Advanced Plant Habitat Educational Outreach Microgravity Experiment

The Prototype Development Laboratory (PDL), in conjunction with the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) project, collaborated with a team of students from Gadsden Community College from Gadsden, AL on a microgravity experiment designed to test liquid nutrient flow.  The Science Carrier (SC) subsystem of APH houses four plant growth trays filled with granular media and supplied with liquid nutrient solution via a Water Recovery and Delivery System (WRADS) which includes fluid lines, manifolds, and porous tubes.  Liquid is pumped through fluid lines to manifolds which deliver the liquid in parallel to four porous tubes.  The goal of the experiment is to observe fluid flow through individual porous tubes with three different porosities and to observe fluid flow through four different manifolds to their respective porous tubes.  The PDL designed and fabricated experimental modules to achieve each of these goals and supported the Gadsden team as they designed and fabricated the test enclosure that will house the experimental modules.

    Microgravity Experiment                  Completed Test Enclosure

         Enclosure Design