Not long ago, NASA's space station pilot project, "Advanced Plant Culture (Advanced Plant Habitat, APH)" engineering experimental device completed. A truck sends its engineering pieces to the Space Station Test Equipment Laboratory at the Kennedy Space Center. This is by far the largest plant produced by NASA incubator.
NASA engineers, scientists and technicians associated with this project will be trained in the lab using engineering parts to learn how to operate and assemble the equipment prior to next year's delivery of the APH flight. They will also examine the scientific integration of the multi-system plant incubator.
NASA Kennedy Center engineers are responsible for the design of APH units and flight parts manufacturing. Relevant support systems are provided by ORBITEC, Madison, Wisconsin. The experimental device has a closed system with controlled internal environment and can plant large-scale plants.
The unit uses a monochromatic illumination system consisting of red, green and blue LEDs similar to the current International Space Station Vegetable Growth System (Veggie). It can also be illuminated with white LEDs and infrared light sources. There are about 180 sensors inside the device, lighting intensity can reach Veggie system four times.
Note: In 2015, the International Space Station astronauts use "vegetable growth system" (Veggie) cultivated edible lettuce and other vegetables. In 2015 NASA announced the official launch of the "Veggie" in the International Space Station planting flowers program, in January 2016, NASA announced in the space station planted chrysanthemum blossom photos.
Scientists at the Kennedy Space Center developed this scientific load embedded in the APH for space station plant growth experiments and ground control experiments. The load integration engineer will work with Jacobs' associates to integrate scientific experiments or seeds into the APH plant. Jacobs' research and development scientists also provided experimental space and support for the APH program.
In addition, small-scale space plant culture experiments - Plant Culture One (Plant Habitat 1, PH01) in the rat ear mustard seeds and cabbage, mustard and other small flowering plants.
PH01 and APH experimental devices will be sent to the space station in 2017.
