Did You Know We Can Garden in Space?
Just think about that for a moment, okay? All of life as we know it, literally everything in our records so far, has started on Earth… but not these plants. These are space plants.
These babies have grown up without gravity, swirling around our planet with a few galactic gardeners tending to them. So, what does this mean for us?
In order for us to go further into space and possibly colonize a new planet, these plants are needed. Thankfully, they seem to be doing just fine orienting themselves and growing without gravity!
But it’s not just the possibility of eating fresh produce alone that’s exciting, NASA says that “the experiment also is investigating another benefit of growing plants in space: the non-nutritional value of providing comfort and relaxation to the crew.” 1
One of our favorite channels, Seeker, tells us all about what ingenious scientists, astronauts, and their plants have been up to recently, and what the next steps are…
I’m still finding it so fascinating that plants, even without the gravity they know, tend to grow as they would on Earth. According to an article from National Geographic News in 2012, where they discuss the NASA experiment with plant geneticist, Anna-Lisa Paul, the “new study revealed that the “features of plant growth we thought were a result of gravity acting on plant cells and organs do not actually require gravity.” 3
Here’s a quote from that piece on why:
“Gravity is an important influence on root growth, but the scientists found that their space plants didn’t need it to flourish. The research team from the University of Florida in Gainesville thinks this ability is related to a plant’s inherent ability to orient itself as it grows. Seeds germinated on the International Space Stationsprouted roots that behaved like they would on Earth—growing away from the seed to seek nutrients and water in exactly the same pattern observed with gravity.” 4
We just need to figure out a way to ensure proper combinations of resources to keep our green friends healthy and resilient, so that we can stay healthy and resilient while we’re millions of miles away from home.
