We are technical co-principal investigators on the NASA-funded project, started in 2009, whereby we and our team have built a fully functional lunar and Martian greenhouse. A live web-cam feed of our system is viewable here: 128.196.12.155/home/homeS.html.

Gene Giacomelli is a University of Arizona professor, and the director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He received a Ph.D. in Horticultural Engineering from Rutgers University in 1983.

Roberto Furfaro is a University of Arizona assistant professor, and the director of the Space Systems Engineering Lab on campus. He received a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the UA in 2004.

Update: (12:15 MST / 3:15 p.m. EST) Signing off! Sorry we couldn’t get to everyone, but there were many similar questions asked throughout the AMA. Please read through the whole thread to see if your question was already answered. Thank you for all of your great questions!

Usernames being used for AMA: genegiacomelli robertofurfaro

Proof: Gene Giacomelli Selfie https://arizona.box.com/s/qmts3a7ou2ycri8pvnjv4uebpnocukvc

University Profile http://ag.arizona.edu/ceac/gene-giacomelli-phd

Roberto Furfaro Selfie https://arizona.box.com/s/cvk5fn7orblu0c1axk3svx8oh1q3o8g7

University Profile http://www.sie.arizona.edu/roberto-furfaro

Comments: 474 • Responses: 45  • Date: 

MegaKx248 karma

If someone were interested in following this sort of educational/career path, what sort of education would you suggest? This all is very interesting, are there any majors in controlled environmental agriculture or engineering that pertains to this sort of study?

genegiacomelli504 karma

i thought you'd never ask.....come to the University of Arizona. enroll in Biosystems Engineering or in Plant Sciences, depending on your specific interstes. we need you.

genegiacomelli76 karma

look for programs [at other schools, too...not many yet] that offer engineering of controlled environments, and horticulture of contolled environment plant produciton. these topics are becoming more common because of the great interest by the foodies and others concerned with locally grown foods and safe foods of high quality

Tucana66214 karma

Is anything from your work being made available for commercial sale, here on terrestrial Earth?

Thanks for doing this AMA! Truly looking forward to reading everyone's questions! (And your answers!)

genegiacomelli176 karma

Earth Applications are important! great question! yes, our work came from previous experiences for on Earth commerical food produciton systems in greenhouses; we plan to use the improvements and new knowledge to feedback to Earth-based food producers in GH's and in other indoor systems.

Frajer144 karma

What grows best on Mars?

genegiacomelli205 karma

we normally say that in hydroponics and controlled environment all plants will grow and grow anywhere the system is placed...but there is the cost that limits each application

genegiacomelli109 karma

unsure...never been there. but we grow veggies in ours on Earth. in general all crops 'may' grow, or at least have the potential to grow, but we need to go and try.

unsure...never been there. but we grow veggies in ours on Earth. in general all crops 'may' grow, or at least have the potential to grow, but we need to go and try.

xjollyrogerxx96 karma

Have you seen The Martian? And if so, how accurate are the specific issues he faced and how they were addressed. Can you discuss specific obstacles that were not addressed or dealt with in the movie? If you haven't seen the movie, or just in general, what are some of the logistical obstacles involved with trying to grow food on Mars that someone not involved in this kind of research might not expect or think of? Thanks!

genegiacomelli183 karma

very importatn do not pee on your garden plants!! yes there are nutrients in the urine, but way too many salts...surely death for your plants.

genegiacomelli123 karma

saw the movie..it ws enjoyable science fiction with much basis on facts, but with the ability to stretch the science/engineering.... the potatoes would never have grown in the limited lighting conditons of the habitat; also the human waste would have been to 'unprocessed' to provide nutrients.

genegiacomelli61 karma

no, we dont use such, but do recycle plant biomass wastes; we have a composter to decompose the plant wastes; NASA-AMES [i believe] has created a simulate human waste for thier testing

1tudore35 karma

What has been the most significant technical challenge in this experiment?

What are the limits on what can be learned from these greenhouses? What information will you be unable to learn until you are able to recreate these greenhouses on Mars?

genegiacomelli27 karma

about the 'limits' of learning....of course there is no 1/3 gravity in our Lab as is on Mars. plus the environment will have to be at reduced pressure to save on sturcture required where we are opretaing at 1 atm

1tudore10 karma

Thank you for this answer and this AmA.

Would it be possible to recreate that gravity on Earth? If so, what prevents you from doing that?

genegiacomelli24 karma

Money! need to make a rotating device that can grow crops and be roated at a velocity of v = r [omega]squared, where r is the radius of the spinning device and omeag squared is the angular velocity

parallel219 karma

How does less gravity effect the growth of plants?

genegiacomelli43 karma

with reduced gravity, the irrigation process is more challenging; and the water absorbance by the plant and water movement in the plant are both reduced. at lower air pressures the gas exchange from the leaves is slowed. need a plant physiologist to better answer this....

DannyBoi1233 karma

What are the next steps after successfully growing food on Mars?

genegiacomelli44 karma

people need oxygen, water, food for survival and that requires energy and water.

trackleft26 karma

Have plants been tested in space? What effects does the differing gravity from earth have on how they grow?

genegiacomelli36 karma

not on a planet as yet, but in the Space Station {ISS} in microgravity, which is much more challenging for growing plants than on a planet surface. think about how to get the water and nutrients to the root system.

imthatguy2522 karma

What do you think was your greatest achievement so far?

genegiacomelli27 karma

besides some of the science/engineering, the interest that has been created by the Mars-Lunar GH filled with plants, glowing away, and growing up a storm, and the young poeple who gain interest in these systems both for Mars and for food produciton here on Earth

genegiacomelli18 karma

also, that the greenhouse system demonstrates the water cycle, the carbon cycle and the plant nutrients cycles while in the lab in a simple way to help student learning

Dotrue20 karma

Since Mars is so much further from the sun, would you need to keep plants under artificial light in order for them to grow? Or could they grow under natural light on Mars (like in an actual greenhouse, not just planted in Martian soil)?

genegiacomelli36 karma

yes and no.....Mars hs about 45% of EArths sunlihg intnesity. but it has dust storms that can reduce to 5%. thus i am quite sure artifical lights will be used. someday LEDs

MandyCandy1318 karma

I noticed in the movies potatoes were use, and y'all grow sweet potatoes, is there a connection here? What makes them a good choice?

genegiacomelli37 karma

we have grown potatoes before, but we were proposed sweet potatoes becasue of their carbohydrates, sugars and many foods thta can be made for them. See Tuskeegee Univ researches! also the sweet potatoes make a huge vine of leaves good giving their water into the air to make drinking water, and for making oxygen from CO2 from photosyntheisis.

trackleft14 karma

Are the ingredients for growing food on other planets more or less expensive than bringing food grown on earth? Assuming it's cheaper to blast off with a lot of food on board, when does it become better to grow your own food.

genegiacomelli24 karma

our tests at the South Pole Food Growth Chamber in Antarctica provided veggies for about $50 per pound of edible veggie just for the costs of operation...mostly electrical power for lights, pumps, etc.

archenteron8 karma

I am a graduate student studying plant pathology. What considerations, if any, have you made in regards to plant diseases which may arise?

genegiacomelli8 karma

good keep studying! plant diseases will always be around. in controlled environments like the GH we can minimize them by a cleaner and a less optimum envroinment for the fungi and bacteria. we practice IPM always [integrated pest managment]

parallel218 karma

In the movie, Watney's potatoes are exposed to the martian air. Would radiation be a concern when having to eat those potatoes later? Do you have similar concerns you deal with growing food on mars?

genegiacomelli15 karma

radiation could be a problem.....but it would take much time to see an effect. they would be unchanged when he ate them.

MandyCandy137 karma

So, human waste, if eaten, makes you sick. How do you not get sick by growing food in your own waste? Also, does this in any way have an impact on flavor?

genegiacomelli12 karma

exactly, the human waste needs to be processed before it can be used on plants...both the solids and the urine. they need to be changed into forms that plants can use as fertilizer, but also to be sure that the bad microbes are destroyed

genegiacomelli11 karma

'night soil' is human waste that is used in outdoor agriculture in some countries, but that is mixed within the soil [the earth] before using, and there it is broken down. best that it should be composted in a pile to heat up and destroy the unwelcomed microorganisams.

Dabbiddeedoodaa7 karma

What types of plants are prioritized for production in space and in controlled environments and for what reasons? Are some food sources prioritized because they produce more oxygen or have higher concentrations of nutrients?

genegiacomelli19 karma

Nasa has about 21 favorite crops based on a balanced diet. protein crops [soybeans, wheat] minerals/fiber crops [tomato, lettuce]. actually algae is a better oxygen producer than most food crops.

genegiacomelli6 karma

the lights in the Mars Greenhouse will be on shortly. go to the website link and you can see the crops.

genegiacomelli6 karma

Earth Applications are important! great question! yes, our work came from previous experiences for on Earth commerical food produciton systems in greenhouses; we plan to use the improvements and new knowledge to feedback to Earth-based food producers in GH's and in other indoor systems.

deadscreen5 karma

Are projects like this actually being actively funded? What sorts of groups have you gotten the most attention or funding from? Is there anything the public can do to help?

genegiacomelli11 karma

very few projects around the world are funded like this. China and the Europeans each have a larger more complete and complex BLSS [bioregenerative life support system].

genegiacomelli9 karma

people in space are expensive. robots have been doing verey well on other planetes. but we all know thta someday humans will go. we need to prepare.

spicypepperoni5 karma

Can you grow cannabis in space?

genegiacomelli11 karma

probably.....if you provide the environment [air temp, hunmidity, light, water, nutrients]...just like on Earth we believe all plants will grow.

FatesForger5 karma

What us the best way to determine the optimal nutrient content for a given plant or crop? Ditto with lighting? Are there calculations one can do (formula) or is it just lengthy research.?

robertofurfaro6 karma

The answer is "test, test, test" - we do not good first-principle models of such systems, i.e. we haven;t be able to apply basic physics law to derive comprehensive models. All the models that we have (including some basic formula) are derived from data. Experience is key

genegiacomelli5 karma

more graduate studnets to do experientation and study for future inforamtion is required

detroitzoran5 karma

Any thoughts on GMO's? I assume modifying the plant for a greater yield or easier to grow in manufactured environment would be a pro.

genegiacomelli6 karma

no GMO's too expensive! most indoor crops are bred by tradtional means to grow well in indoors situaitons

genegiacomelli6 karma

but your thought to change the genetics is one approach, and would potetinally be beneficial. genetics and environments give the result

ssup3rm4n4 karma

If you can grow an already made food, what would it be? Example: pizza, hot dog, burger, steak, granola bars.....

genegiacomelli8 karma

prabaly a pizza.....good nutrition. but fresh veggies are always desired when in such extreme conditons

trackleft4 karma

I am looking at your webcam and it is dark, will the lights turn on soon?

genegiacomelli8 karma

sorry we should have turned the lights on for the Reddit

genegiacomelli5 karma

they remain on until 8am each morning.

reremyjoss3 karma

With a need for hydroponics in industrial food production, would your applications be translatable to potential vertical farming? Mass production of food is going to have to happen sooner rather than later, and your growing system seems to be a solid foundation for that.

genegiacomelli5 karma

mass production of food already happens mostly in outdoor farming [see California, Florida, etc] but it is also expanding rapidly within greenhouses and a bit as Vertical Farming

reremyjoss4 karma

I'm a thesis student in architecture and my topic is vertical agriculture, and I've seen the case studies in Irvine and Chicago that are successful but they only span 5 stories, could yours be engineered to be in 60 story skyscrapers in an urban condition? Thanks for the response!

genegiacomelli4 karma

eventually we could engineer it for that, but we would not do that. ours is not designed that way. it is designed to be light-weight, and fit in small spaces, and specific to your needs.

genegiacomelli4 karma

yes. whatever we do has the same needs as in all indoor production [greenhosues w/sunlight or multi-level w/o sunlight as in Vertical Farming]

omnibus343 karma

Do you simulate human manure or is that one of the poetic licenses in the book? Haven't seen the movie yet.

genegiacomelli4 karma

no, we dont use such, but do recycle plant biomass wastes; we have a composter to decompose the plant wastes; NASA-AMES [i believe] has created a simulate human waste for thier testing

no, we dont use such, but do recycle plant biomass wastes; we have a composter to decompose the plant wastes; NASA-AMES [i believe] has created a simulate human waste for thier testing

inevitablescape3 karma

Do you work with the Biosphere at all?

genegiacomelli7 karma

yes. we have a demonstration greenhouse there now. it is for tours and visitors

FatesForger2 karma

Why are you focusing on hydroponics over aeroponics?

genegiacomelli6 karma

easier, more dependable, simpler, less mainetenace....

[deleted]1 karma

[deleted]

genegiacomelli2 karma

i do not know of this, and would have to avoid doing such.

genegiacomelli1 karma

unsure...never been there. but we grow veggies in ours on Earth. in general all crops 'may' grow, or at least have the potential to grow, but we need to go and try.