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Growing super-dwarf wheat in Svet on Mir
F B Salisbury1, G E Bingham, W F Campbell
1Utah State University, Plants, Soils, & Biometeorology Department, Logan 84322-4820, USA.
Life Support & Biosphere Science : International Journal of Earth Space
|July 1, 1995
Summary
Wheat will be grown in space on the Russian Space Station Mir to test plant growth systems. Experiments will assess plant health and environmental conditions for future space agriculture.
Area of Science:
- Space Biology
- Plant Science
- Microgravity Research
Background:
- The Svet plant growth chamber on the Russian Space Station Mir will be used.
- Cooperation with Russian colleagues is established for the experiments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct three experiments with a super-dwarf wheat cultivar in microgravity.
- To test the root module and other instruments for plant growth.
- To analyze plant health and chemical composition after space growth.
Main Methods:
- Wheat plants will be grown in the Svet chamber on Mir.
- Instrumentation will monitor CO2, water vapor, temperature, and irradiance.
- Plants will be photographed, sampled, and chemically fixed at intervals.
Main Results:
- The primary objective is to eliminate plant environmental stresses for vigorous growth.
- Ground-based experiments are being conducted in Moscow and Utah to refine techniques.
- Data on plant response to microgravity and controlled environments will be collected.
Conclusions:
- Successful plant cultivation in microgravity is crucial for long-duration space missions.
- The experiments will provide valuable data for optimizing plant growth systems in space.
- This research supports the development of sustainable agriculture for astronauts.