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Related Experiment Videos

Potato tuber formation in the spaceflight environment.

C S Brown1, T W Tibbitts, J G Croxdale

  • 1Dynamac Corporation, Durham, NC 27713, USA.

Life Support & Biosphere Science : International Journal of Earth Space
|January 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Potato leaf cuttings grown in space on STS-73 produced tubers similar to ground controls. This research is vital for developing bioregenerative life support systems for long-term space exploration.

Area of Science:

  • Space Biology
  • Plant Science
  • Astrobiology

Background:

  • Preflight studies characterized potato tuber growth, carbohydrate content, and starch grain development.
  • Ground controls showed tubers reaching 1.4 g fresh weight in 13 days, with mass correlated to diameter.
  • Tuber dry mass was over 60% starch, with grain sizes ranging from 2 to 40 micrometers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the viability of growing potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers in microgravity.
  • To evaluate potato cultivation for potential use in bioregenerative life support systems for space missions.

Main Methods:

  • Five potato leaf cuttings were cultivated in ASTROCULTURE(TM) flight hardware aboard STS-73.
  • Controlled environmental conditions: 22°C, 81% RH, 12-h photoperiod (red/blue LEDs), and CO2 regulation.
Keywords:
NASA Center KSCNon-NASA Center

Related Experiment Videos

  • Plant vitality was monitored via video downlinking and CO2 exchange data; post-flight analysis compared space-grown to ground control tubers.

    • Main Results:

    • Potato plants showed vitality for the first 12 days, followed by leaf senescence.
    • Four of five space-grown cuttings successfully produced tubers.
    • Space-grown tubers were similar in appearance and dimensions to ground control tubers.

    Conclusions:

    • Potato cultivation in space is feasible, producing tubers comparable to terrestrial growth.
    • This finding supports the use of potatoes in bioregenerative life support systems for future long-duration space exploration.
    • Further research into optimizing space-based agriculture is warranted.