LED plant lights enter the International Space Station

On February 7, foreign media reported that NASA brought LED plant lights into the International Space Station to experimentally grow high-yield and fresh vegetables in space.

It is known that research on edible agricultural products during spaceflight is currently limited, and there is a lack of knowledge regarding the cultivation of safe, acceptable, and nutritious crops in microgravity environments. And the Veggie vegetable production system on the International Space Station provides research opportunities for developing ready-to-eat fresh vegetables for the station.

In this study, during spaceflight, salad plants were grown in the Veggie system, with a focus on the impact of Light quality and fertilizer formulations on crop morphology, edible biomass yield, microbial food safety, sensory acceptability, nutritional value, etc.

The research project is divided into two phases. The first phase will involve growing crops suitable for this study, Japanese Mizuna mustard, over 28 and 56 days respectively. The second phase focuses on the growth and cultivation of dwarf tomatoes.

On the International Space Station, the study will test different ratios of red and blue light for each crop. Through this experiment, it will be possible to determine the Light color, light levels, and optimal cultivation methods required to grow nutritious and high-yielding leafy greens and tomatoes in space. Each crop will be grown in vegetable rooms with two independent and distinct LED lighting conditions.

Staff will care for the plants by helping seedlings grow under LED lights, providing water, thinning the plants, and monitoring plant health and progress (by inspection and photography, with these photos transmitted down to the ground team).

After 28 days of cultivation, the Mizuna plants are ready for harvest. Some leaves will be wrapped in foil and frozen for later use in return or analysis. The majority of the remaining leaves will be measured by staff, then disinfected. Subsequently, staff will complete a sensory evaluation of the produce grown under both lighting conditions by tasting the agricultural products and recording their quality (e.g., flavor, color, appearance, aroma, texture, taste). After the evaluation is complete, the remaining products can be consumed by astronauts.

Source: LEDinside