HMP-2002 Photo Report: Sensor Installation in the HMP Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse [Part 2]
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Photos: HMP-2002 / SpaceRef
 Weather station mounted atop the aft end of the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse. |
 Weather station [close up] |
 Weather station data display. |
 Keegan Boyd [L] CSA intern and Alain Berinstain [R], Mars Lead, CSA, monitor sensor performance. |
 Monitor laptop and PlanetNet 1 node, a component of the CSA-funded MarsCanada Project led by Simon Fraser University. |
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The ACMG will be deployed and equipped in two stages, the first in Summer 2002, the second in Summer 2003. The 2002 field season will be dedicated to installation and monitoring of the basic environmental characteristics of the greenhouse. Research operations involving selected plant growth would begin in 2003. The specific research programs for 2003 and beyond have not yet been established. Once the basic operational parameters of the ACMG are understood this science selection process will begin.
During 2002 the Centre for Research in Earth and Space Technology (CRESTECH) along with the University of Guelph will outfit the ACMG with a variety of sensors and computer monitoring hardware. This equipment will be deployed and operated by personnel from the University of Guelph and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) The main focus of this effort with be to calibrate the basic performance of the ACMG prior to the introduction of plants or experiments and to gauge what augmentation (heating, lighting etc.) may be required. To achieve this, a set of standard sensors (CO2, humidity, temperature, light) will be installed inside the ACMG. A weather station will also be deployed outside the greenhouse.
Together, this suite of sensors will provide the team with initial environmental data that will be used to create a model of the greenhouse environment to be used in subsequent stages of the project. This hardware will be in place for several weeks. To keep tabs on how the ACMG performs over winter, SpaceRef will deploy a pair of “HOBO” data loggers and sensors that will measure temperature (internal and external), pressure, and light levels. These data logger units are powered by long-life batteries and will have their measurements (taken daily) downloaded in 2003 In future years, this sensor array will be expanded to monitor all aspects of greenhouse operations. We eventually hope to have interactive, year-round monitoring of the ACMG.
