The
Antarctic greenhouse EDEN-ISS has successfully braved the continent's
brutal winter and has produced a record harvest that could pose as a
successful model for future manned missions to the Moon and Mars.
After
more than half a year of operation in Antarctica, the greenhouse has
produced 77 kilograms of fresh lettuce, 51 kilograms of cucumbers and 29
kilograms of tomatoes in about 13 square metres of cultivation area.
However the problems were not completely absent as strawberries and
peppers were harder to grow due to the challenge posed by artificial
pollination.
During harsh conditions such as winter storms,
the crew was unable to make the 400-metre outdoor trip from the Neumayer
Station III to the greenhouse. Under these circumstances, the control
centre took complete responsibility of monitoring and supervising the
greenhouse. However, the presence of humans on site was evident at many
times.
“On one occasion, for example, I had to go to the greenhouse quickly
because a screw had come loose in the thermal system, and the lamp
cooling was no longer sufficiently ensured," said German Aerospace
Centre research Paul Zabel.
Throughout the experiment, it could not be denied that there was positive effect observed on the entire crew due to the accessibility of fresh produce. "We greatly value and enjoy the fact that regularly fresh salad, herbs
and vegetables from the greenhouse enrich our diet. The positive effect
is noticeable," said Neumayer III station manager Bernhard Gropp. Eberhard Kohlberg from the Alfred Wegener Institute, a logistics manager at Neumayer added: “Otherwise, the menu just consists of long-life products from the freezer and storage room.”
Read the official press release here: https://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10081/151_read-29756/
Image Credit: DLR
(CC-BY 3.0)
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