Not all plants are created equal, and not all can survive the harsh conditions of space. One that might thrive on long spacefaring voyages also happens to be the smallest flowering plant on Earth. It is called Watermeal.
The Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) has recently reported successfully growing rice and vegetables on the Tiangong space station.
Projects BIOWYSE and TIME SCALE are being developed in Norway. These two systems are all about providing astronauts with a sustainable and renewable supply of drinking water and plant food.
The cotton seeds sprouted inside of a container as part of the lunar mini-biosphere experiment aboard the lander. And, just over a week later, or some 213 hours, the experiment is over and the plants are dead.
Norwegian researchers are developing the self-contained planters that will allow astronauts to grow food in space. They have just completed an experiment that involved growing lettuce for space.
The success of first harvest, which produced vibrant-looking lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, and other treats, represents a promising test run for similar greenhouses that could one day be built on Mars—or beyond.
Shipping container farms, called TerraFarms, grow produce twice as fast as a traditional farm, all while using 97 percent less water and zero pesticides or herbicides.
Wageningen University scientists determined four of the crops they cultivated in Mars-like soil are in fact edible.
This was a golden year for planetary exploration thanks to all of the NASA and European Space Agency missions that were planned and implemented decades ago. Not since Apollo and the epic space race of the Cold War has space featured so heavily in the public eye.
