Crop Productivity ARS is cooperating with NASA on a five-year research project involving plant growth in zero gravity. NASA wants to grow produce on space shuttle flights as a source of food for the astronauts and to provide an extra source of oxygen. The problem is getting plants to grow in low-gravity environments.
Gravity affects calcium balance in plants and people.
In humans, it can damage bones, and in plants, it may interfere with root development. ARS scientists will be using a clinostat to test how plants adapt to weightlessness. A clinostat rotates the plant slowly so the net gravity effect is close to zero. ARS scientists will be cooperating with other researchers at the Kennedy Space Center and several universities. The project is in its earliest stages with experiments being designed and coordinated between agencies.