One giant "leaf" for humanity

One giant

Tomatoes grow in an illuminated box, like the one used by astronauts to grow lettuce on the ISS. Photo taken April 25, 2018 in Fairchild Tropical Garden in Miami

It is not easy to grow vegetables in space. Without gravity, the seeds fly away. Water does not flow down, but breaks up and can flood the roots. Lamps and fans are also used to imitate the sun and wind.

But NASA decided that space gardening should exist and plays an important role in the next generation of researchers planning to colonize the Moon and Mars. Essential nutrients, like vitamins C and K, are destroyed over time in freeze-dried foods. Without them, astronauts become more vulnerable to infections, poor blood clotting, cancer and heart disease.

The US space agency turned to professional botanists and gardeners for help in resolving this issue. There are tens of thousands of edible plants on Earth, but not all of them are suitable for space growing.

Useful disadvantages

The garden in Miami has identified 106 varieties of plants that can develop well in space, including hardy cabbage and leafy salads. They attracted 15,000 nerd students from 150 schools. The four-year project is about halfway through and paid for by a NASA grant of $ 1.24 million. Illuminated trays are used that mimic the growing boxes used in space. Pupils monitor plants and note progress data that is transmitted to NASA.

One giant

High school students specializing in botany participate in activities at the Fairchild Tropical Garden in Miami, where they talk about space gardening with astronauts Ricky Arnold and Andrew Fustel

Of course, some plants are in warmer rooms, and others in cool. In one class the salad withered, and they did not have time to try it. But such flaws proved to be a useful part of the project.

New textures

Astronauts living on the ISS at an altitude of 400 km above the Earth, also encountered a number of failures in the process of cultivation. The first Veggi portable box, equipped with LED lamps, was tested at the orbital outpost in 2014. Some of the lettuce leaves did not sprout, while others died from drought. But the crew did not lose heart and grew the first salad in 2015.

The vegetation grown on the ISS is rarely eaten, and each astronaut has only one or two leaves to share. But they say that the efforts are worth it. The structure of the plant is slightly different, but it is a nice addition to the standard menu.

One giant

Jolene Woodmanze (BioTECH High School Teacher) with his students during the event in the Fairchild Garden in Miami on April 25, 2018, where students had a live broadcast with astronauts on the ISS

Ideal Cosmic Plant

Plants do not need gravity to grow, as they are oriented towards light. The ideal space plant should be compact and produce a lot of edible food. They must also withstand the conditions of the space station, where the temperature is fixed at 22 ° C, relative humidity - 40% and high levels of carbon dioxide.

It is for the latter criterion that the earth plants are least prepared. In the coming months, they plan to test the dragoon salad, and in 2019 the arrival of tomatoes is expected.

Connection to Earth

NASA is considering the possibility of robotic space gardening. That is, it is about automating the process so that the team can focus on other tasks. However, many astronauts want to continue to work on plants, because this is how they feel connected to their home planet.

Comments (0)
Search