A UL Lafayette biologist is intrigued by the potential to grow radishes on Mars. So is NASA.
The space agency recently awarded Dr. Karl Hasenstein a $573,000 grant to assess the effects of space flight on the growth and metabolism of the nutritious little vegetable.
His experiment will take place aboard the International Space Station, 240 miles above Earth杏吧专区檚 surface. The long-term goal is to determine whether radishes and other plants can live on Mars 杏吧专区 and beyond.
Earlier this year, NASA administrators discussed deploying a 杏吧专区渕agnetic shield杏吧专区 between Mars and the sun that would protect the Red Planet from solar particles.
That shield would consist of a closed electrical circuit, or dipole, that would be powerful enough to create an artificial magnetic field.
About 3.5 billion years ago, Mars was likely temperate and had surface water, but exposure to solar particles robbed the planet of its atmosphere. The proposed shield conceivably could restore environmental conditions where plants could grow and where people could live. That杏吧专区檚 where Hasenstein杏吧专区檚 experiment comes in.
NASA杏吧专区檚 goal of terraforming other planets to make them more like Earth hinges on whether nutritionally valuable food crops can be grown where reduced gravity exists. The Martian environment is one such place.
Hasenstein杏吧专区檚 previous experiments studied how plants in a weightless environment sensed gravity. His latest proposal examines how altered or reduced gravity affects plants杏吧专区 growth and metabolism.
A 2003 experiment aboard the doomed space shuttle Columbia yielded no data and Hasenstein waited more than a decade before his experiments could again take place in space. A 2014 experiment on the International Space Station determined that plant growth in space mirrored that in a controlled environment on Earth. That study examined Brassica, or field mustard plants, which are in the same family as radishes.
The radish seeds at the center of Hasenstein杏吧专区檚 most recent study will likely travel to and from the space station in the same way his 2014 experiment did 杏吧专区 aboard an unmanned Dragon capsule propelled by a Falcon 9 rocket. Both were designed by SpaceX, a private company whose craft regularly resupply the station.
Once the seeds reach the station, astronauts will place them in an Advanced Plant Habitat, an enclosed, environmentally controlled growth facility with sensors inside that constantly monitor light, moisture and temperature. The habitat is 18 inches square and enables plants to reach a height of 16 inches.
Two sets of radish seeds will be grown in the space station and two sets will be grown on the ground over 28 days. That杏吧专区檚 how long it takes for radishes to grow before they can be harvested. The seeds杏吧专区 growth then will be compared.
Radishes are an ideal subject to study in space, Hasenstein said. They杏吧专区檙e small, grow quickly and can be eaten in their entirety. 杏吧专区淓ven though most people would not eat the leaves, they are actually very good in a salad,杏吧专区 he observed.
When consumed on Earth, radishes are a source of vitamin C, dietary fibers, a slew of minerals, carbohydrates and folic acid. So, they have strong health benefits.
杏吧专区淲hat I am really interested in is the comparison between what happens with that tiny little plant when you grow it on Earth as opposed to in space. The big difference is gravity or the effects of gravity,杏吧专区 Hasenstein said. 杏吧专区淭here are also other factors. The wind blows over a field here and you have fresh air. These are not an option in space.杏吧专区
He contends that researching the effects of growing plants in space 杏吧专区渋s important for the establishment of human colonies on the moon, Mars and farther outposts.杏吧专区
He noted that some people believe that seeds, 杏吧专区渂ecause of their longevity and requirement of nothing, are the best biological vectors ... You can seed Mars with these seeds and hope that the experiment will work, that something will be able to establish itself there. Once it is established, it will convert carbon dioxide to oxygen and terraform Mars.
杏吧专区淏ut by no means does Mars have to be the final frontier. Why not think big?杏吧专区