Hello what do you guys think for this question
Plants perform the light reactions of photosynthesis during the day. However plants also carry out cellular respiration
It was once proposed that large tanks of photosynthetic algae could supply astronauts in spacecraft with oxygen and remove carbon. Do you think this would work why or why not?
This is what I was thinking
- this would not work because there would not be much sunlight , the algae needs to be in water and you would need to be able to get the oxygen out of the tank . The tanks would be quite heavy
That's a cool question. I'm not completely sure to be honest, but I'll try my best, (but don't take what I say as correct).
I would say, yes, this could work, the algae would use the astronauts CO2 in photosynthesis and release O2 as a waste product. Types of algae can be much more efficient than plants for photosynthesis. Algae is able to photosynthesise in low light intensity conditions.
(Maybe it's one of those questions where you are right either way if you back it up?) I think what you've said about the weight/ space it could take up are good arguments against it.