FARMING IN OUTER SPACE WITH ROBOTS

Farming in Outer Space with Robots

Jenning J. Thian
Sunnyvale High School

Author Note
Jenning Thian, Sunnyvale STEM, Sunnyvale High School

Abstract

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Farming in outer space can be beneficial to humans as well as the world. Pollution is minimized
from the use of gasoline powered machine driven by humans. The abundance of land saved can
be used for industrial, commercial, and residential purposes. Since robots do not require oxygen
to thrive, they need not extra, unnecessary supplies such as oxygen tanks, suits, and food.
Farming with robots are beneficial. Farming in space is beneficial. Just imagine how much this
world will benefit from robots farming in outer space.
Keywords: farming, outer space, pollution, supplies

Farming in Outer Space with Robots

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Many complain that this planet we dwell on, Earth, is running out of room. A handful say
that this problem is to enormous to face. One of the problems is that there is too much farmland.
If farming is transferred to outer space, then farmland is changed into residential, commercial,
and industrial areas. Also, with robots on the job, pollution is minimized.
Most farming machines we have today are not friendly to the environment, as more than
half of them run on gasoline, polluting the air around them. The earth, having an atmosphere
that traps carbon dioxide, does not help the growing problem. If farming is taken out to space,
the pollution can be solved. Space doesnt have an atmosphere to trap carbon dioxide.
Furthermore, all plants, including crops, need carbon dioxide to conduct photosynthesis
anyways. Another factor plants need is sunlight, you might argue. However, space has not
rotation, allowing exposure to sunlight twenty - four hours a day, seven days a week. Water is
the only concern. We can solve that by a constant supply of water through shuttles and modern
technology. Another suggestion is to use solar powered robots to farm in space, because of the
constant sunlight. Gasoline, in my opinion, is more beneficial because the carbon dioxide
released from the robots are used by the crops, which are then converted into oxygen.
Researchers at Harvard University and the University of California at San Diego have
successfully 3d printed a robot that runs on butane and oxygen. If we can somehow utilize this
technology more effectively and make robots run on only oxygen, a cycle is created between the
plants and robots. Robots use the oxygen released by plants to power themselves. Then they
release carbon dioxide which plants require to conduct photosynthesis.
Overpopulation is a myth. Everyone is living in the same area, resulting in
overpopulation of that one area, not the whole world. There are tons of fields and plains that can
be used for beneficial reasons. With the farming transported to space, we can exploit the farming

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land and construct new residential areas such as apartment complexes, condos, and townhomes.
This way civilians will cease from living in tightly packed cities and spread out to areas with
fewer people, resulting in a decrease of population density all over the world. Businesses on the
industrial side can move to areas with a plethora of plants which will also help pollution, here on
Earth.
Farming in outer space with robots clearly opens up a door full of opportunities that
benefits the world in anyway possible, whether that being pollution, population, etc. With these
doors open, we will solve more problems that arise and realize that this Earth, is not so enormous
after all.

References
Hicks, J. (2015, June/July). This Jumping 3D Printed Robot Uses Butane And Oxygen For
Power. Retrieved October 09, 2016, from

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http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2015/07/22/this-jumping-3d-printed-robot-usesbutane-and-oxygen-for-power/#1cd699045c47

Hall, L. (2015, July/August). Space Farming Yields a Crop of Benefits for Earth (M. DiCicco,
Ed.). Retrieved October 09, 2016, from http://www.nasa.gov/feature/space-farming-yields-acrop-of-benefits-for-earth

Correll, N. (2013, November/December). Air, water, energy and food in a nutshell: Space
exploration as driver for sustainable robotic agriculture. Retrieved October 09, 2016, from
http://robohub.org/air-water-energy-and-food-in-a-nutshell-space-exploration-as-driver-forsustainable-robotic-agriculture/

Correll, N. (2013, December/January). Space exploration can drive the next agricultural
revolution. Retrieved October 09, 2016, from http://theconversation.com/space-exploration-candrive-the-next-agricultural-revolution-21095

USDA and NASA Explore the Frontier of Agriculture. (n.d.). Retrieved October 09, 2016, from
https://newfarmers.usda.gov/usda-and-nasa-explore-frontier-agriculture