Growing the Future: Plants in Space
The information in this video was accurate as of the original publication date.
Audience: Educators and StudentsGrades: K-12
From the mid-deck of space shuttle Endeavor, STS-118 mission crew members Barbara Morgan, Dave Williams of the Canadian Space Agency, and Al Drew explain why they have taken basil seeds into space. They explain that NASA wants to know how to feed explorers on long-duration flights to the moon, Mars and beyond. To help NASA, the astronauts invite students to participate in the plant growth chamber experiment. In the U.S. lab in the International Space Station, Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson prepares EPO Kit C (Educational Payload Operations Kit C Plant Growth Chambers) for a 20-day plant growth experiment. Viewers observe how the tiny plants grew before they were returned to Earth on shuttle mission STS-120.
Growing the Future: Plants in Space
Duration: 3 minutes 11 seconds
> View QuickTime [15 MB]
Photo Gallery: Growing Plants in an Extreme Environment
NASA Engineering Design Challenge: Lunar Plant Growth Chamber Web site