Interplay of Fogponics and Artificial Intelligence for Potential Application in Controlled Space Farming

Abstract

Most studies in astrobotany employ soil as the primary crop-growing medium, which is being researched and innovated. However, utilizing soil for planting in microgravity conditions may be impractical due to its weight, the issue of particles suspended in microgravity, and its propensity to harbor pathogenic microorganisms that pose health risks. Hence, soilless irrigation and fertigation systems such as fogponics possess a high potential for space farming. Fogponics is a promising variation of aeroponics, which involves the delivery of nutrient-rich water as a fine fog to plant roots. However, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of fogponics compared to other soilless cultivation methods is essential. Additionally, optimizing fogponics systems for effective crop cultivation in microgravity environments is crucial. This study investigated the interaction of fogponics and artificial intelligence for crop cultivation in microgravity environments, aiming to replace soil-based methods, filling a significant research gap as the first comprehensive examination of this interplay in the literature. A comparative assessment of soilless fertigation and irrigation techniques to identify strengths and weaknesses was conducted, providing an overview through a literature review. This highlights key concepts, methodologies, and findings, emphasizing fogponics’ relevance in space exploration and identifying gaps in current understanding. Insights suggest that developing adaptive fogponics systems for microgravity faces challenges due to uncharacterized fog behavior and optimization complexities without gravity. Fogponics shows promise for sustainable space agriculture, yet it lags in technological integration compared with hydroponics and aeroponics. Future research should focus on microgravity fog behavior analysis, the development of an effective and optimized space mission-compatible fogponics system, and system improvements such as an electronic nose for an adaptive system fog chemical composition. This study recommends integrating advanced technologies like AI-driven closed-loop systems to advance fogponics applications in space farming.