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EMCS Greenhouse: From Lake Constance into Space

* EADS supplies experiment facility for space station
* Research under various conditions of gravity
* What will astronauts eat on future long-term flights?

Friedrichshafen, 16 December 2004

EADS SPACE Transportation (Friedrichshafen) has now supplied a greenhouse for space to the North American Space Agency NASA. The development of the research system called EMCS (European Modular Cultivation System) took six years. The equipment is to be transported to the International Space Station ISS with the first operative shuttle flight and will be installed there by the astronauts, presumably in the following year.

The EMCS greenhouse the size of a built-in oven accommodates eight one-litre culture vessels, supplied with light, gas, water and nutritive substances by means of a sophisticated life-support system. The vessels are placed on a kind of plate together with measurement sensors, microscopes, cameras and manipulators. In order to make a distinction between biological effects which cannot be contributed to weightlessness, the vessels have been mounted on centrifuges so that an acceleration force may be exercised in measured doses on the plants in space, if requested.

The basic configuration of the modular multi-purpose system developed in co-operation with various European subcontractors on behalf of the European Space Agency ESA, has been designed for long-term and multi-generation experiments with plants and insects. While the European scientists are particularly interested in fundamental research, such as the effects of gravity and light reflexes on the plant organism, NASA is also highly interested in the possibility of growing plants in space for the nutrition of astronauts during flights of several years.

The system used commonly by both space agencies has been financed by ESA, whereas NASA is in charge of transport, installation and operation in the space station. Meanwhile this division has almost become a standard, since the European industry under the leadership of EADS SPACE has proved to be so competitive that NASA would have to pay a lot more for such systems compared to co-operating with Europe.

Furthermore, EADS who, as a leader of the world market, has been developing research systems for Spacelab with the Friedsrichshafen-based team of experts for two decades, will receive an interesting follow-up business. Experiment-specific culture vessels have to be developed for each mission. A first contract in this area has already been won in spite of strong competitors.

EADS SPACE Transportation is the European lead company for civil and military space transportation and manned spaceflight. EADS SPACE transportation is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS SPACE. In 2003, EADS SPACE achieved a turnover of € 2.4 billion with a labour force of 12.000 in France, Germany, Spain and the UK.

Press contact:
Mathias Pikelj
Tel.: ++ 49 (0) 7545 8 9123