The Salads Grown in Space

If you watched the Martian, you might remember that Matt Damon used his own urine to plant potatoes and survive on Mars. Sadly, this is not proven yet. However, through years of careful testing, we know that we can grow plants in space. This may help us on future missions where we need to go deeper into space. Growing plants in space is an important juncture that scientists will need to pass. By growing plants in space, not only are we creating a food source, but we are also creating a source of oxygen, an air and water purifier, and something to recycle feces. It will also save a lot of money for space programs all over the world.

Zinnia Flower Floating Inside ISS

There are many technical challenges that make growing plants in space hard. These problems include reduced gravity, lighting, pressure, and increased radiation. To solve these problems, scientists use greenhouses to grow plants. Plants were grown in space experience microgravity. This may cause their stems or roots to be weaker than normal. Additionally, space radiation could affect the DNA of plant life. The low-pressure environments of places like Mars could affect the net photosynthesis and evaporation rates. Finally, there is no scientific evidence that Martian soil has the nutrients that plants need to survive.

Advanced Astrocultue Soybean Experiment

There is a long history of plants and trying to grow food in space. The first attempt at plants in space was in 1946. Specially developed strains of seeds were launched on a V-2 rocket by the U.S. The test was to see if the radiation exposure in space would affect seeds and biological tissue. A really interesting test that happened in 1971 was the moon trees. During Apollo 14 in 1971, 500 tree seeds were flown around the Moon and planted back on. Earth. These trees are commonly called “Moon Trees” and are placed all over the world. After that, NASA and other space organizations started to test plant life in space. In 1982, the crew of the Soviet Salyut 7 space station grew Arabidopsis in its micro-greenhouse apparatus, becoming the first plants to flower and produce seeds in space. In 1997 the SVET-2 Space Greenhouse was able to achieve seed to seed plant growth, growing Daucus carota, and maize.

Cabbage Growing in Veggie Module

On the ISS, experiments with growing plants in space skyrocketed. One experiment is called Veggie and is a shortened name for the Vegetable Production System. The experiment uses little modules to grow plants. The Veggie modules on the ISS are made up of three parts: a lighting system, a bellows enclosure, and a reservoir. The lighting system consists of three different types of colored LEDs, red, green, and blue. With different combinations, the colors can combine to create different lighting intensities for the plants to help them grow. The bellows enclosure controls the flow and pressure of the air. This is done by using ExPRESS Racks. However, temperature and humidity are controlled by the surrounding environment. The reservoir supplies plants with water to grow in the plant pillows. These plant pillows are where the seeds are placed and allowed to grow. They also contain other materials like fertilizer and soil. Using this method, plants like red romaine lettuce, cabbage, lettuce, and mizuna.

First Growth Test of Crops in 
the APH on the ISS

Another experiment to grow plants on the ISS is the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH). The APH is a chamber on the ISS for plant research. It has similar LED lights to those used in the Veggie modules and uses fertilizer to help the plants grow. One major difference is that the plants in the APH are enclosed. When collecting samples, the crew on the ISS freezes them and transports them back to Earth saying they can be carefully analyzed. The APH will help resolve the effects of microgravity on plant life. The team testing the APH wants to especially see if the plants will stay rigid and get the right amount of nutrients.

Space Organizations have also just started to try growing plants on the Lunar surface. China’s Chang’e 4 lunar lander did this in January 2019. During its mission, it carried plant seeds and insect eggs in a sealed “biosphere” to see whether the two would grow in synergy. These seeds, which consisted of potatoes, tomatoes, and  Arabidopsis thaliana became the first plants to be grown on the moon. The insect eggs, which are silkworm eggs will help produce carbon dioxide and germinate the plants. Scientists hoped that the two create a synergy to survive.

Sunflower Plant on the ISS

As humans start to look to missions that will go deeper into space, scientists need to consider the essentials to survive such as how we should grow food in space. Growing food in space is important, as not only does it provide us with a source of energy, but it could also be used as an oxygen source and a filtration system. Though there have been some failed attempts, scientists have found many ways that we can grow plants in space and even on other celestial bodies. We are soon getting closer to a future where astronauts can crave a salad, and then make one in space or on Mars.

Hypothetical Greenhouse on a Mars Base

Sources:

Heiney, Anna. “Growing Plants in Space.” NASA, NASA, 9 Apr. 2019, www.nasa.gov/content/growing-plants-in-space. 

“Plants in Space.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plants_in_space. 

“Space Farming.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_farming.

“Vegetable Production System.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable_Production_System.