ISRO's CROPS module successfully germinated lobia seeds, which were sent to space on December 30. Space plants are crucial for long-term human space missions, providing a sustainable food source and essential nutrients. Challenges include microgravity, radiation, temperature fluctuations, and lack of light. Ideal plants include leafy greens, beans, peas, root vegetables, wheat, rice, and fruits.
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Picture Courtesy: NASA.GOV
ISRO's Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies (CROPS) successfully germinated lobia seeds, which were sent to space on December 30.
Growing plants in space is important for supporting long-term human space missions, especially when launching to distant celestial bodies like Mars and the Moon.
Plants serve as a sustainable food source, which offers fresh produce and essential nutrients that astronauts need for survival.
Unlike multivitamins, which degrade over time, plants maintain their nutritional value.
Plants play a vital role in recycling carbon dioxide into oxygen during photosynthesis, making the spacecraft’s environment breathable. This creates a closed-loop life support system, which is essential for long-term space missions.
The biggest challenge in growing plants in space is microgravity, which makes it difficult for plants' roots to grow downward.
Without gravity, water and nutrients struggle to reach the roots effectively. Water tends to cling to surfaces, making it difficult for plants to absorb it in the required amount.
Space plants need protection from high radiation levels, which can damage their DNA, and from temperature fluctuations that can vary by hundreds of degrees.
The lack of sufficient light, particularly beyond the inner Solar System, further complicates matters as plants require sunlight to perform photosynthesis. Without it, plants begin consuming more oxygen than they produce, which can be harmful in a closed environment.
Plants in space are grown using methods that do not depend on soil, such as hydroponics and aeroponics.
Hydroponics involves growing plants with water and nutrient solutions instead of soil, which allows the plants to grow in a weightless environment.
Aeroponics eliminates the need for any growing medium, delivering nutrients directly to the plant roots through a mist or vapour. This method not only saves water and reduces the need for fertilizers but also helps the plants absorb more minerals and vitamins.
Plants can be grown in soil-like media that provides some structure and support, although it requires precise control of water and nutrient delivery.
ISRO’s experiment with growing lobia (black-eyed pea) seeds in space used a system called the Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies (CROPS). The module functioned as a mini greenhouse, equipped with a soil-like medium, water, sunlight-mimicking LEDs, and controlled temperature and atmospheric conditions.
The medium used was a highly porous clay with slow-release fertilizers to provide nutrients gradually. For photosynthesis, ISRO employed warm and cool LEDs, simulating day and night cycles.
The temperature inside the module was carefully regulated, ranging from 20°C to 30°C, and an electric valve controlled water injection.
The seeds sprouted just four days after being placed in space, and within five days, two leaves were visible.
Ideal plants for space farming are those that grow quickly, require minimal space, and are nutritionally dense.
Leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, and kale are perfect candidates because they grow fast and provide essential nutrients.
Beans and peas are also well-suited for space because they are protein-rich and improve the nutrient cycle by fixing nitrogen in the growing medium.
Root vegetables like radishes and carrots are good options as they are compact and easy to grow in a limited space.
For long-term sustenance, wheat and rice are cultivated due to their ability to provide staple food sources. Fruits such as tomatoes and strawberries can also be grown to provide a diverse diet for astronauts.
In space, microgravity presents a challenge, as plants struggle to grow their roots downward. To address this, ISRO's CROPS module mimicked Earth-like conditions with a gravity level of around 0.01 g (1% of Earth's gravity).
The small gravity, combined with a carefully controlled environment, allowed the lobia plants to grow, even in space.
By mimicking Earth’s conditions, ISRO ensured that the plants could access the water and nutrients needed for their development, indicating that plants can grow in space despite the absence of conventional gravity.
Lobia seeds were successfully grown by ISRO in space, which highlights the potential for producing food for astronauts on extended missions and proving that plants can grow in regulated environments. This achievement ensures the sustainability of space missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, where resupplying food from Earth will be difficult. With further advancements in space farming techniques, space agriculture has the potential to play an important role in humanity's future space exploration and beyond.
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PRACTICE QUESTION Q.Discuss the role of hydroponics in growing plants on spacecraft and its advantages over traditional soil-based methods. 150 words |
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