Congratulations to the winners of our 2023–2024 Space Brain Hack!

• creates fresh, tasty and nutritious food with the least possible waste, for several astronauts on a mission on the Moon;
• should produce enough food to supplement the food already provided to the crew;
• bears in mind the constraints of a lunar environment.

A committee of Canadian Space Agency (CSA) experts performed a blind review of all the submissions on the basis of the four following criteria: communication, innovation, validity and critical thinking. The committee then ranked the top submissions.

Below are summaries of the finalists for each category (from grade 6 to 8 and from grade 9 to 12). Spoiler alert: these descriptions do not do justice to the incredible amount of work done by the participants. Individually or as part of a team, students found out how to adapt the production of fresh, tasty and nutritious food to the lunar environment for the benefit of the astronauts on the mission. To create their designs, students conducted research and brainstormed to validate their solutions and their feasibility. And that’s not all: they thought about the best ways to adapt their space-based solutions for possible applications on Earth.

Thank you to all of the participants and educators who helped make this activity possible. Great job!

And congratulations to the students whose submissions ranked at the top of our list, especially our grand prize winners:

• Gurnaaz, Rishaan, Naisha, and Taran, from Bolton, Ontario, for their food production system “Edible excellence 3000” (Grade 6)
• Anirudh, Agastya, Aankit, and Hetav, from Brampton, Ontario, for their “TerraStack” food production system (Grade 11);

The three finalists in each category will participate in a virtual working session with CSA experts. During the session, they will present their solution to the experts and the other winners and receive feedback.

We can’t wait to see what young Canadians will imagine for the next Space Brain Hack! Details and the theme will be announced in the fall. Stay tuned!

Grades 6–8

 First place: Edible Excellence 3000

Gurnaaz, Rishaan, Naisha and Taran

Grade 6

Bolton, Ontario

Text about the picture Edible Excellence 3000

Interior of plant area:

Key

• a= Plant
• b= Root/edible part of plant
• c= Pump to send nutrients and water to plants
• d= Robotic bee
• e= LED Light

Key

• a= Urine collected from toilet
• b= Urine purifier
• c= Ventilation system
• d= Plant container
• e= E-menu
• f= Thermostat (A.I. controlled)
• g= Pneumatic tube system to carry food
• h= Food preparing station
• i= Elevator that carries food
• j= Conveyer belt
• k= Alarm to tell when food is ready
• l= Ready food door

Designed to provide a varied selection of foods to the astronauts on the Artemis mission, Edible Excellence 3000 is a complex food production system. When the cultivated edible plants reach maturity – using a system designed to enable agriculture in space – robots will deposit them into a tube. They will then be sent through a pipe and exit, as food, at a preparation station to be cooked by robots. Once the food has been cooked, the meal will be sent to another station, and the astronaut who ordered their meal from the menu will just have to open the door and dig in!

 Second place: The Life Dome

Aya, Ellie, Alycia and Sarah

Grade 8

Chambly High School

Chambly, Quebec

Text about the picture The Life Dome

• Greenhouse
• Glazed section
• Planting area with soil
• Storage wall
• Walkway
• Kitchen: 8 water filters
• Wall-mounted hydroponic planting system
• Greenhouse control room
• Control panel
• Six beds
• Storage room
• Door
• Folding table
• Control door
• Bathroom
• Depressurization chamber
• Covered section
• Covered part of dome
• Glass support structure
• Glazed part of dome

This hydroponic greenhouse, which uses 90% less water than an ordinary planting system, is primarily for growing lettuces and leeks, which are vegetables that grow quickly and easily. The prototype would be installed inside the base so that astronauts won’t have to wear their suits to access the planting area. Solar panels will supply the greenhouse with electricity, and the type of light could be changed for lighting or heating purposes. The plants would be fed by a water reservoir.

 Third place: The Feels Like Home System (The FLHS)

Suvreen, Yash, Riya and Mehak

Grade 6

Macville Public School, Peel District School Board

Bolton, Ontario

Text about the picture The Feels Like Home System (The FLHS)

1. Speaker
2. Bucket
3. On/Off
4. LED light
5. Main Structure
6. Plot
7. Plant
8. Pipe
9. Storage System
10. Rock Wool
11. Small Tilapia
12. Tank
13. Water pump
14. Wave/Current
15. Pump Connected
16. Lid
17. Air holes
18. Urine Filter

The System That Makes You Feel at Home is designed for space and land-based environments. The system is made of plastic and combines fish farming and semi-automated hydroponics to feed the plants. Since the fish urine and the water contain the minerals needed to grow plants, an aquarium containing small tilapia would have two functions: providing a source of food and a source of light. The astronauts will have to pour water and fertilizer into a bucket that will feed the roots of the plants via a water pump. The system is modular and customizable, which will allow astronauts to choose plots and features that meet their needs and to replace them on each mission.

Aquaponics in Space

Eniya

Grade 6

Homeschool

Milton, Ontario

Text about the picture Aquaponics in Space

• Plant Tank
• Air Pump
• Tank Side Heater
• Air comes out
• Fish thank
• Clean water goes down
• Sediment tank
• Dirty Water goes up

This design uses aquaponics – making it possible to grow plants and farm fish at the same time – with a system connected to the Internet of Things to grow and monitor the plants. Aquaponics is a natural process that mimics bodies of water and needs side heating to maintain water temperature between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. The energy needed to power the system would be provided by solar panels installed on the Moon. Using the system, astronauts could grow salad, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, carrots, green onions, beans, peas, broccoli and even cauliflower!

Tomato Siphon

Mohammed, Vaughn and Kareem

Grade 6

Lambeth Public School

London, Ontario

Text about the picture Tomato Siphon

• Only one layer
• Plant housing shelf with spray pipes
• Water reservoir
• Complete five shelf system
• Plant basket (zoomed in)

This team has proposed a five-shelf autonomous hydroponic system to grow duckweed and tomatoes. The farming system uses horizontal and vertical plastic columns to support its five levels, each containing six netting baskets that let the plants’ roots grow freely. There are two systems, one of which controls heat, water and lighting, and another that regulates humidity and the level of carbon dioxide in the air. As well, all internal components of the hydroponic system are 3D printable, allowing the unit to be expanded or damaged parts to be easily replaced.

Grades 9-12

 First place: The TerraStack Food Production System

Anirudh, Agastya, Aankit and Hetav

Grade 11

Turner Fenton High School

Brampton, Ontario

Text about the picture The TerraStack Food Production System

Legend:

• water
• oxygen
• durable plastic pipe with holes that supply oxygen at all times
• we suggest using versatile yet flavorful crops such as potatoes, basil, berries, bok choy, rice, dill, cabbage and onions
• hole to connect pipe to Terry to extract recycled and purified water into the water tank compartments above
• Sprinkler system supplied by water tanks above (shown in exterior design) (flow through red pipe)
• hydrophobic (waterproof) and UV emitting artificial light to help plants grow and kill bacteria
• 3 columns of different types of plants, separated into three different layers depending on how much water is required
• The sprinklers (blue) deliver water supplied by the red pipe
• Semi-permeable layer (blue) allows excess water to drip down and flow through to the water recycling station
• The water then collects here and automatically be reused through a pipe once it’s full
• Grain storage system along with oxygen and water tanks (and pesticide in the case of an emergency or system failure)

Exterior Design – TerraStack

• Modular and detachable water and oxygen storage compartments
• Retractable solar panel attached with ball joint to allow for free motion
• cable outlet
• Display screen for software
• Power supply:

  • solar panel
  • solar cell
  • chargeable backup battery

• Terry the Rover system
• Transparent window to allow natural sunlight to flow + makes it easier to maintain the plants
• Automatic water management system
• Storage

The TerraStack modular ecosystem, which makes it possible to grow up to five groups of different crops, would create nearly autonomous food production for the long-term Artemis and Gateway lunar space station missions. Its key components are a water recycling system, customizable environmental settings, a natural fertilizer system and a system for extracting water from lunar soil in order to maximize the use of this rare resource on the Moon. As well, to speed up plant growth, an autonomous vehicle equipped with artificial intelligence would be able to produce fertilizer by collecting ammonia and carbon dioxide from the Moon’s atmosphere and making them react in an environmentally controlled compartment.

 Second place: The Lunar Green Vegetation System

Maithili, Tiffany and Nabira

Grade 10

White Oaks Secondary School

Oakville, Ontario

Text about the picture The Lunar Green Vegetation System

First drawing

1. Light
2. Red LED Light
3. Blue LED Light
4. Water sprayer
5. Air lock
6. Door
7. Plant rack
8. Sensor to determine soil quality and moisture
9. Pipe
10. Filtered water
11. Liquid fertilizer
12. Carbon dioxide
13. Phase change material
14. Vacuum
15. Lead wall

Second drawing

1. Ethanol storage system
2. Pipes
3. Disinfecting area
4. Ethanol sprayer
5. Greenhouse
6. Lead wall
7. Water storage
8. Water purifier
9. Pump

Using this vertical food production system, astronauts could grow fully edible plants, including perennials, which require fewer resources than annuals, and plants that do not require much light (in order to conserve energy). Solar panels installed on the surface would power highly energy-efficient blue and red LEDs, while solar batteries would store the energy to provide lighting during the lunar nights. CO₂ levels would be maintained by adding garbage created by astronauts to composting machines, which would transform the garbage into fertilizer that is added to the soil on a regular basis. Micro-organisms like bacteria and nitrogen-fixing mushrooms would be added to the soil to decompose the organic plant matter into ammonium, which would then be converted into nitrates for the plants.

 Third place: Food Production Module

Matthew, Marko, Daria, Izabelle and Ben

Grades 11 and 12

Stephen Lewis Secondary School

Vaughan, Ontario

Text about the picture Food Production Module

• Outer setting
• Outer protective inner
• Outer tank with aquatic ecosystem
• Lunar Surface
• Crops
• Artificial Lighting
• Hydroponic tank
• Space for movement of astronauts
• Pipe to connect tank to hydroponics
• Compartment to harvest fish

This space farm module has a protective dome consisting of an exterior metal envelope and an interior layer of water, making up an aquatic ecosystem that protects the interior from radiation. Inside the module, a system of vertical shelves would hold the hydroponic crops illuminated by artificial lighting. The nutrient-rich water of the aquatic ecosystem would be connected to the hydroponic compartments where the plants are grown. As long as the fish are fed, the system will remain autonomous and provide the astronauts with a varied diet.

Compact Modular Farming Warehouse

Ben, Daniel, Andy, Yusef and Peter

Grades 9, 11 and 12

Stephen Lewis Secondary School

Vaughan, Ontario

Text about the picture Compact Modular Farming Warehouse

Top down view (left-hand page)

• When connected
• Spring
• When separate rubber for water-light seal
• path of water

Top down view (right-hand page)

• Space for plants
• Pipe connector (the connectors would be embedded further into the box in real life. The image is just showing their orientation.)
• magnetic electricity connector to power grow lights

Side view

• walls must be taller than plants
• water pipe connector
• magnetic electricity connector
• camera/sensor to tell when plants are grown or sickly
• grow lights

This automated warehouse would be built underground to mitigate exposure to radiation. The main idea consists of incorporating individual plant boxes into a large wall storage system. Robots would store plant boxes in, and retrieve them from, the space-saving wall storage system. The size of the room can vary, depending on requirements, as the system can contain a large number of boxes.

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Date modified:

2024-05-24