Plant Research Unit

The Plant Research Unit, designed for operation on the International Space Station’s Centrifuge Accommodation Module, is capable of controlling temperature, humidity, CO₂ level, light level, photo period and air velocity independently in each growth chamber. The PRU offers real time video output and is capable of responding to remote control. It comes with multiple gas and liquid sampling ports and is Ethernet-ready for direct data interface. All chambers and their plants are easily accessible on-orbit for experimentation. The PRU is designed not only for high on-orbit performance in meeting science-defined environmental control, but also to provide versatility for a wide range of science options.

Temperature, range of control ......................................................................................................................................... 20º to 30ºC

Relative humidity (range) ................................................................................................................................................ 60% to 90%

Lighting control ..................................................................................................................................... 200 to 650 micromole/m²/sec

CO₂ control .............................................................................................................................................................. 300-2000 ppm

Ethylene removal ......................................................................................................................................... to 25 ppb (5 ppb – goal)

Video ...................................................................................................................................................................... Infrared/Color

Root module temperature control

Internet and remote operations