{"id":8629,"date":"2019-10-02T09:51:58","date_gmt":"2019-10-02T13:51:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=8629"},"modified":"2026-07-29T17:53:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T21:53:56","slug":"one-giant-leaf-for-mankind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/2019\/10\/one-giant-leaf-for-mankind\/","title":{"rendered":"One Giant Leaf for Mankind"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

With plans to establish a permanent base on the moon\u2019s surface in the next decade or so, NASA is one step closer to sending humans to Mars. But a mission to the red planet will likely take years to complete, begging the question: What will astronauts eat during their interplanetary voyage? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer: Vegetables, according to Joseph Taylor, a fourth-year student majoring in environmental sciences in the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taylor recently interned at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. As one of nine students selected to assist the agency’s food production team, Taylor helped identify candidate crops for missions to the moon and Mars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI propagated potential food crop candidates and evaluated their growth while also monitoring other related ongoing experiments,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cMore specifically, I helped set up growth chambers, prepare growth media and nutrients, perform daily checks on experiments and collect relevant data. I also did the occasional taste test.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gardening in Space<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Today’s astronauts maintain healthy, balanced diets by eating freeze-dried prepackaged meals. But the meals are weighty and would take up too much room on an interplanetary spacecraft. They also lose nutritional value over time, leaving astronauts vulnerable to vitamin deficiencies and other health issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeds, on the other hand, are much more compact. That’s why scientists at Kennedy Space Center are experimenting with how to grow plants and vegetables<\/a> in simulated space environments. It’s a task that comes with many challenges, the most obvious of which is the lack of gravity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because plants are highly responsive to Earth\u2019s gravity, their stems grow upward towards the sun while their roots grow downward into the soil. Some plants, however, have been shown to retain their Earthly orientation and grow away from light when sprouting in microgravity aboard the International Space Station. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
Joseph Taylor replenishes nutrient solution in a passive irrigation system for Red Robin tomatoes. These systems allow astronauts to grow vegetables in space without soil by using porous ceramic tubes instead. Photo provided<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Water also behaves differently in microgravity. Instead of flowing like it does on Earth, water clumps together like a blob and sticks to surfaces. This effect causes water to coat and drown the roots of plants.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To solve these challenges, NASA is working to develop automated systems that can safely and sustainably provide water and other essential resources to plants aboard spacecraft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAstronauts are very busy, and we don\u2019t want them hand watering everything,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cThat\u2019s what they do now on the International Space Station. All of the plants are watered individually and it takes a lot of time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding a Way <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During his internship at NASA, Taylor’s typical schedule included filling out log books on each experiment and recording variables such as temperature, carbon dioxide and humidity levels. He also attended weekly \u201clunch and learn\u201d sessions to hear about past and current research initiatives at Kennedy Space Center.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taylor said the internship was \u201cvery eye-opening,\u201d providing him with plenty of hands-on research experience and professional connections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taylor added that his decision to apply for the internship was largely driven by his passion for space exploration and his dream of someday working at NASA, both of which were inspired by the Curiosity rover\u2019s landing on Mars in 2012<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been interested in space,\u201d he said. \u201cBut after watching the Curiosity rover landing, I started to really think about it as a potential career.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
During his internship at NASA, Joseph Taylor grew a variety of different plants to compare their ability to grow in environments similar to that of the space station. Photo provided <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Upon enrolling at NC State in 2015, Taylor joined the university\u2019s High-Powered Rocketry Club<\/a>. The group gives undergraduate students the opportunity to research, design, construct, test and launch industry-standard rockets. Every year, the group competes in the NASA Student Launch Challenge<\/a> at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile I didn’t end up pursuing a career in aerospace engineering, I wouldn’t be where I am today without the High-Powered Rocketry Club,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cThrough the club, I made valuable connections to NASA employees and learned important skills such as 3D modeling and rapid prototyping and fabrication of designs. I wouldn’t have gotten the internship at NASA without this club.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following graduation in December 2019, Taylor said he hopes to return to NASA for another internship and then pursue a graduate degree at NC State. <\/p>\n\n\n