Washington: A small garden is being built on the space station, which is floating hundreds of kilometers above the Earth in zero gravity.
Astronauts are successfully growing plants on the International Space Station, and European astronaut Sophie Adenot has shared a fascinating timelapse video of this mini garden on social media.
She has revealed the secret of the strange pink and purple light coming out of the space station’s ‘Columbus’ laboratory.
What is Veggie technology? What is the secret of the pink light?
The special vegetable production system developed by NASA to grow plants in space has been named ‘Veggie’.
Artificial sun: There is no natural sunlight and soil in space like on Earth. Therefore, LED lights are used that emit a specific wavelength of light suitable for the photosynthesis process of plants and their growth. For this reason, this space chamber always glows in a wonderful purple-pink color.
The ‘Vege-06’ experiment to grow ‘alfalfa’ plants in space has been carried out as part of the ongoing ‘Expedition 74’ mission.
To understand how plants and bacteria work together in a place without gravity to absorb nitrogen from the air and convert it into nutrients needed by plants.
Lignin study: To research how the substance ‘lignin’, which helps plants stand upright and strong on Earth, changes in the zero gravity of space.
Astronauts have regularly watered and cared for these plants and successfully harvested them. The roots and leaves of these plants were stored in a special freezer and were recently sent to Earth by the ‘SpaceX Dragon’ spacecraft for further research.
This is our home in space: astronaut’s emotional words
Sophie Adenot says that caring for plants in space is not just science, it is an emotional experience. For us, who are mechanically distant from the world, this small garden reminds us of our home on Earth and the aroma of its soil. There is a special comfort in watching the plants grow day by day, she said.
Why is this important for future Mars missions?
Global space agencies are preparing to send humans on long-term trips to the Moon and Mars in the near future. It is impossible to carry packaged food from Earth on such a long journey.
Thus, growing fresh vegetables and food in space is essential not only for the nutrition of astronauts, but also for their mental health. Also, the research conducted here will also help in the improvement of afforestation and agriculture on Earth.