Stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) since June due to issues with her Boeing Starliner spacecraft, Indian American astronaut Sunita Williams has started working on a groundbreaking project exploring the possibilities of plant growth in microgravity.
Her experiment promises to benefit the upcoming long space missions as well as Earth-based agriculture, according to US space agency NASA. Williams has begun cultivating “outrageous” romaine lettuce under different water conditions to evaluate the growth pattern of the vegetable and assess its nutritional value in microgravity environment.
Williams started the experiments — Plant Habitat-07 project — to battle health issues due to spending a long period in microgravity. She has been analysing how varying water levels can impact the growth of plants.
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Besides space missions, this experiment may also help find sustainable agricultural solutions for some water-scarce regions on Earth where traditional farming is challenging. If successful, this project may pave the way for food production in space under any water levels and microgravity.
Expedition 72 Commander Williams and her fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore took baseline water samples for this study from the distribution reservoir of the Advanced Plant Habitat. Additionally, they set up the Plant Habitat-07 science carrier, which could be used as a breeding chamber for lettuce.
Their objective is to ensure that astronauts have complete access to fresh food during space missions and to reduce reliance on expensive resupply missions.
When Williams and Wilmore began their journey on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5, the mission was slated to last just eight days. The duo, however, were left stranded at the ISS due to some technical issues in their spacecraft.
Williams will continue her experiment till February 2025 before returning to Earth on the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
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Meanwhile, NASA shared a Nov 15 picture of Williams checking out the Astrobee robotic free-flyer in the Kibo laboratory module outfitted with tentacle-like arms containing gecko-like adhesive pads to demonstrate satellite capture techniques. Development of this robotic technology may increase the life span of satellites and enable the removal of space debris, according to NASA.
Astrobee robots help astronauts reduce time they spend on routine duties, leaving them to focus more on the things that only humans can do. Working autonomously or via remote control by astronauts, flight controllers or researchers on the ground, the robots are designed to complete tasks such as taking inventory, documenting experiments conducted by astronauts with their built-in cameras or working together to move cargo throughout the station.
In addition, the system serves as a research platform that can be outfitted and programmed to carry out experiments in microgravity – helping to learn more about how robotics can benefit astronauts in space.