Putting Down Roots in Space
Expedition 39 flight engineer Steve Swanson harvests plant specimens from Characterizing Arabidopsis Root Attractions (CARA) - Petri Plant plates.
Media Credit: NASA
Plants grow just about everywhere on Earth, and are able to adapt to extreme conditions ranging from drought to disease. Spaceflight, however, exposes plants to stresses not found anywhere on their home planet. Growing plants onboard the International Space Station provides a unique opportunity to study how plants adapt to microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment.. Optimizing plant growth, both on Earth and in space, is critical.