EQUIPMENT FOR GROWING HIGHER CULTIVATED PLANTS IN SPACE AND METHOD OF ITS DELIVERY ON A SPACESHIP ORBIT Russian patent published in 2008 - IPC A01G9/00 A01G9/02 

FIELD: agriculture.

SUBSTANCE: this equipment consists of two identical blocks with the body in the form of rectangular prism for two onion-type plants in each block. Each plant has its own recess equipped with a device for fixing it in position and one conic air intake with the holes in its generatix connected with the recess intracavity. This fixing device has the form of two springs with a ring. There are two watering nozzles and a hose in each block lateral. One of the bocks has a clamping dowel mounted in its hatch and clamping hole in the hatch of the second block. In this method each block is filled up with the support medium, the holes get sealed and two blocks put together one piece of equipment for delivering on orbit. The first block is turned upside down and its pressure rings become directed in the conic air intakes of the second block. Subsequently the clamping dowel of the second block gets inserted in the clamping hole of the first block. After that the laterals of the blocks get fastened using plug contacts, before delivering the equipment to the space station. This invention allows convenient delivering and saving the original plant material, decreasing size and weight of the product and improving its reliability during continuous service.

EFFECT: way of convenient delivering and saving the original plant material, decreasing size and weight of the product and improving its reliability during continuous service.

2 cl, 3 dwg