Comparative Nutrition Commons^™

Project Home Hydroponic Operations For Mars Exploration, Deanna Demattio, Nick Mcguire, Ruben A. Rosa Polonia, Benjamin T. Hufendick

Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal

This report considers the challenges NASA, SpaceX, and other private companies will face in the approaching two decades when sending astronauts on missions to Mars. The longest exploration is planned to take place in the 2030's, sending a crew of, at minimum, four astronauts to Mars for a year of research. The research conducted is assisting space exploration companies’ with ways to grow a complete diet on a planet that does not receive enough sunlight. Agriculture in enclosed and buried structures on Mars will enable astronauts to conduct extended surface exploration missions. We evaluated a deep-water culture indoor hydroponics system …