LAB TO MOON
Team Name: Luna 3A
Concept Name: Production of oxygen using photo bioreactor
Team Members:
1. Abhishek Sharma
2. Arnab Banerjee
3. Ankur
Experiment description:
As oxygen is one the vital part of life for survival and the theme of the competition is
sustainability and how it would help humans create a better world on moon, hence
the objective of our experiment is to test the survival of living organisms by producing
oxygen with the help of a photo bioreactor using algae as a medium. Algae are plant
like microorganisms that have the ability to turn sunlight into energy. Algae contains
light absorbing chloroplasts and produce oxygen through photosynthesis. The
challenge of our experiment is to test whether algae is able to produce appropriate
amounts of oxygen which will prove that life is sustainable on the lunar surface.
In our experiment we intend to make a photo bioreactor with the help of a soda can
that would house the algae which in turn would produce oxygen which is the
foremost requirement of the experiment. However we considered the following points
while designing the photo bioreactor i.e. what kind of light source will optimize growth
of algae, can pH be maintained in the photo bioreactor, can the temperature be
maintained in the photo bioreactor. To account for the following points we have
devised methods to help us overcome the problems. Algae requires light energy in
order to convert carbon dioxide into organic compounds for growth, hence in our
experiment we have used fluorescent LED lamp to supply light to the algae.
Secondly the pH of the water in which the algae is grown should be between 7 and
9, hence we in our experiment have devised a pH sensor and the algae should be
stirred continuously and the temperature of the water should be between 20 and
24°C, for this purpose we have applied reflective covering around our device which
will reflect 90% of radiations. A temperature and humidity sensor would help detect
the optimum temperature and a stirrer which would aerate the water with the help of
an airlift pump. The most important issue that we discovered was the radioactivity on
the moon, the surface of moon is badly exposed to cosmic rays and solar flares
which are very hard to shield, however on further consideration we discovered that
plastics and light weight materials are more effective for shielding against inter
galactic cosmic radiations than aluminium. Hence we decided to cover the outer
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surface of the can. We in our experiment have also employed an oxygen sensor
which would note the levels of oxygen produced during the experiment by the algae.
Our experiment should fly to the moon as the moon being the closest celestial body
to earth hence is our first stop to exploration for habitation. Oxygen being the primary
requirement would prove beneficial for survival on the lunar surface. Moreover the
concept of producing oxygen using algae is an innovative idea which when
successfully produced would take space science to a whole new level and
perspective and would prove to be a boon to all living beings and would help them
create a better world on moon.
Conduct of experiment
This experiment would fall in the Mission Class-6C and requires Type 3
commissioning
Electrical equipment: battery, connecting wires, timer, light sensor, pH sensor, LED
grow light, oxygen sensor, airlift pump (stirrer)
Thermal equipment: Temperature and humidity sensor
Imaging and data requirement: It is desirable to take pictures of the experiment
during regular intervals. Team Indus is requested to locate this experiment such that
images of the same could be clicked. The images displayed on the sensor should be
clicked and sent back to earth.
Testing requirement: The soda can which holds the growth medium of algae and
water would be under continuous observation for detection of oxygen. For the
detection of oxygen we have employed an oxygen sensor which would note the
oxygen levels and transmit the same data to earth. To protect the algae solution from
damage we have housed the algae in a dividing chamber.
Some of the secondary uses of the algae photo bioreactor are:
1. They can be used for producing biodiesel and bioethanol.
2. They are also used for generating animal feed using biogas.
3. They are also used for reducing pollutants such as NO2 and CO2 in flue gases
of power plants.
4. Fundamentally the photo bioreactor is based on photosynthetic reaction,
hence it is used for testing the levels of oxygen which would help us
understand more about the survival of living beings and plants which is of
primary to us in the experiment.
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Image and dimension:
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