NASA's goals to explore deep space through manned missions requires development of self-sustaining life support systems. A diverse team from Freight Farms, Inc. have partnered with Clemson University to merge knowledge of sustainable farming with engineering expertise to create off-grid infrastructure for self-sustaining plant life that will assist NASA with their goals. Freight Farms' current product, the Leafy Green Machine (LGM) will serve as the baseline for this project. The LGM is a fully-operational hydroponic farm built inside an up-cycled freight container and capable of producing yields at commercial-scale in any climate and in any season. This STTR would provide the ability to further Freight Farms' research and development through design of more efficient systems with the aim of achieving independence from the energy grid. Development of advanced environmental controls and application of closed-loop theory to agricultural processes will result in a model for self-sustaining plant life. The innovations resulting from this project will serve purposes for both NASA applications as well as in the commercial market by providing a secure source of food to populations regardless of their climate areas, terrain, energy infrastructure, or available land.
