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On 30 November 2020, NASA astronaut Kate Rubins has collected radish plants growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) aboard the International Space Station. He meticulously collected and foil each of the 20 radish plants, placing them in cold storage for the trip back to Earth in 2021. SpaceX22nd mission of commercial refueling services.
The plant experiment, called Plant Habitat-02 (PH-02), is the first time NASA has grown radishes in the orbiting laboratory. NASA selected radishes because they are well understood by scientists and reach maturity in just 27 days. These model plants are also nutritious and edible and are genetically similar to Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant related to cabbage that researchers frequently study under conditions of microgravity.
“Radishes are a different type of crop than the green leafy vegetables that astronauts previously grew on the space station, or the dwarf wheat that was the first crop grown in the APH,” said Nicole Dufour, APH program manager. of NASA at the Kennedy Space Center. “Growing a wide range of crops helps us determine which plants thrive in microgravity conditions and offer the best variety and nutritional balance for astronauts on long-duration missions.”
The structure of the experiment will allow NASA to identify the optimal balance between care and nutrition needed to produce quality plants. As they grew within the habitat, radishes required little maintenance from the crew.
Unlike previous experiments in NASA’s APH and Vegetable Production System (Veggie), which used porous clay material preloaded with a slow-release fertilizer, this study is based on precisely defined amounts of minerals supplied. This accuracy allows for a better comparison of nutrients supplied and absorbed by plants.
On November 27, 2020, NASA astronaut and Expedition 64 flight engineer Kate Rubins checks radish plants growing for the Plant Habitat-02 experiment which seeks to optimize plant growth in the unique environment of space and evaluate the nutrition and taste of plants. Credit: NASA
The chamber also uses broad spectrum red, blue, green and white LED lights to provide a variety of light to stimulate plant growth. Sophisticated control systems provide water, while surveillance cameras and more than 180 sensors in the chamber allow researchers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to monitor plant growth and regulate humidity levels, temperature and carbon dioxide concentration. (CO2).
The study’s principal investigator, Karl Hasenstein, a professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, has been conducting plant experiments with NASA since 1995. From this project, Hasenstein hopes to learn how space conditions such as weightlessness affect the plant growth and how well the light response and metabolism resemble “earth grown” plants.
“Radishes provide great research opportunities by virtue of their sensitive bulb formation,” Hasenstein said. “We can grow 20 plants in the APH, analyze the effects of CO2 and the acquisition and distribution of minerals.”
Photographic documentation of the Plant Habitat-02 survey aboard the International Space Station on November 30, 2020. Plant Habitat-02 uses the Advanced Plant Habitat to grow radishes, a model plant that is nutritious and edible and has a short growing time. This research could help optimize plant growth in the space’s unique environment, as well as evaluating plant nutrition and taste. Credit: NASA
The team established a plant control population in the ground control plant habitat unit in the International Space Station Environmental Simulator (ISSES) chamber within the Kennedy Space Station’s processing facility. Radishes have been growing under nearly identical conditions in the ISSES since November 17, and the researchers will harvest the control crop on December 15 for comparison to station-grown radishes.
This historic harvest doesn’t mean that the experiment is over, Dufour added.
“The APH has two scientific carriers, so shortly after the first harvest, the second vector will be used to repeat the experiment by planting another set of radish seeds,” he said. “Replicating the plant experiment increases the sample size and improves the science precision. “
The researchers credit two partner organizations for helping to make the mission a success.
Hasenstein highlighted the contract support team from Techshot. The teams from this mission, integration, and support contractor helped shape the payload from the very beginning and guided it through the path to space. Project scientists also assisted the lead researcher in the experiment and allowed the researchers to interact with the payloads even when they are not in the center.
Likewise, Dufour cited the Sierra Nevada Corporation team in Madison, Wisconsin for remotely monitoring telemetry from the APH flight unit and for helping to tweak performance parameters. He said their dedication contributed to the successful implementation of the flight.
With plans to explore the Moon and one day Mars, NASA knows that astronauts will have to grow their own food to support long-duration missions away from home. Under the Artemis program, NASA plans to establish sustainable exploration on and around the Moon by the end of the decade.
“It is a privilege to help lead a team that is paving the way for the future of space crop production for NASA’s exploration efforts,” Dufour said. “I’ve been working on APH since the beginning and every new crop we can grow gives me great joy because what we learn from them will help NASA send astronauts to Mars and bring them back safely.”
The Physical and Biological Sciences (BPS) Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at NASA’s Washington headquarters provides funding for Veggie, the APH, and related investigations.
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