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In July of 2008, 4Frontiers was awarded a $25,000 research grant by the Florida Space Grant Consortium to investigate prospective Mars greenhouse materials. The research consisted of exposing several different transparent materials to simulated Mars surface conditions, replicating factors these materials would be exposed to if they were installed in a future Mars greenhouse (including pressures, temperatures, gas mixtures and incident light spectrums). The objective of the research was to evaluate the performance of these materials, investigating material degredation in terms of structural strength, material opacity and thermal transfer.
4Frontiers has completed this research in collaboration with the Biological & Agricultural Engineering Department of the University of Florida. A final report is available below, and is also included in the library section of this website.
Heat Transfer and Stress Investigations of Transparent Material Subjected to Internal Greenhouse Conditions in a Simulated Mars Surface Environment
Principal Investigators:
Ray A. Bucklin, Ph.D. – Professor, University of Florida
Joseph E. Palaia, IV – Vice President, 4Frontiers Corporation
THIS PROJECT WAS SUPPORTED BY
THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA’S FLORIDA SPACE GRANT CONSORTIUM
On 8/4/2008 4Frontiers issued a press release about the project:
On 12/10/2009, the project team submitted a final report to the Florida Space Grant Consortium:
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