I said looking at the cleaned space.
“I want to build a hydroponics plant here.”
Jang-woo Lee seems to like the space too.
“I plan to germinate the seeds first. While I design the hydroponic plant, you build a machine that can germinate the seeds.”
There were machines that were not used even at the Chilean base.
I plan to make a seed germination machine using a broken dish sterilizer.
All you need to do is add a light to the inside and a function to circulate the water.
This method was also used when planting seedlings in a salad container.
I took out the seeds I brought.
These are turnip seeds, barley seeds, and kale seeds.
All are sprouted vegetable seeds.
It has the advantage of relatively short cultivation period and simple cultivation.
While Jang-Woo Lee was making the germination machine, the seeds were placed on the wet non-woven fabric.
When light and water are absorbed, the seed germinates.
While I was designing a hydroponic plant, Jangwoo Lee made a germination machine.
“Are you done already?”
“This is the technician’s hand.”
I put the seeds on the non-woven fabric into the germination machine.
“When did you get all these seeds?”
“This is the representative’s hand.”
Jang-Woo Lee laughed.
“By the way, how are you going to design the crops to grow in it?”
“Did you bring a fluorescent lamp at the base?”
When I came to Antarctica, I brought fluorescent lamps in addition to LED lights.
Lee Jang-woo tilted his head.
“Can’t you imagine what you’re going to do?”
Lee Jang-woo scratched his head and said.
It’s a natural reaction. When making salad containers, hydroponics facilities were built layer by layer like apartments.
A light source was attached to each floor, and water and nutrients were allowed to pass through.
It has a structure that lights up the top and circulates water and nutrients at the bottom.
It’s impossible here.
We didn’t have the equipment or the time.
“I’m thinking of putting a light source on the wall.”
“Are you going to put it on the wall?”
Jang-Woo Lee is a face that cannot be imagined.
I showed him the drawing I designed.
That seems to have been understood.
“Do you think this will be it?”
It’s possible even if you don’t have enough equipment.
I will be successful in hydroponics here as well.
Hydroponics Solutions
Salad containers are the perfect machine for hydroponics.
Temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, light source, and nutrient solution create optimal conditions for crops to grow.
The Chilean base could not build a perfect facility. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible at all.
I came up with the idea of attaching a light source to the wall.
This is a method that has not been tried with salad containers.
It was also a hydroponic cultivation system that no one had ever thought of.
“As you said, if you attach a light source to the wall, I think we can make a hydroponic plant here too. It’s great to have an idea like this.”
Lee Jang-woo looked at the drawing and said.
He also had a clear understanding of my plans.
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One of the main devices of hydroponics is a light source.
This was especially important in Antarctica.
Because in winter there is a polar night where the night lasts. There was no light coming in from outside.
As important as the light source is the water cycle.
“Is the water flowing from top to bottom?”
Lee Jang-woo asked, pointing his finger at the drawing.
“That’s right, it’s a top-to-bottom structure.”
It was an idea from a fountain. It is a structure that uses a pump to pull water up and down to the bottom.
“Can’t we just make the water circulate like we did when we made a bean sprout growing machine?”
“It’s like a bean sprout grower. The point is to bring the water that has fallen down to the top again.”
“This would be enough.”
The bean sprouts grower has water incubated from the inside. It is a method of sprinkling the entire crop under cultivation. It was possible because I used the refrigerator.
The structure of pulling up and circulating water was the same, but this time it is a fountain method, not watering.
The light source is attached to the wall to receive light, and water flows from top to bottom to circulate.
The difficulty of hydroponics varies depending on the size. The bigger the equipment, the more difficult it is to make. This is because problems such as light sources and water circulation become more complicated.
The bean sprout grower used an unused refrigerator. It was an airtight container, so it was easy to make a facility, but this is not a small container like a refrigerator.
Since we had to circulate the water in another way, we came up with a fountain system.
You can’t control the water cycle as completely as you can in a salad container, but for good reason.
This is because the crops to be grown are sprouted vegetables.
Sprout vegetables refer to young shoots one week after seed germination.
If you give it light and water, it will sprout from the seed and spread its roots. It grows well even in relatively harsh environments.
Butterhead and kaipira, the main crops in salad containers, could not be grown, but sprouted vegetables were quite feasible.
“There is no problem with the circulation of light and water, how do we control the concentration of carbon dioxide?”
Jang-Woo Lee asked, pondering.
As he said, the concentration of carbon dioxide was a problem.
In the case of a salad container, when the concentration of carbon dioxide is lower than 350 ppm, external air is introduced to maintain the proper concentration, so it is not a problem.
It is a technology that automatically introduces outside air when the concentration of carbon dioxide falls below a certain level using a sensor.
That technology was also the core technology of the Jirisan farmers.
Even if there is a device, it is a technology that is difficult to share easily, but the important thing is that this is a limited space called Antarctica.
Whatever the reason or situation, it was important to adjust the concentration of carbon dioxide in the salad growing machine.
Here, even primitive methods must be mobilized.
“Jang Woo, first, proceed with the work according to the drawings. In the meantime, I’ll find a way to get the carbon dioxide level right.”
“great. I will try to make as much as possible according to the drawings.”
All equipment to be used as materials is at the level of recyclables.
The fact that hydroponic cultivation facilities can be made even under unfavorable conditions is due to the experience of the base in Korea.
The experience of making bean sprouts growers was a big help.
* * *
I found Captain Benjamin.
I had something to ask him.
Just then, Diana was drinking tea in the break room.
“Where did Captain Benjamin go? I can’t contact you.”
“When I’m outside, I can’t communicate well. It’s been a while since I’ve been out, so I’ll be back soon.”
There was no choice but to wait.
“Would you like a cup of coffee?”
I nodded quietly.
The smell of coffee permeated the living room.
“Please eat.”
Diana handed her coffee.
It feels like strong coffee wakes you up.
“Mr. Deokmyeong, is this your first time to Antarctica?”
“It will probably be the first and the last.”
Diana smiled, revealing her straight teeth.
she asked as she drank coffee.
“Have you ever heard of melting Antarctica’s ice?”
“I have seen the news that the glaciers in the Antarctic and Arctic are melting due to climate warming.”
“So, do you know what happens when all the ice in Antarctica melts?”
It was frustrating. I’ve never thought of it like that.
“Maybe the sea level will rise?”
“Then just imagine how much sea levels will rise. How much will the global sea level rise?”
“I do not know. About ten meters?”
“Ding! We expect it to rise at least 60 meters.”
“60 meters? If you raise it that much, all the cities along the coast will be flooded, right?”
“More than half of the land will be submerged.”
She said, assuming that the ice caps off the coast of Antarctica collapse in an instant.
10 times the size of Seoul’s ice is falling.
During that time, Antarctic ice sheets have slowly melted over the past 1,000 years. Now, it is not uncommon for it to melt suddenly within a month or two.
It was also a message that Antarctic ice could disappear in a short time.
Hearing her story, she spoke up.
“If all the ice in Antarctica melts, human civilization will be submerged.”
As I was speaking, someone put a hand on my shoulder.
I turned my head to see Captain Benjamin staring at me.
“You were having a deep conversation.”
“I was waiting for the captain.”
“First, drink a cup of hot coffee.”
Benjamin and his crew sighed in relief as they drank coffee.
Looks like you’re tired of working outside.
I gave enough time in Benjamin.
Chileans hate rush.
Benjamin took a leisurely coffee and asked.
“Why did you find me?”
“We plan to grow sprout vegetables at our base in Chile.”
“When it comes to sprouted vegetables, are you referring to the sprouts from which the seeds have germinated?”
Benjamin asked, his eyes twinkling. It’s an interesting face.
“you’re right. I plan to grow young shoots at the Chilean base.”
“What kind of seeds are they specifically?”
“It’s turnips, barley, and kale.”
“It is very nutritious.”
As Benjamin said, it is nutritious.
This is because the most physiologically active substances are produced when the seeds sprout from the young leaves.
Although it is small in size, it has sufficient nutritional elements such as protein, vitamins, and minerals.
“But there is one problem.”
“Is it a problem?”
Benjamin asked, moving his body. willing to solve anything.
“Just say anything.”
“You cannot control the carbon dioxide concentration.”
Carbon dioxide is essential for photosynthesis.
This is because photosynthesis takes place by receiving light, temperature, carbon dioxide, water and ionized nutrients.
If there is not enough carbon dioxide, the photosynthesis rate is lowered and there is a problem in the growth of crops.
Benjamin heard the situation and opened his mouth.
“There is a carbon dioxide meter in the base.”
it’s the stuff i wanted The Chilean base was also a laboratory.
I thought there might be a carbon dioxide meter.
“Please wait a moment.”
Benjamin stood up.
Diana listened to the conversation and spoke to me while Benjamin was away.
“I think Deokmyung can grow crops in space.”
“If we could grow crops in Antarctica, would it be possible in space?”
In fact, some countries, such as the United States, are experimenting with crop growing facilities in Antarctica.
It is a facility for growing crops to be loaded on spacecraft.
Benjamin came in with a metal case.
“It is a machine that measures the concentration of carbon dioxide using infrared rays.”
He took out a carbon dioxide meter and handed it to me.
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Older than the stuff in the salad container. Still, it was better than nothing.
A method that uses infrared light. It uses the principle that carbon dioxide absorbs infrared rays in a specific area. It is possible to measure the concentration of carbon dioxide by changing the amount of infrared absorption.
“This is enough. I have one more request.”
It wasn’t just a matter of measuring the carbon dioxide concentration.
Depending on the concentration of carbon dioxide, air had to be introduced from the outside.
I asked him to make a pipe to let the air through.
“Then you have to manually adjust the carbon dioxide concentration.”
“Yes, you have to check it yourself and bring in outside air.”
Benjamin nodded his head.
It’s primitive, but where is it that even that method is possible?
* * *
After work, I sat down at the dinner table.
Before the food was served, the chef appeared.
The Chilean chef is a man named Carlos.
He put down the plate and said.
“Today, I prepared a daily South American dish for Mr. Deokmyeong and Mr. Jang.”
There were dumpling-shaped food inside the plate.
It looked fried.
“what is this?”
“This is Empanada.”
“Empana?”
“Empanada means stuffed bread.”
“Let’s have a drink. It may not be as good as the chef in the Korean base, but Carlos is also good at cooking.”
Captain Benjamin said, holding the empanada in one hand.
I took a bite of the empanada.
Seafood, chicken and cheese were inside the dumpling-like bread.
Carlos looked at my face with a burdened look.
“How does it taste?”
He asked with a look of anticipation.
Praise makes even the whale dance.
I said with a smile on purpose.
“Very tasty.”
“Yeah, the taste is excellent.”
A dimple was caught on Carlos’s face. It is a very satisfying expression.
“Even in Korea, there are foods that look similar to empanadas.”
“Is there a food like empanada in Korea?
“It is similar in shape.”