Spaceship Greenhouse Pod (Concept)

Having a large number of living plants on board a space ship provides several benefits: they serve as natural carbon dioxide scrubbers, replenishing the on-board oxygen supply, as well as providing food for the crew and a pleasant environment for off-duty hours.

The plants actually carried in a greenhouse pod are commonly selected/bred for their value to the starship--small plants which breathe a lot are considered a Good Thing. The plants may be a mix of common terrestrial species, exotic alien varieties, or specially-created hydroponic mutants.

The greenhouse can also serve as a botany lab or cargo bay, carrying plants between planets. Typically, botanical pods will be constructed with several air-locked compartments, allowing several environments to be maintained.

The large amounts of smart-glass surfaces would be utilized to let in natural sunlight, when the ship is reasonably close to a star. The smart-glass can filter out harmful amounts of radiation from the star. When the ship is not in the vicinity of a star, or the star is not providing sufficient radiant energy, computer-controlled artificial lights provide the balance required by the plants.

A space ship would carry one or more of these greenhouse pods on its "back" or "top" (whichever you want to call the dorsal region). Access would be provided by an inter-deck ladder, located in the front-left area of the view below (the section with the 1x4x5 windows). Inside the greenhouse, there will most likely be two decks and possibly a number of air-locked compartments. Chemical processing (air recirculation, waste conversion, etc) will be handled by equipment below the deck of the pod.

Obviously, this module has not been built yet. Considering the number of canopy elements required, it may never actually be completed. Once it is built, the top and sides will either be hinged or removeable to provide access to the interior.