No matter how far we wan travel for space, food go dey important for astronauts wey dey go far places like Moon and Mars.
Before we fit plan to stay long for Moon or Mars, we must learn how to grow plants and other food sources like algae to feed our explorers.
To solve this problem, NASA and im partners dey carry out research for International Space Station to understand how space environment affect organisms wey relate to nutrition.
Several investigations wey dey inside Northrop Grumman‘s 24th commercial resupply mission for NASA dey support efforts to maintain crew diets as humanity dey venture deeper into space.
Some plants get bacteria for their roots wey fit take nitrogen from air and convert am to food wey plants fit use to grow.
NASA Veg-06 dey study alfalfa (Medicago sativa) to determine how the plant interact with this bacteria for space.
This study also dey examine the effects of reduced lignin, wey dey reinforce cell walls and help plants grow upright against gravity.
For microgravity, plants no need lignin too much, and reduced levels fit make plant parts easier to recycle, wey go help future plant generations grow.
Other forms of nutrition wey fit support crew health include spirulina (Arthorospira), one type of algae wey high for protein, B vitamins, and antioxidants.
Spirulina also get added benefit of converting carbon dioxide to oxygen, wey dey help replenish crew air supply.
While spirulina normally dey grow for water tanks, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) experiment wey dem call Space Surface Spirulina dey test method to grow the algae on thin-film surface.
This method allow more efficient production of this high-protein food while dey conserve water and produce fresh oxygen for spacecraft.
ESA (European Space Agency) investigation Seed Vigour dey expose seeds from several plant species to spaceflight conditions for space station to determine if seed growth dey affected.
The research build on 2015 study wey arugula seeds spend six months for orbit.
After dem return to Earth, dem distribute the seeds to schools for United Kingdom for further study.
The data contribute to 2020 publication wey find say space-flown arugula seeds take longer to sprout and show signs of partial aging, but spaceflight no compromise seed survival or seedling development.
This new study, wey dey fly for the resupply mission, aim to determine whether these findings apply to other plant species and fit help researchers find better ways to protect crop seeds during long-duration space missions.
After the seeds return to Earth, dem go distribute am to schools across United States and Canada, where students fit plant them alongside ground controls for blind study to compare results.
Together, these studies for space station dey deepen researchers understanding of nutrition for space and inform ways to better grow and maintain food sources wey go keep crews healthy for future missions to Moon, Mars, and beyond.
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