Automated Environmental Control System (Closed-Loop Design)

Way back in 2020 my family, like many others, were thrown into a world of uncertainty. In order to ensure my families preservation I decided to take matters into my own hands. Here in Colorado the soil is very clay like which makes it hard to farm crops. Not only that but we can face harsh winters here where no crops can be grown for 4 months out of the year. To solve these problems I decided to build a grow shed where we could grow a suitable amount of food year round. Another problem I faced was that my father was elderly and having trouble getting around, so I put my engineering skills to the test and made the system as simple as I possibly could. Timers ran the lights, and water pumps, so all my dad had to do was take a garden hose out there and fill up the water container, and the crops just took care of themselves! I created a symbiotic environment in the soil, called living soil. Basically microorganisms in the soil fed the plants by attaching themselves to the roots, when we harvested we put all the plant material back in the beds which fed the microorganisms. I also installed and coded a CO2 injection system so that the plants would not starve themselves in the enclosed space. I think this type of work is very important for Aerospace Engineers to have in the back of their mind, as once we are in space we need to feed ourselves efficiently and effectively with little waste.