NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Image above: Can plants make trips to space easier? Credit: NASA

Think about life without plants. It is hard! We see plants everyday. We would not have life as we know it without plants. Plants give us food to eat. They give us the air we breathe.

NASA thinks that plants could someday be a big part of life in space. Astronauts will stay in space longer. NASA wants to know if plants can be used to make their trips easier. Growing plants on the Space Station would mean fresh food. Plants could be used to make the air better. They can do this by making oxygen. They also clean the air. Someday, plants could make it easier to go to other worlds.
 

Image above: Seeds can still grow even after being in space Credit: NASA

Plants have been flying in space a long time. One test, from years ago, is the "Moon trees" from Apollo 14. One of the astronauts on that flight took tree seeds. He brought the seeds back from their trip around the Moon. The seeds were planted to see if they would grow well after being in space. They did. Hundreds of little "Moon trees" grew. The trees were spread across the country. Many of the trees are still around. Today, seeds from the Moon trees are still being planted.

School children have helped NASA study plants. Years ago, tomato seeds were put into space. They stayed in space for six years. Then, astronauts brought the seeds back to Earth. The seeds were given to children all over the world. They were asked to grow the tomatoes from the space seeds. They also grew plants from tomato seeds that had not been in space. The students found that they were about the same. Some children thought the space tomatoes were even better!

Image above: Plants can be grown in space Credit: NASA

Here is a letter from one child who did have problems: "Dear NASA: Hi, my name is Matt. I am in grade 2. I really enjoy growing my plants. Here are my results. My Earth seed did not grow. My space seed grew, but it fell off my desk. It died." One student told NASA that his space tomatoes lived after a basketball bounced on them! NASA now knows that seeds can live in space for a long time. And, the plants won't change much.

The crew of the Space Station has said they really like having plants onboard. The crew spends months on the Space Station. They miss seeing plants that we see on Earth. They sometimes open the plant boxes. They want to remember what plants look and smell like. Plants are grown on the Station and brought back to Earth. So far, they have come back in great shape. NASA hopes that astronauts will be able to grow some of their own food someday. They hope that what they learn in space will help crops grown on Earth, too.

Published by NASAexplores