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>> HI, I'M MONICA GUZIK,
AND WELCOME TO THE NASA
ENGINEERING DESIGN CHALLENGE,
PACKING UP FOR THE MOON.
HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT
WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE
TO LIVE ON THE MOON
OR ANOTHER PLANET?
AS WE EXPLORE FARTHER OUT
INTO OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,
HUMANS WILL BE AWAY FROM EARTH
FOR LONGER PERIODS OF TIME.
THAT MEANS CREWS WILL NEED
TO LEARN HOW TO GROW SAFE,
EDIBLE, AND NUTRITIOUS PLANTS
WHILE LIVING AND WORKING
IN SPACE.
BUT TO DO THAT, WE MUST
UNDERSTAND WHAT PLANTS NEED
IN ORDER TO GROW.
HERE ON EARTH, WE HAVE SUNLIGHT,
OXYGEN, SOIL, AND WATER.
HOWEVER, ON THE MOON
OR ANOTHER PLANET,
NONE OF THOSE MAY EXIST.
SO HOW DO HUMANS LIVING
ON THE MOON, SAY,
FOR THREE MONTHS, GROW PLANTS
IF THERE'S NO SUNLIGHT,
OXYGEN, SOIL, OR WATER?
HERE'S NASA ENGINEER
DR. QUYNHGIAO NGUYEN TO TELL US
MORE ABOUT THIS CHALLENGE
AND HOW YOU CAN HELP.
>> HI, I'M QUYNHGIAO NGUYEN,
AND I'M AN ENGINEER.
I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU'VE AGREED
TO JOIN NASA IN HELPING US SOLVE
A VERY CHALLENGING PROBLEM.
FOR HUMANS TO HAVE ENOUGH FOOD
DURING LONG DISTANCE
SPACE MISSIONS, WE'LL NEED
TO GROW PLANTS WHILE LIVING
AND WORKING IN SPACE.
HOWEVER, THIS ENVIRONMENT IS
VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT
WE'RE USED TO HERE ON EARTH.
THAT MEANS WE NEED TO HAVE
A SYSTEM THAT WE CAN PACK UP
AND TAKE TO THE MOON
OR WHEREVER WE'RE TRAVELING TO
AND GROW THE FOOD WE NEED.
NASA'S BEEN USING
ITS VEGETABLE PRODUCTION SYSTEM,
KNOWN AS VEGGIE, TO STUDY
HOW EDIBLE PLANTS SUCH AS
LETTUCE, RADISHES,
AND BASIL GROW IN
A MICROGRAVITY ENVIRONMENT ON
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
UNLIKE EARTH, THIS ENVIRONMENT
HAS VERY LITTLE GRAVITY,
AND SCIENTISTS WANT TO
UNDERSTAND HOW IT MIGHT
AFFECT PLANT GROWTH.
SCIENTISTS THINK THIS SYSTEM
WILL EVENTUALLY HELP US
GROW SAFE, FRESH PRODUCE
THAT CAN BE USED AS
A FOOD SOURCE FOR CREWS
WHILE THEY EXPLORE BEYOND
LOW-EARTH ORBIT.
BUT AS WE TRAVEL
TO DIFFERENT DESTINATIONS
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,
WE MAY NEED DIFFERENT KINDS
OF DESIGNS DEPENDING ON
THE ENVIRONMENT.
THAT'S WHERE YOU COME IN.
YOUR TEAM'S CHALLENGE:
DESIGN AND BUILD YOUR OWN
PLANT GROWTH SYSTEM.
AS YOU WORK THROUGH
THE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS,
YOU WILL FACE OBSTACLES.
YOUR DESIGN MAY NOT WORK
THE WAY YOU EXPECT, BUT
DON'T GET DISCOURAGED.
IT'S A PART OF THE PROCESS.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY,
YOU'LL BE BUILDING THE SKILLS
AND KNOWLEDGE TO HELP
SOLVE CHALLENGING PROBLEMS
IN SPACE AND ON EARTH.
>> THANK YOU, QUYNHGIAO.
NOW, HERE'S YOUR ASSIGNMENT.
NASA ENGINEERS HAVE DEVELOPED
A PLAN FOR A LUNAR OUTPOST.
THE STATION WILL BE LOCATED
NEAR THE LUNAR SOUTH POLE
AND WILL BE OCCUPIED
BY TWO ASTRONAUTS
ON A THREE-MONTH MISSION.
ROOM ON THE LUNAR LANDER
WILL BE EXTREMELY LIMITED.
THEREFORE, ALL ITEMS MUST BE
DESIGNED TO TAKE UP
MINIMAL SPACE.
EACH OF YOUR TEAMS MUST
DESIGN AND BUILD YOUR OWN
PLANT GROWTH CHAMBER.
YOUR MODEL MUST NOT EXCEED
A MASS OF 50 GRAMS,
AND A STOWED VOLUME OF
1,000 CUBIC CENTIMETERS
WHEN ON THE ROCKET.
CAN BE ANY SHAPE WHEN DEPLOYED,
HOWEVER, THE VOLUME
OF THE DEPLOYED PLANT GROWTH
CHAMBER CANNOT EXCEED
1 MILLION CUBIC CENTIMETERS.
MAY OR MAY NOT BE CONNECTED
TO THE LUNAR HABITAT
WHEN DEPLOYED, HOWEVER,
IT MUST PROVIDE A WAY
FOR ASTRONAUTS TO HAVE ACCESS
TO THE CHAMBER.
AND MUST USE A SYSTEM
OF EXPANSION FROM ITS STOWED
SHIPMENT PACKAGE ON THE ROCKET
TO ITS FINAL DEPLOYED STRUCTURE
ON THE MOON.
NOW IT'S YOUR TURN.
BE CREATIVE.
WHO KNOWS-- IT MAY BE
ONE OF YOUR DESIGNS THAT
GETS PACKED UP FOR THE MOON
AND USED TO GROW FRESH PLANTS
THAT FEED OUR ASTRONAUTS
ON LONG DISTANCE SPACE MISSIONS.
I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE
THE DESIGNS YOUR TEAMS CREATE.
GOOD LUCK.