Plant Production Systems for Microgravity


Book Description

This NASA Technical Memorandum is a compilation of presentations and discussions in the form of minutes from a workshop entitled 'Plant Production Systems for Microgravity: Critical Issues in Water, Air, and Solute Transport Through Unsaturated Porous Media' held at NASA's Johnson Space Center, July 24-25, 2000. This workshop arose from the growing belief within NASA's Advanced Life Support Program that further advances and improvements in plant production systems for microgravity would benefit from additional knowledge of fundamental processes occurring in the root zone. The objective of the workshop was to bring together individuals who had expertise in various areas of fluid physics, soil physics, plant physiology, hardware development, and flight tests to identify, discuss, and prioritize critical issues of water and air flow through porous media in microgravity. Participants of the workshop included representatives from private companies involved in flight hardware development and scientists from universities and NASA Centers with expertise in plant flight tests, plant physiology, fluid physics, and soil physics.Steinberg, Susan L. (Editor) and Ming, Doug W. (Editor) and Henninger, Don (Editor)Johnson Space CenterPLANTS (BOTANY); GRAVITATIONAL EFFECTS; MICROGRAVITY; POROSITY; SOILS; PLANT ROOTS; PLANT STRESS
















A Peacebuilding Tool for a Conflict-Sensitive Approach to Development


Book Description

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) works with a number of developing member countries facing fragile and conflict-affected situations---circumstances that complicate economic development, and might include domestic or international conflict, ethnic tensions, vulnerability to natural disasters, or a confluence of these factors. ADB piloted the peacebuilding tool in Nepal as a conflict-sensitive approach, a key to effective and safe implementation of projects in the country's post-conflict context. The peacebuilding tool is an analytical tool for assisting project team leaders and social experts in understanding the local context, and in identifying potential risks to implementation of development projects that are linked to social conflicts, as well as in formulating mitigation measures for addressing these risks.




Generation and Applications of Extra-Terrestrial Environments on Earth


Book Description

This book has been prepared under the auspice of the European Low Gravity Research Association (ELGRA). The main task of ELGRA is to foster the scientific community in Europe and beyond in conducting gravity and space-related research.This publication is dedicated to the science community, and especially to the next generation of scientists and engineers interested in space research and in the means to use Earth to reproduce the space environment. ELGRA provides a comprehensive description of space conditions and the means that have been developed on Earth to perform space environmental and (micro-) gravity related research. .The book covers ground-based research instruments and environments for both life and physical sciences research. It discusses the opportunities and limitations of protocols and instruments to compensate gravity or simulate microgravity, such as clinostats, random positioning machines, levitating magnets, electric fields, vibrations, tail suspension or head down tilt, as well as centrifuges for hyper-g studies. Other space environmental conditions are addressed too, like cosmic radiation or Mars atmospheric and soil properties to be replicated and simulated on Earth. Future long duration of manned missions, personal well-being and crew interaction are major issues dealt with.




Allelopathy


Book Description

This book provides the reader relevant information about actual knowledge about the process of allelopathy, covering all aspects from the molecular to the ecological level. Special relevance is given to the physiological and ecophysiological aspects of allelopathy. Several ecosystems are studied and methodological considerations are taken into account in several different chapters. The book has been written to be useful both for Ph.D. students and for senior researchers, so the chapters include all necessary information to be read by beginners, but they also include a lot of useful information and discussion for the initiated.




Lunar Base Agriculture


Book Description

Lunar base scenarios; The lunar environment; Chemical and physical considerations for a lunar-derived soil; Biological considerations for a lunar-derived soil; Controlled ecological life support systems (CELSS): current research; Future research areas: the growth of higher plant in CELSS.