Biomass Production System for Education (BPSe)

Orbital Technologies Corp. (ORBITEC)

Madison, WI

Orbital Technologies Corporation (ORBITEC) has developed the Biomass Production System for Education, (BPSe), a plant growth chamber and system for student science activities.

The BPSe is a ground-based research unit that parallels plant growth research being conducted on the Space Shuttle and Space Station.

• ORBITEC has had over 160 government contracts exceeding a total of nearly $120M.
• The BPSe will join ORBITEC's Space Garden growth chamber in a family of space-related products for biology, agriculture, and life science instruction - and fun.
• ORBITEC has been awarded the Wisconsin's Professional Service Business of the Year (1995) and the Tibbitts Award (1996 and 1999) from the Small Business Administration for outstanding work for the U.S. Government.

• Four BPSe units have been delivered to Kennedy Space Center and are currently being evaluated.
• Three units have been delivered to the NASA Specialized Center for Research and Training at Purdue University (NSCORT).
• All units are now being tested in outreach programs by the Outreach Coordinator for Advanced Life Support at NSCORT. Three units have been delivered to the US Department of Agriculture for evaluation.
• The remaining two units will be displayed at US Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.
• Market research into pricing and distribution continues and further educational activities are being developed.

• The BPSe project was developed under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant sponsored by NASA's KSC Advanced Human Support Technology Program.
• While the plant experiments are being conducted on the International Space Station students use the BPSe to conduct similar tests on earth to compare with the flight results.
• The BPSe is being evaluated for use in specific high school and university science programs and will be used teaching studies in the spring of 2005.

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