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International Space Station could grow beans in 2021
Why is it in news?
- According to new research, after cultivating lettuce in space three years ago, crew members aboard the International Space Station could be growing beans in 2021.
- The beans could be planted in high-tech planters developed at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
More in news
- The planters can regulate all the water, nutrients, gas and air the plants need.
- NTNU was collaborating with Italian and French researchers to cultivate plant-based food for long space journeys.
- The food grown in space could be crucial to sustain the crew in future deep space missions.
- The longest stays at the International Space Station have been six months, while people travelling to Mars will need to be prepared to stay in space for at least a year.
- Lunar base: The European Space Agency plans to build a lunar base in 2030 as a stopover on the way to Mars.
- NASA plans to fly directly to the planet with a target landing date of 2030.
- Effect of gravity:
- The next step is to grow beans in space to observe the effect of no gravity on plants’ ability to transport water and absorb nutrients.
- Simulating the absence of gravity cannot be done on Earth.
- The beans would be placed in a centrifuge to sprout and grow in the space station.
- The centrifuge would be rotated to create different amounts of gravity.
Source
The Hindu