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This document describes the overall deployment of the EDEN ISS Mobile Test Facility to Antarctica. It builds upon the EDEN ISS-DLR-WP4.4-D4.4-Overall System Test Report which described the assembly, integration and test phase of the project as well as the preparation and transport of the facility to Antarctica. This Initial System Test Report commences with the offloading of the Mobile Test Facility from the S.A. Agulhas II research vessel in the vicinity of the Neumayer Station III. It then describes the installation activities, results of initial on-site tests, issues encountered during the installation, as well as particular design modifications incorporated into the facility.

The overall system test report describes the preparation, execution and results of the assembly, integration and test phase. In particular this document provides details on: AIT infrastructure AIT phase timeline Subsystem results, issues that surfaced and design lessons learned Overall test phase results De-integration and shipment preparation

This document provides the system software interface requirements of the EDEN ISS project. It includes the definition of all EDEN ISS external and internal software interface requirements. This includes a definition of telemetry from EDEN ISS sensors and telecommands used for controlling specific EDEN ISS equipment, EDEN ISS synoptic displays. &nbsp

This document provides the system hardware interface requirements of the EDEN ISS project. It includes the definition of all Mobile Test Facility (MTF) external and internal hardware interface requirements. A separate document, D2.2 EDEN ISS Software Interface Requirements, defines all the software interface requirements including definition of telemetry from MTF sensors and telecommands used for controlling specific MTF equipment. &nbsp

This document provides the system requirements of the EDEN ISS project.

EDEN ISS is a European project focused on advancing bio-regenerative life support systems, in particular plant cultivation technologies and procedures for space and planetary habitats. Essential Controlled Environment Agriculture technologies were designed, developed and integrated within a Mobile Test Facility, consisting of two interconnected 20 ft shipping containers. The main EDEN ISS cultivation area is called the Future Exploration Greenhouse and is designed as a single cultivation room with unified environmental settings and a 17:7 h light-dark photoperiod. During an analogue test mission at the German Neumayer III research station in Antarctica, the greenhouse provides a variety of fresh pick-and-eat crops for the overwintering crew of 10 members. This is of particular importance during their 6-7 months long isolation phase, when no plane or ship resupply of the station occurs. This paper provides an overview of the as-built design configuration and outlines the main steps of the assembly, integration and test phase that took place between October 2016 and September 2017. Further, insight into the preparation procedures for the Antarctic mission is given, which led to the final mission preparation and transport logistics of the test facility. In December 2017, the analogue mission officially started with the on-site installation of the facility at Neumayer Station III. The paper gives an overview of the on-site build-up phase and the activities involved in putting the facility into its nominal operations mode. The paper concludes with a lessons learned and off-nominal issue section, gathered during the first months of operation in Antarctica.

The Future Exploration Greenhouse (FEG) is the heart of the international EDEN ISS project, which aims to investigate and validate techniques for plant cultivation in future bio-regenerative life support systems. The EDEN ISS project partners designed and built the Mobile Test Facility (MTF), which consists of two modified 20 foot shipping containers. The FEG is integrated into one of these containers. It has a shelf-like plant cultivation system with up to four levels for growing plants and it has a cultivation area of roughly 12.5 m². The FEG is designed to accommodate different plant species ranging from leafy greens (e.g. lettuce, spinach) to tall growing plants (e.g. tomato, cucumber). The plants grow in customized trays which hold the plants in position and contain the plants’ roots. The trays can be connected to one of the two nutrient solution supply lines, each line providing a different nutrient mix. All plants grow in the same atmosphere and water-cooled LED lamps provide the light energy for photosynthesis. The FEG design has evolved from early designs in 2014 over the preliminary design by the end of 2015 to the final design which is described in this paper. Following assembly, integration and testing, the complete MTF will be shipped in October 2017 to Antarctica, where it will arrive in December 2017 and undergo a 12 month space analogue mission

The international EDEN ISS project aims to investigate and validate techniques for plant cultivation in future bioregenerative life support systems. To this end the EDEN ISS project partners aim to design and build the Mobile Test Facility, which consists of two modified 20 foot shipping containers. One of these shipping containers is designated the Service Section and houses the bulk of the subsystem components, such as the Air Management System and Nutrient Delivery System, as well as a rack-sized plant cultivation system, which uses a standard International Space Station payload form factor. The subsystems within the Service Section ensure that the approximately 12.5 m² of cultivation area in the second container, the Future Exploration Greenhouse, have the proper environmental conditions, nutrients and illumination for optimal crop growth. The EDEN ISS project concluded its main design phase with a Critical Design Review in March 2016, thereafter proceeded into the hardware development and procurement phase of the project. This paper describes the final design of the Service Section at the start of the assembly, integration and testing phase, which will run until the complete Mobile Test Facility is shipped to Antarctica, where it arrives in December 2017, for a 12 month space analogue mission.

This document presents an overview of the Mobile Test Facility Power Control and Distribution System. Additionally, this document describes the Command and Data Handling System (CDHS) of the EDEN ISS project. In particular, it describes the CDHS of the Mobile Test Facility including the Argus control system, general network infrastructure, mobile platform and camera control and management hardware, the wireless link between the MTF and Neumayer Station III as well as Neumayer Station III EDEN ISS data and communication hardware. The document also details the overall Antarctica-Europe control and data transfer link and the EDEN ISS User Home Bases. Finally, Mobile Test Facility safety hardware is also described. &nbsp

The development of plant production facilities for extreme environments presents challenges not typically faced by developers of greenhouses in more traditional environments. Antarctica represents one of the most inhospitable environments on Earth and presents unique challenges to facility developers with respect to environmental regulations, logistics, waste management, and energy use. The unique challenges associated with plant production in Antarctica heavily influence the selection of subsystem components and technologies as well as the operational paradigms used to operate the facilities. This paper details a wide array of the early design choices and trade-offs that have arisen in the development of Antarctic plant production facilities. Specific requirements and several guidelines stemming from the Antarctic Treaty’s Protocol on Environment Protection and their influence on Antarctic plant production facilities are described. A review of guidelines for Antarctic greenhouses published by several national Antarctic operators is also described. The specific technology choices of several past and present Antarctic greenhouses are summarized, as are the general operational strategies, such as solid and nutrient solution waste handling. Specific lessons learned input was compiled directly from developers and operators of a number of these facilities. A discussion on the Antarctic climate, differences in Antarctic installation locations, internal versus external station plant growth facilities, preshipment testing programs, carbon dioxide enrichment and numerous other Antarctic facility design trade-offs are elaborated. It is hoped that this paper can serve as a useful checklist for future Antarctic plant production facility developers.

The development of plant production facilities for extreme environments presents challenges not typically faced by developers of greenhouses in more traditional environments. Antarctica represents one of the most inhospitable environments on Earth and presents unique challenges to facility developers with respect to environmental regulations, logistics, waste management, and energy use. The unique challenges associated with plant production in Antarctica heavily influence the selection of subsystem components and technologies as well as the operational paradigms used to operate the facilities. This paper details a wide array of the early design choices and trade-offs that have arisen in the development of Antarctic plant production facilities. Specific requirements and several guidelines stemming from the Antarctic Treaty’s Protocol on Environment Protection and their influence on Antarctic plant production facilities are described. A review of guidelines for Antarctic greenhouses published by several national Antarctic operators is also described. The specific technology choices of several past and present Antarctic greenhouses are summarized, as are the general operational strategies, such as solid and nutrient solution waste handling. Specific lessons learned input was compiled directly from developers and operators of a number of these facilities. A discussion on the Antarctic climate, differences in Antarctic installation locations, internal versus external station plant growth facilities, preshipment testing programs, carbon dioxide enrichment and numerous other Antarctic facility design trade-offs are elaborated. It is hoped that this paper can serve as a useful checklist for future Antarctic plant production facility developers.

40 °C, heavy snow storms, high wind speeds (~30m/s), total isolation, and six months of almost complete darkness throughout the day. These are only some of the challenges the EDEN team will face during its EDEN ISS space analogue mission, which will start at the end of 2017 at the German Neumayer Station III in Antarctica. It is this human mission that drove and motivated the EDEN team during 2015, the first year of this EU-funded project. With a kick-off meeting in March and a detailed two week design study in September, the EDEN team was heavily involved in design tasks for the Antarctic Mobile Test Facility. With this project, the team is on the forefront of pushing the development boundaries of plant cultivation in space. In early 2015, the EDEN Laboratory was extended by an additional room. This new work area offers space for multi-purpose work tables, additional storage area, a 3D-printer station for advanced prototyping, and a small electronic work station. 2015 was also a year for terrestrial applications. In close collaboration with the Association for Vertical Farming (AFV) and leading scientists from the horticulture sector, the EDEN team conducted its second Vertical Farming study, performed in the Concurrent Engineering Facility (CEF). This advanced farm represents a benchmark design for the future discussion on the applicability of inner city agriculture solutions. In 2015, the ‘EDEN for Kids’ learning- and outreach program was created in close collaboration with the DLR School_lab. With this comprehensive teaching program, the foundation was created to facilitate the challenges of space exploration and sustainable living on Earth. Furthermore in February 2015, Vincent Vrakking joined the EDEN group as a new team member. Vincent, who already conducted his master’s thesis at DLR Bremen on inflatable greenhouse systems, complements the team with his essential knowledge of computer aided design and systems engineering. In September 2015, Chen Dong, a Chinese guest scientist, who lived 105 days in the Chinese habitat „Lunar Palace 1“, commenced a one year exchange program with the EDEN group. The EDEN team is confident that it will continue its development pathway into 2016 and foresees the steady support of its partners and DLR itself.

Bioregenerative systems incorporating higher plants are recognized as a promising life support system option for future long-duration space missions. Aeroponic nutrient delivery systems have been regarded as a suitable method to grow plants in space due to their low mass penalty compared to soil cultivation and traditional hydroponics. Presently the German Aerospace Center’s EDEN research team has been utilizing standard Euro boxes/trays as aeroponic root zone compartments. The boxes have been modified to incorporate aeroponic tubing with misters and include manually constructed covers to hold the plants. Several limitations with this approach have been identified including seed pinching, presence of stray light, and adaptation to plant spacing over time. A new custom tray is designed firstly utilizing strong plastic holders replacing rubber holders to be plugged into traytop holes. Pressure surrounding the seed is eliminated to prevent pinching. Black coloured body is chosen together with side protrusion on its traytop to block stray light. The new design is also complete with traytop variants to accommodate growing plants and increased canopy cover. The variants include 4-hole, 2-hole and single-hole traytops. The root compartment also includes several added sections to cope with growing plant roots. Feedlines for the misters are placed outside the container to facilitate better cleaning and the container floor is elevated with a 3° angle to direct water to its drain hole. Seal rings and rubber strips are added onto the plastic pucks and their insert location on the traytop to seal off against water leakage. Extra parts, rock-wool holders and crop-stands, are also made for cultivating various other target plants. 3D printing was chosen to build test prototypes. Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene was selected as the build material for its good surface finish, robustness, durability and water resistance. Issues with the current aeroponic trays are solved through the custom designed aeroponic trays. Further developments can be done through implementing a technique for better surface finish on angled surfaces and larger printing sizes. These aeroponic trays are planned to be utilized in the EDEN ISS Antarctic greenhouse module project and within future microgravity/planetary surface plant production systems.

This document provides a summary of the results of the two week EDEN ISS concurrent engineering design study conducted from Sep 7-18, 2015. The primary goal of the study was to produce a preliminary design of the EDEN ISS Mobile Test Facility. This preliminary design includes details from all Mobile Test Facility subsystems as well as initial details on a number of scientific and operational themes relevant to the EDEN ISS project. It is important to note, that the design of the Mobile Test Facility will continue to evolve, especially at the subsystem level, but that this document represents a snapshot of the design at the system level, and its status at the completion of the concurrent engineering design study in conjunction with its associated period of post-processing. The design study also generated a number of important supplementary reference documents including subsystem block diagrams and detailed ‘subsystem calculators’ which detail all subsystem components, quantities, estimated mass, volume and power in addition to a first detailed estimate of project spares and consumables. Although extracts of this information are included directly in the report, the current drafts of these documents should be referenced as separate files. The EDEN ISS concurrent engineering design study has matured the design of the Mobile Test Facility and its Future Exploration Greenhouse, Service Section (including the ISPR full rack plant growth system demonstrator) and cold porch. The study has proven the feasibility of the EDEN ISS project and demonstrated that the facility will serve as a valuable resource to the Neumayer III Antarctic Station and as a test-bed for testing plant growth technologies and operational techniques for use within future space-based missions. &nbsp

The Animation Works (D7.11) is part of WP7.1 Public Engagement of the EDEN ISS project. A com‐ puter generated movie of three minutes length shall serve as a compressed general description of the project setup during its experimental phase, and the functionality of the Mobile Test Facility (MTF) in particular.

This document presents the data management plan of the EDEN ISS project.

Plant cultivation in large-scale closed environments is challenging and several key technologies necessary for space-based plant production are not yet space-qualified or remain in early stages of development. The EDEN ISS project foresees development and demonstration of higher plant cultivation technologies, suitable for future deployment on the International Space Station and from a long-term perspective, within Moon and Mars habitats. The EDEN ISS consortium will design and test essential plant cultivation technologies using an International Standard Payload Rack form factor cultivation system for potential testing on-board the International Space Station. Furthermore, a Future Exploration Greenhouse will be designed with respect to future planetary bio-regenerative life support system deployments. The technologies will be tested in a laboratory environment as well as at the highly-isolated German Antarctic Neumayer Station III. A small and mobile container-sized test facility will be built in order to provide realistic mass flow relationships. In addition to technology development and validation, food safety and plant handling procedures will be developed. This paper describes the goals and objectives of EDEN ISS and the different project phases and milestones. Furthermore, the project consortium will be introduced and the role of each partner within the project is explained.

Antarctic crews have been transporting plants and their supporting infrastructure to Antarctic field sites since as early as 1902. More than 46 distinct plant production facilities have, at one time or another, operated in Antarctica. Production facilities have varied significantly in size, technical sophistication, and operational life. Many of these efforts have been driven by the expeditioners themselves, which clearly demonstrates the fundamental desire that people have to associate themselves with plants while living and working in inhospitable environments. The need for this biological association can be solely psychological, while at other times it is based on the more practical need for fresh food. Although the nature of plant growth activities has evolved with the implementation of increasingly stringent environmental regulations, there remains strong interest in deploying such systems within or near Antarctic stations. Current Antarctic plant growth facilities are predominately organized and administered at the national program level to ensure such regulations are adhered to. Nine hydroponic facilities are currently operating in Antarctica. This paper summarizes historic and existing Antarctic facilities by incorporating information from expeditioners, environmental assessment reports, direct communication with national contact points, as well as published reference documents, unpublished reports, and web-based sources. A description of the country operating the facility, the specific Antarctic station, as well as specific information with regard to the facility size and the nature/type of the deployed systems are provided. Looking towards the future of Antarctic plant growth facilities, a number of previously and currently planned Antarctic facilities are also reviewed. The potential for future Antarctic plant production systems are discussed and considered not only for food production but also as bioregenerative life support systems, in that they can provide supplemental station capacity for air and water regeneration. Antarctic testing can also advance the readiness of hardware and operational protocols for use in space-based systems, such as in orbit/transit or on the surface of the Moon and Mars.

The EDEN initiative is now in its fourth year of existence. Much has happened in the last years, but 2014 was an extraordinary one! Sustained human presence in space requires the development of new technologies to maintain environment control, to provide water, oxygen, food and to keep the astronauts healthy and psychologically fit. Bio-regenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS) in conjunction with in-situ resource utilization will initially reduce and ultimately eliminate consumables from the logistics chain. Minimizing the need for resupply while ensuring human safety will allow astronauts to travel further and stay longer in space than ever before. Therefore, major goal of the EDEN group is the investigation of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) processes and developing the associated technologies for space. Following this direction, several important milestones were accomplished during 2014, such as the opening of the new Space Habitation Plant Laboratory (SHPL), the organization of the 4th international Agrospace Workshop, participation in the HI-SEAS II analogue mission, and the successfully performed Concurrent Engineering (CE) study of ESA’s Lunar greenhouse module. But without any doubt, the most significant was the successful evaluation of the Horizon 2020 EDEN ISS proposal, which scored with 14.5 out of 15 points. Starting early 2015, the EDEN group will take over the project lead and will coordinate 13 international partners over the next four years. Exciting times ahead! Worthwhile to mention is the Strategy & Portfolio document, which was published for the first time by the EDEN team in 2014. It outlines the group’s key research domains, the involved projects, the spin-off projects, and outreach activities. Nearing the end of 2014, Lucie Poulet left the group in order to pursue her PhD research at the Université Blaise Pascal, France. Although her departure is hard for the group, we wish her all the best and are looking forward collaborating with her in the future.

In 2011, the DLR Institute of Space Systems launched its research initiative called EDEN - Evolution & Design of Environmentally-closed Nutrition-Sources. The research initiative focuses on Bio-regenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS), especially greenhouse modules, and how these technologies can be integrated in future human-made space habitats. EDEN was established within the DLR internal project CROP (Combined Regenerative Organic- Food Production) – a joint research endeavor between the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (ME) and the Institute of Space Systems (RY). It is the goal of the EDEN team to further advance the latest cultivation technologies and to adjust these developments into space related applications. Even though, present scenarios for future human missions to Moon and Mars are still several years from coming to fruition, the time to develop these technologies needs to start today. Only this way, highly-reliable and resource-efficient BLSS will be ready for implementation into the mission architecture for humanity’s journey to the Moon and Mars and - even more importantly – enable a sustainable and continuous presence there. Organized by the Department of System Analysis Space Segment (SARA), the EDEN Initiative facilitates its own Space Habitation Plant Laboratory (EDEN Lab.), the institute’s Concurrent Engineering Facility (CEF). Furthermore, the group receives support from the institute’s Electronic Laboratory (E-Lab), and utilizes the institute’s laboratory building (incl. integration hall) in order to foster the development of cutting-edge plant cultivation technologies.

The cultivation of higher plants occupies an essential role within bio-regenerative life support systems. It contributes to all major functional aspects by closing the different loops in a habitat like food production, CO2 reduction, O2 production, waste recycling and water management. Fresh crops are also expected to have a positive impact on crew psychological health. Plant material was first launched into orbit on unmanned vehicles as early as the 1960s. Since then, more than a dozen different plant cultivation experiments have been flown on crewed vehicles beginning with the launch of Oasis 1, in 1971. Continuous subsystem improvements and increasing knowledge of plant response to the spaceflight environment has led to the design of VEGGIE and the Advanced Plant Habitat, the latest in the series of plant growth chambers. The paper reviews the different designs and technological solutions implemented in higher plant flight experiments. They are analyzed with respect to their functional (e.g. illumination source, grow medium), operational (e.g. illumination period, air temperature) and performance parameters (e.g. growth area, biomass output per square meter). Using these analyses a comprehensive comparison is compiled to illustrate the development trends of controlled environment agriculture technologies in bio-regenerative life support systems, enabling future human long-duration missions into the solar system.

Technologies for deployment into a mobile plant production unit are presently undergoing test at the German Aerospace Center’s Institute for Space Systems. Developing subsystems include LED lighting, aeroponic nutrient delivery, ion-selective sensors and stacked growth systems. These systems will soon be integrated into a sea-container to undergo an integrated test-campaign prior to the eventual deployment to the Antarctic. The high yield, low resource use plant production system will be installed externally to the nominal Neumayer III station and operate year-round. Produced food will provide non-negligible supplementation to over-wintering crew diets enhancing the psychological well-being of crew members. The Alfred Wegner Institute’s Neumayer III Antarctic station, serves as a useful space analogue site for the advancement of several key technologies and general operational strategies of space-based bio-regenerative life support systems. Due to the integrated nature of the mobile test facility, quantification of all inputs, generated biomass and crew time will be conducted. Although primary operations will be conducted by the Neumayer III crew members, in an analogous manner to on-orbit and future planetary surface plant production systems, telepresence by a backroom of experts will also be incorporated into the overall greenhouse operational strategy. Results of a survey of other past and current Antarctic greenhouses and growth chambers will also be described.

Humanity’s plans to further explore the solar system requires the development of bio-regenerative life support systems (BLSS), fully incorporated into the habitat infrastructure. A Greenhouse Module (GHM) would contribute to food production, CO2 reduction, O2 production, water recycling and waste management. It is essential to test these GHM technologies in a similar environment to space and with relevant mass flows in order to increase their Technology Readiness Level (TRL). The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is planning to design and operate a GHM test facility at an analogue test site. Therefore, the Antarctic Neumayer Station III of the German Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) has been identified as an ideal testing ground.

In 2011, the DLR Institute of Space Systems launched a research initiative called EDEN —Evolution & Design of Environmentally-closed Nutrition-Sources. The research initiative focuses on bio-regenerative life support systems, especially greenhouse modules, and technologies for future human-made space habitats. The EDEN initiative comprises several projects with respect to space research, ground testing and spin-offs, which are performed by a small team of enthusiastic researchers. The EDEN team has established cooperation with other European and international research groups to share research results and to work on mutual projects.

Designs for an Antarctic plant production system to be deployed at Germany’s Neumayer Station III are presented. Characterization and testing of several key controlled environment agriculture technologies are ongoing at the German Aerospace Center’s Institute of Space Systems. Subsystems under development at the Evolution and Design of Environmentally-Closed Nutrition-Sources (EDEN) laboratory include, tuned LED lighting, aeroponic nutrient delivery, ion-selective sensors and modular growth pallets. The Antarctic greenhouse module baseline form factor is a standard sea shipping container, which allows for use of nominal Antarctic logistics networks. The facility will be fixed onto a specially constructed platform and co-located near the Alfred Wegner Institute’s Neumayer Station III. The plant production facility will be operated year-round with maximum production per unit volume achieved through the deployment of modular grow units in a stackable rack architecture. In such a configuration the greenhouse module system can provide several kilograms of fresh edible biomass per day. Forty foot and 20 ft container configurations are described as well as the general design requirements, including specifics relevant to operations at Neumayer III. Successful deployment of such a facility will further the technology readiness and operational experience of space-based bioregenerative life support systems. Finally, the general design is presented in the context of an historical review of past Antarctic plant production facilities. This first known inventory of documented Antarctic plant production facilities, organizes the facilities with respect to Antarctic station, dates of operation, internal/external configuration and estimated production area.

A Concurrent Engineering (CE) study at DLR has investigated the Vertical Farming concept. A Vertical Farm (VF) is the cultivation of plants in skyscrapers. Here, a significant increase in production of fresh vegetables and fruits per square meter footprint compared to conventional greenhouse can be achieved by implementing so-called Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) technologies. The CE study objectives were to determine the technical and economic feasibility of a Vertical Farm. DLR aimed to apply its knowledge of CEA Technologies in space systems to prepare and present the first engineering design of a Vertical Farm. A 37 story building was designed with a multi-crop production strategy.

Traditionally, the condition of hydroponic nutrient solutions used in controlled environment or greenhouse plant production is obtained by monitoring solution pH and electrical conductivity. These parameters provide greenhouse operators with an overall sense of the solution quality, but do not provide information on individual components of the fertilizer solution. Considering that plant nutrient uptake requirements vary with crop, growth phase and environment, real-time ion-selective measurements represent a significant technological advance in the management of recirculating nutrient solutions. The capacity for the monitoring and control of individual ions in the nutrient solution is the last remaining environment variable for which reliable feedback control does not exist in controlled environment plant production. This technology development study focussed on optical ion-selective sensors, termed ‘optrodes’, for potassium and calcium sensing within nutrient solution. Bulk optrode absorption-based sensors, tailored explicitly for nutrient ion activities within typical hydroponic solutions were theoretically modelled, fabricated and experimentally tested. Experimental data on sensor response time, measuring range, selectivity, repeatability, lifetime and influence of temperature were compiled. These ion-selective bulk optrode membranes were integrated into a custom instrument combining a light source, mini-spectrometer, optical fibres and other associated components. Monitoring and control software was written that collected and converted optical measurements into estimated nutrient ion activities for use in managing nutrient solution quality. Implemented spectral averaging, normalization and ratiometric computations and techniques resulted in sensors that offered the advantage of auto-calibration. The sensors met selectivity requirements in half strength Hoagland nutrient solution and provided repeatable measurements in solutions of different ion activity levels. Potassium and calcium selective membranes demonstrated lifetimes of 30 to 50 hours when constantly immersed in nutrient solution. Strategies for their operational implementation in plant growth systems based upon experimental testing are proposed as are suggestions for future study. The low mass, low volume, low cost and robust nature of these optrodes offer a promising technology for future space-based plant production systems and give them excellent terrestrial technology transfer potential.