Concept of a Lunar FARM: Food and revitalization module

Abstract: The paper presents the results of a study performed during the Project Work Activity by students of the second edition of the International Master Course in SpacE Exploration and Development Systems (SEEDS). The study focused on the design of a Permanent Human mOon Exploration BasE (PHOEBE) located in the Moon South Pole region and its supporting infrastructures. Among all the Moon base building blocks identified and studied, the paper analyzes the impact of a greenhouse, denominated Food And Revitalization Module (FARM), over the feasibility of the human Moon settlement, considering PHOEBE lifetime of 20 years. The objective of the FARM project has been to design a plant growth chamber module to be integrated in a bio-regenerative life support system for PHOEBE and to evaluate the impact of various bio-regenerative system concepts with respect to a typical physico-chemical ECLS system. The design process began with a system analysis, essentially devoted to the study of the required functionalities of the system. A crop analysis has been performed to analyze the plant performances and from these results, different options of diet/crop combinations have been evaluated, starting from a greenhouse able to fulfill almost 100% of all the nutritional needs of the crew, and scaling down to less than 50% of the needs, with food integrations from Earth. The most impacting subsystems have been studied and a possible configuration (both internally and externally) has been designed. The results of the trade-off, based on an Equivalent System Mass approach, showed that after 11 years one greenhouse with cultivation area of 538m2 and cultivation volume of 222m3 was adequate for the diet of 18 astronauts on the permanent Moon base, based on 84% of vegetarian food produced on the base and a remaining 16% of food re-supplied from Earth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]