Determining Optimum Planting Schedule Using Diet Optimization and Advanced Crop Scheduling Models 2005-01-2815

In this paper, optimum crop planting schedule that would minimize the equivalent system mass (ESM) of a bio-regenerative advanced life support system (ALSS) is determined using an advanced crop scheduling model in conjunction with a diet optimization model. Mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) models are developed to determine crop scheduling and optimum diet for the crew-members. Given the activity schedule of the crew members, the diet optimization module constructs a diet cycle of 20–30 days that would meet the necessary nutritional requirements observing a predetermined diet variety. In doing so the diet optimization tries to minimize the overall system ESM. Necessary biomass amounts calculated by this model are fed into the crop scheduling model as the demands. Given these demands and growth parameters for these crops, the crop scheduling model determines the best planting schedule that will optimize the system behavior, i.e., the one that would minimize ESM.