None of these problems is more important than that of supporting human life in space. Long-duration human exploration missions will require life support capabilities beyond those now available. A solution is to develop technologies that integrate physical and chemical processes into a dynamic, recycling life support system. Plants and humans will provide the interdependent biological processes of a life support system. Studying plants in space will acquire the scientific information necessary for development of such a system.
Plants are also important to water regeneration.
To achieve a controlled life support system, ground-based research in growth chamber facilities will be conducted as well as plant investigations in the microgravity environment of space flight. The discoveries made, lessons learned, and technologies developed from these investigations will benefit those of us on planet Earth as we unlock and utilize gravity's mysteries to enhance our journey beyond Earth's boundaries.