GreenHab Report


Today a fair amount of time was spent been the GreenHab cleaning it up,
organizing the science supply racks and adding potting soil to the
vegetation. It is recommended that two new bags of potting soil be
supplied to the MDRS greenhouse before this rotation is done).

Metrics for the Aquatic Tanks (ATs) were acquired:

AT#1: 63F pH: 8.51
AT#2: 59.8F pH: 8.64
AT#3: 60.7F pH: 8.48

The crops were also tested for temperature, moisture, pH, and the
amount of light introduced to the crops. The following metrics apply:

Lettuce: Planted by Crew 67 on 18 December 2007
73F
pH: 8
Light: 600
Plant is dry and is in need of water

Cilantro:
79F
pH: 7
Light: 900
Plant is dry and is in need of water

Transplant (unknown plant): Crew 67 on 21 February 2008
76.2F
pH: 8
Light: 800
Plant is moist

Corn: Planted by Crew 67
78.9F
pH: 8
Light 950
Plant is moist

Carrots: Planted by Crew 65 on 21 February 2008
80.7F
pH: 8
Light: 500
Plant is dry and is in need of water

It is recommended that the vegetation be arranged in the greenhouse based
on dependency of light. According to the metrics acquired, there is a
variance in the amount of light entering the GreenHab which can cause
specific species of vegetation to dry out and die quicker than its
counterparts. One should also mix the soil regularly to ensure that
water percolates throughout the whole plant box, not just stays stagnant
within the top layers of the box due to excessive watering over time
and the hardening of the soil on the top layers.

It is also recommended that the GreenHab be on a cleaning schedule to
ensure that there is a reduction in atmospheric aerosols in the
controlled environment. I swept and watered down the greenhouse floor and picked up much debris to ensure safety and cleanliness.

In the GreenHab where the ATs are located, I cleaned the room and noticed
some areas in which some modifications can be implemented. I observed
that there are many different voltages for all the instrumentation.
Possibly in the future, to make everything consistent and more
efficient for future crew maintenance, the GreenHab can have a fuse
box with one voltage for all instrumentation. This would be cost
effective and would be less time consuming for replacement of parts.
The vegetation in AT#2 is growing nicely and should be transplanted
into AT#1 within our rotation. Once we get a green light from Mission
Support we can initiate the transplant.

All in all, the GreenHab and greenhouse are functioning within normal
parameters and will be revisited tomorrow for watering and final upkeep.