system closure, waste management, and crop harvest index.

In Advanced Life Support (ALS) systems with bioregenerative components, plant photosynthesis would be used to produce O2 and food, while removing CO2. Much of the plant biomass would be inedible and hence must be considered in waste management. This waste could be oxidized (e.g., incinerated or aerobically digested) to resupply CO2 to the plants, but this would not be needed unless the system were highly closed with regard to food. For example, in a partially closed system where some of the food is grown and some is imported, CO2 from oxidized waste when combined with crew and microbial respiration could exceed the CO2 removal capability of the plants. Moreover, it would consume some O2 produced from photosynthesis that could have been used by the crew. For partially closed systems it would be more appropriate to store or find other uses for the inedible biomass and excess carbon, such as generating soils or growing woody plants (e.g., dwarf fruit trees). Regardless of system closure, high harvest crops (i.e., crops with a high edible to total biomass ratio) would increase food production per unit area and O2 yields for systems where waste biomass is oxidized to recycle CO2. Such interlinking effects between the plants and waste treatment strategies point out the importance of oxidizing only that amount of waste needed to optimize system performance.     

Recycling of inorganic nutrients for hydroponic crop production following incineration of inedible biomass.

The goal of resource recovery in a regenerative life support system is maintenance of product quality to sure support of reliable and predictable levels of life support function performance by the crop plant component. Further, these systems must be maintained over extended periods of time, requiring maintenance of nutrient solutions to avoid toxicity and deficiencies. The focus of this study was to determine the suitability of the ash product following incineration of inedible biomass as a source of inorganic nutrients for hydroponic crop production. Inedible wheat biomass was incinerated and ash quality characterized. The incinerator ash was dissolved in adequate nitric acid to establish a consistent nitrogen concentration is all nutrient solution treatments. Four experimental nutrient treatments were included: control, ash only, ash supplemented to match the control treatment, and ash only quality formulated with reagent grade chemicals. When nutrient solutions were formulated using only ash following incineration of inedible biomass, a balance in solution is established representing elemental retention following incineration and nutrient proportions present in the original biomass. The resulting solution is not identical to the control. This imbalance resulted in a suppression of crop growth. When the ash is supplemented with reagent grade chemicals to establish the same balance as in the control--growth is identical to the control. The ash appears to carry no phytotoxic materials. Growth in solution formulated with reagent grade chemicals but matching the quality of the ash only treatment resulted in similar growth to that of the ash only treatment. The ash product resulting from incineration of inedible biomass appears to be a suitable form for recycle of inorganic nutrients to crop production.     

Earth life support for aquatic organisms, system and technical aspects.

The importance of the research on Bioregenerative Life Support has increased dramatically in the last decade not only with regard to possible space flight application but also as a way to obtain a better understanding of our Earth's ecology. A major goal was to reach long-term stability of artificial model systems. Preliminary data are presented on the development of an improved aquatic system, currently dedicated for ground-based research. Closed aquatic ecosystems require reliability of the key parameters of pH, O2 and CO2 concentration and stability of sensors for monitoring. Besides the integration of an artificial lung (holofiber system and air pump with valves, allowing controlled oxygen uptake of air), in parallel to the oxygen producing water plants. Our new approach is to implement opto-chemical sensors, for such environmental monitoring. One major advantage of the new sensor technique is their better long-term reliability as compared to the electrochemical sensors. Our experiment with the new sensor technique has demonstrated satisfactory performance in closed aquatic ecosystems.     

Light intensity and production parameters of phytocenoses cultivated on soil-like substrate under controlled [correction of controled] environment conditions.

To increase the degree of closure of biological life support systems of a new generation, we used vermicomposting to involve inedible phytomass in the intra-system mass exchange. The resulting product was a soil-like substrate, which was quite suitable for growing plants (Manukovsky et al. 1996, 1997). However, the soil like substrate can be regarded as a candidate for inclusion in a system only after a comprehensive examination of its physical, chemical, and other characteristics. An important criterion is the ability of the soil-like substrate to supply the necessary mineral elements to the photosynthesizing component under the chosen cultivation conditions. Thus, the purpose of this work was to study the feasibility of enhancing the production activity of wheat and radish crops by varying the intensity of photosynthetically active radiation, without decreasing the harvest index. The increase of light intensity from 920 to 1150 micromoles m-2 s-1 decreased the intensity of apparent photosynthesis of the wheat crops and slightly increased the apparent photosynthesis of the radish crops The maximum total and grain productivity (kg/m2) of the wheat crops was attained at the irradiance of 920 micromoles m-2 s-1. Light intensity of 1150 micromoles m-2 s-1 decreased the productivity of wheat plants and had no significant effect on the productivity of the radish crops (kg/m2) as compared to 920 micromoles m-2 s-1. The qualitative and quantitative composition of microflora of the watering solution and substrate was determined by the condition of plants, developmental phase and light intensity. By the end of wheat growth under 1150 micromoles m-2 s-1 the numbers of bacteria of the coliform family and phytopathogenic bacteria in the watering solution and substrate were an order of magnitude larger than under other illumination conditions. The obtained data suggest that the cultivation of plants in a life support system on soil-like substrate from composts has a number of advantages over the cultivation on neutral substrates, which require continual replenishment of the plant nutrient solution from the system's store to complement the macro- and micro-elements. Yet, a number of problems arise, including those related to the controlling of the production activity of the plants by the intensity of photosynthetically active radiation. It is essential to understand why the intensity of production processes is limited at higher irradiation levels and to overcome the factors responsible for this, so that the soil-like substrate could have an even better chance in the competition for the best plant cultivation technology to be used in biological life support systems.     

The structure and function of microbial communities in recirculating hydroponic systems.

Strategies to control the microbial community associated with plant growth systems need to be based on a fundamental understanding of the factors which structure and regulate the community. Spatial and temporal patterns in the abundance and production rate of microorganisms in hydroponic systems containing wheat were examined to evaluate how root-derived carbon is processed. The relevance of results to monitoring and control strategies is discussed.     

The ASTROCULTURE(TM) flight experiment series, validating technologies for growing plants in space.

A flight experiment, ASTROCULTURE(TM)-1 (ASC-1), to evaluate the operational characteristics and hardware performance of a porous tube nutrient delivery system (PTNDS) was flown on STS-50 as part of the U.S. Microgravity Laboratory-1 mission, 25 June to 9 July, 1992. This experiment is the first in a series of planned ASTROCULTURE(TM) flights to validate the performance of subsystems required to grow plants in microgravity environments. Results indicated that the PTNDS was capable of supplying water and nutrients to plants in microgravity and that its performance was similar in microgravity to that in 1g on Earth. The data demonstrated that water transfer rates through a rooting matrix are a function of pore size of the tubes, the degree of negative pressure on the 'supply' fluid, and the pressure differential between the 'supply' and 'recovery' fluid loops. A slightly greater transfer rate was seen in microgravity than in 1g, but differences were likely related to the presence of hydrostatic pressure effects at 1g. Thus, this system can be used to support plant growth in microgravity or in partial gravity as on a lunar or Mars base. Additional subsystems to be evaluated in the ASTROCULTURE(TM) flight series of experiments include lighting, humidity control and condensate recovery, temperature control, nutrient composition control, CO2 and O2 control, and gaseous contaminant control.     

Developing strategies for automated remote plant production systems: Environmental control and monitoring of the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse in the Canadian High Arctic

The Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse is a unique research facility dedicated to the study of greenhouse engineering and autonomous functionality under extreme operational conditions, in preparation for extraterrestrial biologically-based life support systems. The Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse is located at the Haughton Mars Project Research Station on Devon Island in the Canadian High Arctic. The greenhouse has been operational since 2002. Over recent years the greenhouse has served as a controlled environment facility for conducting scientific and operationally relevant plant growth investigations in an extreme environment. Since 2005 the greenhouse has seen the deployment of a refined nutrient control system, an improved imaging system capable of remote assessment of basic plant health parameters, more robust communication and power systems as well as the implementation of a distributed data acquisition system. Though several other Arctic greenhouses exist, the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse is distinct in that the focus is on autonomous operation as opposed to strictly plant production. Remote control and autonomous operational experience has applications both terrestrially in production greenhouses and extraterrestrially where future long duration Moon/Mars missions will utilize biological life support systems to close the air, food and water loops. Minimizing crew time is an important goal for any space-based system. The experience gained through the remote operation of the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse is providing the experience necessary to optimize future plant production systems and minimize crew time requirements. Internal greenhouse environmental data shows that the fall growth season (July–September) provides an average photosynthetic photon flux of 161.09 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ (August) and 76.76 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ (September) with approximately a 24 h photoperiod. The spring growth season provides an average of 327.51 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ (May) and 339.32 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ (June) demonstrating that even at high latitudes adequate light is available for crop growth during 4–5 months of the year. The Canadian Space Agency Development Greenhouse [now operational] serves as a test-bed for evaluating new systems prior to deployment in the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse. This greenhouse is also used as a venue for public outreach relating to biological life support research and its corresponding terrestrial spin-offs.