Hello,
I am working with a team on a research proposal for a seed-to-seed Arabidopsis study.
For each plant, we need a habitat that allows for the control of simulated microgravity, nutrient supply, and CO2 levels for 60 days.
We have some questions regarding the feasibility of our proposed habitat.
We were considering setting up multiple PONDS habitats in an RPM, since we wanted our plant groups to have separate spaces and atmospheres with relative ease of access for sampling. In each habitat, the water intake would take from a main nutrient/water reservoir on the RPM. Each habitat would also be connected to an intake and exhaust air tube system, which would connect to an atmospheric regulator to control CO2 levels.
We were concerned with whether RPMs can scale large enough to encompass multiple PONDS habitats, while maintaining a roughly net-zero gravity vector across all habitats. Is this feasible? If so, with how many plants?
Would you have any recommendations for how to control an atmosphere for multiple fully grown plants in simulated microgravity?
Is using a PONDS habitat an optimal approach, or is there a better set up to satisfy our habitat requirements?