Plants are an important component for space-based and extraterrestrial life support systems.
Just as they do on Earth, plants in a regenerative life support system can take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and produce breathable oxygen through a process called photosynthesis. Through another process, called evapotranspiration, plants can produce clean, potable water. Of course, plants are also a source of food. Before plants can deliver these essentials, however, NASA must learn how to grow plants in space, and how to incorporate them and other biological components into life support system research facilities, here on Earth.