Growing Plants In Space
The non nutritional value of providing comfort and relaxation to the crew.
Growing plants in space. The first growth test of crops in the advanced plant habitat aboard the international space station yielded great results. It has been found that primary root growth is driven away from the light source. Arabidopsis thale cress bok choy tokyo bekana chinese cabbage super dwarf wheat apogey wheat brassica rapa rice tulips kalanchoe flax onions peas radishes lettuce wheat garlic cucumbers parsley potato and dill lettuce and cinnamon basil cabbage zinnia.
While crops like radishes and leafy greens have been grown successfully plants like tomatoes have proven to be more difficult to grow. Arabidopsis seeds small flowering plants related to cabbage and mustard grew for about six weeks and dwarf wheat for five weeks. Growing food to supplement and minimize the food that must be carried to space will be increasingly important on long duration missions said shane topham an engineer with space dynamics laboratory at utah state university in logan.