Nature npj Microgravity Article OpenFOAM v2606 CFD 4D Time-Resolved Suite

Aerodynamic Boundary-Layer Scaling and Enclosure Regimes Across Spaceflight Plant Growth Hardware

Richard Barker, Henry Ewald, Gram Zavos, Manisha Dagar, Mia Schecter, Adriana Sanchez, Marshall Porterfield, Astrobotany Consortium
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
📄 Download Manuscript PDF (11 Pages) 🚀 Interactive 3D WebGL Explorer 💻 GitHub Repository

Executive Summary & Fluid Mechanics Overview

Plants cultivated in extraterrestrial habitats encounter a physical environment devoid of natural gravity-driven buoyancy ($\text{Gr} \to 0$), expanding unstirred fluid boundary layers around vegetative canopies and drastically elevating aerodynamic resistance ($r_a = 1/g_{bl}$).

This comprehensive 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) investigation compares five distinct spaceflight plant growth systems across four gravitational regimes: Earth (1.0g), Mars (0.38g), Moon (0.166g), and Microgravity (0g).

Explore our interactive 3D Spaceflight Flow Explorer featuring hardware-accurate Navier-Stokes streamline pathlines (VEGGIE top fan suction jet, APH lateral inports to perimeter ceiling exhausts), Darcy-Forchheimer canopy porous drag turbulence, and the BRIC-LED 4h ON / 4h OFF Diurnal Photoperiod & Condensation Simulator.

4D Animated Time-Resolved Fluid Dynamics & Transport Suite

High-framerate time-dependent animations capturing aerodynamic spin-down, bioaerosol spore dispersion, headspace gas exchange, and canopy turbulence collision.

Animation 1: Fan Cutoff Decay
Animation 1 | Transient Fan Spin-Down & Conductance Collapse across Gravities. Time evolution of canopy velocity decay $U(t)$ and boundary layer conductance collapse $g_{bl}(t)$ comparing Earth (1g buoyancy floor) against Lunar, Martian, and 0g microgravity regimes.
Animation 2: Spore Clearance
Animation 2 | Fungal Spore Bioaerosol Clearance Kinetics & Cabin Export. Tracking 3 µm *Fusarium oxysporum* spore clearance: VEGGIE open suction exports 100% of spores into crew quarters, whereas APH achieves closed-loop HEPA containment (0% cabin discharge).
Animation 3: Petri Dish Kinetics
Animation 3 | Petri Dish Headspace Gas Dynamics & Moisture Condensation. 24-hour time series of headspace $\text{O}_2$ drawdown and ethylene ($\text{C}_2\text{H}_4$) accumulation comparing CARA square plates ($\pm$ Light, micropore tape) vs sealed BRIC/BRIC-LED round dishes.
Animation 4: Canopy Turbulence Wave
Animation 4 | APH Opposing Cross-Jets Collision & Canopy Updraft Wave. Cross-flow momentum collision along the sagittal midline ($x=227\text{ mm}$), generating turbulent boundary layer stripping without inducing mechanical damage.

Evaluated Spaceflight Hardware Platforms

1. NASA VEGGIE (VPS)

Volume: 37.61 L Shoot Zone

Topology: Top Suction Fan ($\varnothing 50\text{ mm}$), 4 Base Intake Slots

Key Finding: 52.8% canopy stagnation under low fan in 0g; 100% spore export to cabin.

2. NASA Advanced Plant Habitat (APH)

Volume: 83.36 L Shoot / 9.44 L SC

Topology: Dual Opposing Lateral Cross-Jets ($0.60\text{ m/s}$)

Key Finding: Invariant $g_{bl} \approx 1.07\text{ mol m}^{-2}\text{s}^{-1}$, 45% displacement ventilation, 0% cabin export (HEPA).

3. NASA ABRS (TAGES OSD-7 / OSD-16)

Volume: 26.80 L Gross / 14.50 L Shoot

Topology: Forced Vertical Plate Sweeping + Photocatalytic $\text{C}_2\text{H}_4$ Scrubber

Key Finding: External boundary layer stripping ($r_{\text{ext}} = 85\text{ s/m}$) buffers plate $O_2$ ($16.2\%$) and scrubs ethylene ($0.14\text{ ppm}$), explaining TAGES proteomic/transcriptomic resilience (OSD-7 / OSD-16).

4. NASA CHROMEX / PGU

Volume: 49.57 L Chassis / 0.866 L PGC

Topology: Creeping Flow ($\text{Re} = 123$), Brinkman-Darcy Root Foam

Key Finding: Root hypoxia ($\text{O}_2 < 5\%$) within 35 min explains flight *ADH* upregulation ($14.2\times$–$28.5\times$).

5. CARA Square Dishes ($\pm$ Light)

Volume: $100 \times 100 \times 20\text{ mm}$ ($0.200\text{ L}$)

Mounting: Attached to ISS Cabin Rack Wall (Micropore Tape)

Key Finding: Passive 0g boundary layer thickening causes ethylene accumulation ($0.85\text{ ppm}$) and lid condensation (6.5 h).

6. BRIC / BRIC-LED Round Dishes ($\pm$ Light)

Volume: $\varnothing 60 \times 15\text{ mm}$ in PDFU Canisters

Enclosure: Hermetically Sealed (Zero External Flow)

Key Finding: Complete diffusion limitation ($r_{\text{tot}} > 101\text{k s/m}$), extreme hypoxia ($\text{O}_2 < 1.8\%$), ethylene $>3.8\text{ ppm}$.

Publication Figures & Aerodynamic Analysis

Figure 1
Figure 1 | 3D spaceflight hardware domain architectures, mesh layout, and operational flow paths across VEGGIE, APH, CHROMEX, CARA square dishes, and BRIC-LED round dishes.
Figure 2
Figure 2 | Dimensionless Richardson number ($\text{Ri} = \text{Gr}/\text{Re}^2$) scaling and convective regime trajectories across Earth, Mars, Moon, and Microgravity.
Figure 3
Figure 3 | Canopy aerodynamics, vertical velocity profiles $u(z)$, boundary-layer conductance ($g_{bl}$), and stagnant volume fractions.
Figure 4
Figure 4 | Scalar ventilation dynamics, Local Mean Age of Air ($\text{LMA}$), and transient canopy flushing decay curves.
Figure 5
Figure 5 | Spaceflight biosecurity, pathogen containment, and bioaerosol dispersion trade space.
Figure 6
Figure 6 | 3D spatial flow topologies, streamline ribbons, and canopy wall shear stress probability distributions.
Figure 7
Figure 7 | Operational airflow extremes matrix: stagnation vs low draft vs nominal vs high blast.
Figure 8
Figure 8 | NASA Space Shuttle CHROMEX / PGU multi-scale thermal-fluid dynamics, PGC creeping flow, and hypoxia linkage to flight *ADH* transcriptomics.
Figure 9
Figure 9 | Transient aerodynamics of fan failure, boundary-layer collapse, and physiological starvation across gravities.
Figure 10
Figure 10 | Petri dish science sample carrier microenvironments: CARA square dishes ($\pm$ Light) vs BRIC / BRIC-LED round dishes ($\pm$ Light) across spaceflight hardware.

Quantitative Benchmark Tables

Table 1 | Physical, Aerodynamic, and Environmental Control Specifications

Parameter NASA VEGGIE (VPS) NASA Advanced Plant Habitat NASA CHROMEX (PGU/PGC) CARA / BRIC Dishes
Payload ClassDeployable Space GardenClosed PhytotronShuttle Middeck LockerStandard Science Carriers
Growth Area ($A$)0.1075 m² (292 × 368 mm)0.1708 m² (454 × 408 mm)0.0274 m² (6 × 95 × 48 mm)0.0100 – 0.0170 m²
Canopy Volume37.61 L83.36 L4.10 L total (0.684 L / PGC)0.042 – 0.200 L
Primary Flow Driver1x Top Suction (Ø50 mm)2x Symmetric BlowersPGU Fan + PGC Needle AESAmbient Draft / Diffusion
Nominal Flow ($Q$)85.0 m³/h (23.61 L/s)26.4 m³/h (7.34 L/s)0.001 m³/h (1.0 L/h AES)Passive Seam Flux
Canopy Conductance ($g_{bl}$)0.219 – 0.515 mol m⁻²s⁻¹1.071 – 1.745 mol m⁻²s⁻¹0.031 – 0.097 mol m⁻²s⁻¹0.046 – 0.326 mol m⁻²s⁻¹