Space salad
18 Feb 2019 by Evoluted New Media
Researchers are developing self-contained planters with the aim of growing beans in space in 2021. The planters, developed by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), regulate water, nutrients, gas and air. The plan is to observe the effect of no gravity on plants’ ability to transport water and absorb nutrients. They’ve already grown space lettuce, in artificial soil made from lava rock and the goal is for plants to grow directly in water supplemented by plant nutrients. Last month, a cotton seedling sprouted on board China’s lunar probe on the dark side of the moon; it promptly died around 24 hours later.
