Design of a Low Atmospheric Pressure Plant Growth Chamber

Little information exists on the responses of plants to environmental conditions which combine lower than Earth-normal atmospheric pressures with changes in the partial pressures of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. Data collected on the growth of plants in such environments will be valuable in the development of low-pressure plant growth facilities for use on Space Station Freedom, the moon, and Mars. Such low pressure environments have been proposed previously as a means of facilitating EVA operations. Additionally, in some planetary base applications, the use of low atmospheric pressure would allow the use of lightweight plant growth structures for food production, thus reducing both the mass and the launch cost of the life support system.