Popeye on mars
- [Functionality] (https://github.com/hsgr/pom/wiki/Popeye-on-mars#functionality)
- [Structure] (https://github.com/hsgr/pom/wiki/Popeye-on-mars#structure)
Popeye on Mars is a fully automated greenhouse that operates for approximately 45 days (spinach life cycle) with no need for human intervention. This period can vary up to 65 days depending on the planted plants.
The choice of spinach as a plant is indicative as it is an average type of plant, since it is nor very sensitive either very durable and requires regular cultivation methods.
The purpose of the greenhouse is to store the produced oxygen (O2), which happens throughout the period that plants [photosynthesize] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis). At the end of spinach's life cycle [a sharp razor] () [harvests the spinach] () and after a [dehydration period] () the seeds are ready to be collected.
After elementary maintenance and seeds planting, the greenhouse is functional again and ready for the next harvest.
The green house consists two main parts:
- [the external part] (https://github.com/hsgr/pom/wiki/External%20Structure)
- [the internal part] (https://github.com/hsgr/pom/wiki/Internal%20Structure)
The volume of the greenhouse, before deployment and during the (Mars) night is around one cubic meter. The thickness of the green house cover is 100mm. There is also 50mm space between the cover and the main body for the PVPs.
During the day, when the covers open and the PVPs are deployed, the green house occupies a circle area of around 1.5 meters radius.
The main body of the green house consists of:
- cylindrical part of 600mm height, 500mm radius and 50mm thickness made of carbon fiber. This is where the majority of the mechanical parts and growing materials are stored.
- hemispherical part of 500mm radius and 6mm thickness placed on top of the cylindrical part. It is made of optium acrylic material, which is anti-reflective and UV resistant.