Human Life Research on ISS Russian Segment
Rastenia Experiment
The experiment consists of four phases. Specific investigations are conducted in each phase in the field of gravitational biology of plants and cultivation procedures of plants are tested in microgravity.
The second phase of experiment RASTENIA was performed from the ISS-5 to the ISS-14 and from the ISS-16 to the ISS-17 to study such processes as growth, evolution, multiplication of different species of higher plants. During the ISS-15 within the first phase of the experiment operations were conducted to study characteristics of different root - inhabited media. Studies related to the first phase of the experiment are also conducted during the ISS-18.
As opposed to experiment RASTENIA-2 substrate research module (SRM) with gas analyzer control unit (GACU) are connected to the green-house instead of the plant growth chamber.
Objective:
Making investigations to solve problems of fundamental biology and optimization of the plant cultivation modes for green houses as part of the advanced space life-support systems.
Tasks:
- Study of dynamics of capillary impregnation, processes of humidification, moisture separation and fluid motion
in root-inhabited media in a space flight.
- Study of gas diffusion processes, determination of capillary oxygen diffusion coefficients with different capillary saturation of different root-inhabited media (RIM).
- Experimental studies of water-air supply of different root-inhabited media for green-houses in a space flight.
- Getting hydrophysical and thermophysical characteristics of different root-inhabited media and study of dynamic changes of these values because of formation of the root system of plants.
- Construction of conceptual model for optimum water-air supply of root-inhabited media for space green-houses.
- Development of theoretical models for green-houses used in a space flight.
Science Hardware Used:
Green-house Lada consisting of:
- Control unit;
- Lighting unit;
- Leaf chamber;
- Root module;
- Water canister;
- Set of accessories.
Science Hardware MIS-LADA consisting of:
- Module MIS-LADA;
- LADA control unit;
- Water canister;
- Set of accessories;
- Gas analyzer control unit
Flight Equipment Used:
- Water tank
- SVO-3V receiving device
- Video camera SONY DVCam
for video recording of the process of crew operation with the greenhouse.
Consumables:
- MIS accessories kit;
- MIS-Dannye kit consisting of:
- MIS-LADA memory card;
- MIS-LADA floppy magnetic disk.
Expected Results:
In the first phase of the experiment it is planned to receive experimental data on oxygen diffusion processes in substrates with a different level of moisture content.
Experiment Results:
Kits MIS - Dannye returned to the ground with memory cards and photo and video information received during the experiment.
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