What is astrobotany? In short, it is the study of plants in space. Room botany. Houseplants. An astrobotanist may study how plants can be grown in space and on other planets (sometimes referred to asastroculture), or they can look for evidence that alien plants grow on exoplanets (planets in other solar systems).
Soviet astronomer Gavriil Adrianovich Tikhov (1875 – 1960) was the first person to use the termastronomy,i 1945.On Earth, the pigments that plants use for photosynthesis (such as chlorophyll) reflect red light (700-750 nm). Tikhov's idea was that if we could detect and analyze the starlight reflected from other planets (called planetshine or planetlight, isn't it wonderful?) then a peak in the spectrum would emerge at 700-750 nm (known as the 'red vegetation edge'). ) would indicate green vegetation on the Earth's surface. Craters on the moon and Mars and an asteroid are named in his honor.
Modern astrobiology focuses on using models to predict the habitability of exoplanets and search for evidence of microbial life. But we have developed remote sensing technology that allows satellites in orbit to analyze Earth's vegetation and provide data that can be used for conservation or to help farmers grow their crops more efficiently.
Soviet rocket scientist Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky (1857 – 1935) was one of the first to talk about growing plants in space. To grow plants in the room, you obviously need to be able to spend a reasonable amount of time in the room. So although seeds were sent on early rockets and some even traveled to the moon, it wasn't until the Soviets put the first space stations into orbit that it was possible to grow plants in space.
The very first space station ever was Salyut 1, which was launched into low Earth orbit in April 1971. It was short-lived, deorbiting in October 1971 and burning up over the Pacific Ocean. But it was home to the first Oasis, a small square greenhouse, and the first attempts to grow plants in space: flax, leeks, onions and Chinese cabbage.
A later model of the Oasis greenhouse system produced the first space-grown vegetables ever eaten by humans (cosmonauts Klimuk and Sevastianov), on Salyut 4 in July 1975. But it was in the Fiton-3 experimental microgreenhouse (on Salyut 7 , in 1982). ) that the first plant flowered and produced seeds in space. It was not a crop, but the small oneArabidopsis thaliana, often used as a 'model plant' in botanical experiments.
We have had a continuous human presence on the International Space Station (ISS) for almost twenty years. It has allowed us to conduct a large number of astrorobot experiments. The one who gets the most pressure isVegetarian, where fresh salads for the astronauts are grown. (It's also used for lesser-known botanical experiments.) And while it may seem like its focus is on feeding astronauts for long-duration missions to the moon and Mars, there's a lot of basic research going on behind the scenes.
Scientists and students have had the opportunity to send seeds and plants to the ISS for all kinds of experiments. And aster robot studies continue to use satellites, sub-orbital flights, parabolic flights (on the fallow comet!) and balloons that take them to the edge of space.A plant even grew (briefly) on the moon. Scientists can trick plants into thinking they are outside the planet (or on another planet) by using centrifuges to simulate different gravitational forces. And let's not forget the pseudonauts and analog astronauts who test different ways to grow plants on Earth to find out what might work best off-world.
Astrobotanister
While they may not call themselves astrobotanists, they are among the big names in current space plant research.
They are both plant molecular biologistsSpace Plant Labat the University of Florida. Their group focuses on growing plants in space environments.
Dr. Raymond Wheeler is a plant physiologist and head of the Advanced Life Support Research activities in the Exploration Research and Technology Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
Dr. Gioia Massais the NASA Veggie Project Manager at the Kennedy Space Center.
Dr. Christina Johnson investigates the casegrowing microgreens in the room, van Kennedy Space Center.
Professor Simon Gilroy-stoelenGilroy-labat the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His group studies plant signaling on Earth and the ISS to better understand plant growth in space.
ProfessorF. Javier Medinafrom the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CSIC) in Madrid is a plant biologist. He led the series of space experiments "Seedling Growth", a collaboration between NASA and ESA. His NASA counterpart for these experiments wasDr John Z Kiss, a biology professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), who has worked with NASA for 30 years. Listen to Dr. Kiss talk about his work in episode 5 ofGardeners of the Milky Way.
dr. Wieger Wamelinkworks at Wageningen University and works on growing plants in simulated lunar and Martian soil. I haveblogabout his work.
Is something (or someone) missing from this page? Let me know and I'll update it. In the meantime, you can read myastrobotanie blogpostor check outastrobotany timeline.
