Growing Plants in Space

Gioia Massa Exploration Research and Technology Programs NASA, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA Education • BS – Cornell University – Plant Science • PhD – Penn State – Plant Biology with Geosciences minor Gioia Massa, PhD Kennedy Space Center Life Sciences Project Scientist My Journey Why grow plants in space?

• Food • Psychological well being • Atmosphere • Water

Luna City • agriculture part of life support • transparent domes realistic? • dangers of surface living • problems with lunar agriculture

Evolved Lunar Base

• thick-walled “concrete” formed from lunar regolith

Plant Factories

Photos of Osaka Prefecture University training facility courtesy of Ray Wheeler

South Pole Greenhouse

Photo from “On the Ice” Blog of Russ Durkee Space Crop Production Candidates Salad Lettuce, Chinese cabbage, Swiss Leafy Greens chard, Mizuna, Tomato Spinach Staple Crops White Potato MINIMAL Pepper PREPARATION / Radish Sweet Potato COOKING Strawberry Green Onion Rice Wheat SIGNIFICANT Carrot Dried Bean PREPARATION / Soybean COOKING Spice Peanut CONSUMED FRESH Basil WITHOUT PROCESSING Mint Chives Dill Plant Growth and the Environment

5 Cardinal Factors of Plant Growth…..

O2 The Space Environment ….and how these work with and without Gravity!

Humans like No convection in space so white light, but need to mix the air plants may grow well with other wavelengths O2

Water forms a Fertilizer is heavy to ball, and water launch so we need to and air don’t learn how to recycle mix well, and plant waste roots need both! Crew Needs Plants can contribute to human needs of food, and water.

O2

+ =

A balanced diet

Crew time is limited! Example of an ISS Crop Scenario

Select + from +

with 6 x

Use Select Grow Eat

+ per crew 2 x member from per week + + Example of Candidate Salad Crop Selection

Goal: To down select crop candidates for crew to grow, pick, and eat on ISS to supplement a packaged diet.

ISS Cmdr. Swanson harvesting lettuce from the Veggie test– June, 2014 Leafy Greens - Candidates

• ‘Tyee’ spinach • ‘Flamingo’ spinach • ‘Outredgeous’ Red Romaine lettuce • ‘Waldmann’s Dark Green’ Leaf lettuce • ‘Bull’s Blood’ beet • ‘Rhubarb’ Swiss chard • ‘Tokyo Bekana’ Chinese cabbage • Mizuna Selection Criteria Overview

– Horticultural factors • Germination, ease of growth, amount of growth (food), size – Dietary factors • Percent dry matter • Elemental Factors - Composition of key elements (K, Fe, Ca, Mg) • Nutrient Factors - Beneficial phytonutrients ( K, Lutein, Zeaxanthin, Antioxidants) – Organoleptic factors • 9-pt Hedonic Scale: Overall taste, Appearance, Color, Bitterness, Flavor, Texture • 5-point Just About Right Scale: Crispness, Tenderness Weighting and Ranking

• Weighting factors were developed for each parameter based on subjective importance. • Data were normalized, weighted, and ranked. • Divided into: – Horticultural Factors – Elemental Factors – Nutrient Factors – Organoleptic Factors • 8 varieties were down selected to 4 for nutrient and organoleptic evaluation. • 4 crops were grown and shipped to JSC for organoleptic testing. • Final ranking performed on down selected crops. Growth Studies Plants are grown in a controlled environment chamber at KSC, with environmental conditions set to mimic those on ISS (Temperature, RH, CO2, PAR). Horticultural Factors

• Percent germination Spinach had poor germination

• Speed to maturity Chinese cabbage and Mizuna had excellent rapid growth • Fresh Mass Chinese Spinach had cabbage had poor excellent yield yield Horticultural Factors (cont.) Spinach and • Area, Height, Volume lettuce had low size Swiss chard, Beet and Mizuna had high size

• Plant Growth Ranking Elemental Factors All had similar • Dry Matter dry matter Red lettuce and Beet had • Potassium excellent potassium

• Iron Chinese Beet had cabbage had high iron low iron poor excellent

Beet had excellent • Magnesium magnesium Elemental Factors

• Calcium Chinese cabbage, beet, Mizuna and Swiss chard had similar high calcium excellent

• Elemental Ranking

• Plant Growth + Elemental Combined Ranking Nutrient Factors • Red lettuce and Antioxidants Swiss chard had high antioxidants excellent

• Lutein & Swiss chard had Zeaxanthin high Lutein and Zeaxanthin excellent • Mizuna had high Vitamin K excellent

• Nutrient Ranking Organoleptic Factors • Overall Chinese cabbage had excellent overall Acceptability, acceptability, flavor, Flavor, & and texture Texture Swiss chard and Chinese Cabbage had excellent appearance • Appearance & and color

Color All crops had acceptable bitterness. • Bitterness All crops had hedonic scores > 6 for all parameters • Hedonic Scale Organoleptic Factors • Crispness & Chinese cabbage was “Just about right” for Tenderness crispness and tenderness excellent

• Organoleptic Ranking

• Overall Ranking The International Space Station Example crops tested in plant pillows Snow pea Swiss chard Red lettuce Dwarf Chinese cabbage Radish

Zinnia Petunia Marigold Veggie on ISS