NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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Experiment Overview


Information provided courtesy of the Japan Aerospace and Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Brief Summary

Life Cycles of Higher Plants Under Microgravity Conditions (SpaceSeed) cultivates Arabidopsis thaliana (a small flowering plant) in microgravity to improve the productivity of crops in space as well as for understanding the role of gravity in regulating the life cycle of higher plants.

Principal Investigator(s)

Emeritus Seiichiro Kamiska, Toyama University, Toyama, Japan

Co-Investigator(s)/Collaborator(s)

Information Pending

Developer(s)
Information Pending

Sponsoring Space Agency

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Sponsoring Organization

Information Pending

Research Benefits

Information Pending

ISS Expedition Duration:

March 2009 - March 2010

Expeditions Assigned

19/20,21/22

Previous ISS Missions

SpaceSeed first began operations on ISS Increment 19/20.

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Experiment Description

Research Overview

• Since gravity strongly influences developmental processes throughout the life cycle of higher plants on Earth, this research is undertaken to cultivate Arabidopsis thaliana on the JEM, whereby the life cycle is relatively short.



• The controlling mechanism of developmental processes in Arabidopsis has been physiologically and genetically studied with various mutants and transgenic plants on Earth. The experiments with Arabidopsis under the microgravity environment on JEM will provide an abundance of important and useful information necessary for improving the productivity of crops in space, as well as for understanding the role of gravity in regulating the life cycle of higher plants.

Description

Information Pending

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Applications

Space Applications

Information Pending

Earth Applications

Information Pending

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Operations

Operational Requirements

Information Pending

Operational Protocols

Information Pending

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Results/More Information

Information Pending

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Results Publications

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Ground Based Results Publications

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ISS Patents

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Related Publications

Yano S, Kasahara H, Masuda D, Tanigaki F, Suzuki H, Karahara I, Soga K, Shimazu T, Hoson T, Tayama I, Tsuchiya Y, Kamisaka S.  Improvements in and actual performance of the Plant Experiment Unit onboard Kibo, the Japanese Experiment Module on the International Space Station. Advances in Space Research. 2012. DOI: 10.1016/j.asr.2012.10.002.

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Related Websites

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Imagery

NASA Image: ISS021-E-006267 NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, Expedition 21 flight engineer, works with the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) SPACE SEED experiment in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station.
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NASA Image: ISS021-E-006274 A close-up view of the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) SPACE SEED experiment is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 21 crew member in the Kibo laboratory on the International Space Station.
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NASA Image: ISS027E008229 - NASA astronaut Cady Coleman and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli, both Expedition 27 flight engineers, are pictured near a bag of space seeds floating freely in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station.
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