Human Factor Analysis of Space Crop Cultivation Methods and Interactions

Space crop cultivation has the potential to be utilized as a countermeasure for stress and anxiety that results from long term space habitation while also supplementing crew diets. It is assumed that crews on long duration space missions will be working in close proximity, if not directly interacting with, space crop production systems in their habitats. To date, there is a lack of scientific/validated behavioral health data beyond anecdotal evidence regarding the effects of crop cultivation on crews during both analogue and spaceflight missions, and thus has been identified as a key gap in enabling crop cultivation in long-term space missions. This study proposes a human factors analysis of interactions with crop production systems during analogue space missions. The objective of this study is to produce a baseline dataset of human factors associated with space crop cultivation during analogue space missions. These data are meant to contribute to future NASA space crop production initiatives while also increasing the fidelity of analogue space missions. By leveraging the resources available through the use of the Inflatable Lunar Martian Analogue Habitat (ILMAH); the University of North Dakota’s Space Studies Department, in collaboration with NASA Johnson Space Center’s Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory, seek to achieve the following objectives through the proposed project. Goal I: Assess the behavioral health and performance impacts of working with analogue space crop production systems in a space mission analogue environment. Goal II: Inform behavioral-cost benefit trades for plant growth systems in space analogue missions. Goal III: Inform human factor design of plant growth systems in spaceflight analogue missions. Over the span of ten analogue missions, crew members will cultivate crops using systems and methods analogous to the VEGGIE system aboard the ISS. Throughout each mission, crew members will submit various survey tools associated with behavioral performance, stress, interpersonal interactions, and crop acceptability. This study proposes a novel approach of combining the aforementioned qualitative measures with quantitative stress hormone sampling. Salivary cortisol has been identified as an effective method of measuring stress biomarkers due its ease of collection and wide scope for application. Cortisol samples will be collected three times a day during each mission in order to quantify stress hormone fluctuations. This approach seeks to identify the relationship between variables associated with self-reported behavioral health and performance assessments and stress hormone fluctuation as a result of space crop cultivation system interactions. The parameters, research methods, and research tools in the proposed study were developed through consultation from both NASA KSC Space Crop Production team and JSC BHP Laboratory. This project is strongly supported by NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Space Crop Production team as well as the NASA JSC BHP Laboratory.. This study falls under the NASA Technology Taxonomy areas of TX06.3.3 Behavioral Health and Performance, TX06.3.5 Food Production, Processing, and Preservation, and TX06.3.6 Long Duration Health. The work proposed aims to quantify human factors associated with behavioral health, systems interactions and acceptance while operating crop production systems in space analogue missions. The assessments in this project seek to inform the development of future space crop production system in space habitats based on a mixed method analysis of human factors as they relate to crop production and consumption in space analogue missions. These goals are also in alignment with the NASA Strategic Technology Investment Plan areas of Human Health, Life Support, and Habitat Systems 6.3.3 Behavioral Health/6.3.4 Human Factors as well as Destination Systems 7.2.4 Food Production, Processing and Preservation.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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