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NASA’s Plant Science is Rooted in Earth and Shoots for the Stars
Space Experiments, Space Biology
May 11, 2023
NASA supports USDA plant science research that benefits life on our home planet and beyond!
This image shows a teal and yellow sign that says “Biotechnology Lab In cooperation with USDA Agricultural Research Service.” To the right of the sign are several potted plants, and behind it are windows that give a glimpse into the inside of the lab. This includes two illuminated white squares stacked one over the other, which are plant growing chambers developed by NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division at Kennedy Space Center.
Sowing the Seeds of Future Space Travel
Space Experiments, Space Biology
Dec 7, 2022
After 908 days in low Earth orbit, a small package on board the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-6 has come home to the delight of some biological scientists. Soon they will open an aluminum alloy container that holds samples of plant seeds that they hope can be used to sustain astronauts on long... Read More
): One single image is divided into four parts: A shows a Mizuna seed as a tan-colored, smooth-textured, irregularly shaped sphere. B shows a two-leafed small green Mizuna seedling emerging from the white “window” of a black seed “pillow” aboard the Space Station. C shows a row of healthy Mizuna plants in pots with irrigation hoses in a ground environmental chamber. D shows multiple Mizuna plants growing in the Veggie unit on the Space Station. The Veggie unit displays multiple seed pillows and the unit is
Three Experiments Heading to Space Station Aim to Support Deep-Space Missions
Space Experiments, Space Biology
Nov 17, 2022
Research on dwarf tomatoes, gut bacterium, and amorphous metals could help astronauts go farther, stay longer in space
Small red tomatoes growing under a flat metallic fixture that’s bathing the fruiting plants in blue and red lights, creating a purple hue. The plants are growing out of a red-framed open-box enclosure. Within the enclosure are black-padded pots made of a strong-water resistant flexible material called a flight pillow. This flight pillow encloses the base of the plants with a flat, white material.
Surviving Space: Extreme Plant Adaptation
Space Experiments, Space Biology
Oct 28, 2022
Which plants have the best chances for survival in space? That’s the question being addressed by Principal Investigators Anna-Lisa Paul and Robert Ferl in the Epigenetic Adaptation to the Spaceflight Environment – Accumulated Genomic Change Induced by Generations in Space (Plant Habitat-03)... Read More
Small green Arabidopsis plants germinating on the base of the Advanced Plant Habitat growth chamber. This is a large box with walls on each side except for the front, which has a large opening. Within the opening, there are LED lights are at the top, air vents on the sides, and a combination of small sensors with cameras.
NASA Selects 7 Space Biology Plant Studies to Help Enable Explorers to Boldly Grow Where No One Has Grown Before
Space Experiments, Space Biology
Oct 19, 2022
NASA announces the award of 7 grants or cooperative agreements for exciting new space biology research that will advance NASA’s understanding of how plants respond, acclimate and adapt to the space environment in support of human space exploration. 
NASA Selects 12 Space Biology Research Studies
Space Experiments, Space Biology
Oct 14, 2022
NASA announces the award of 12 grants or cooperative agreements for exciting new space biology research that will advance NASA’s understanding of how vertebrate and invertebrate model organisms respond, acclimate, and adapt to the space environment in support of human space exploration. ... Read More
Miniature Avatars Take on NASA’s Biggest Challenge
Space Experiments, Space Biology
Oct 13, 2022
Science fiction or reality? Before traveling to Mars, NASA needs to learn how spaceflight is going to affect the astronauts on this demanding journey – and now they can thanks to miniature avatars.
In the upper right-hand side, an astronaut’s gloved hand reaches out towards a transparent credit-card sized device being held and passed on by a hand in the lower right-hand corner. Within the transparent device, there’s a network of red lines and small boxes on the right. On the left, there are small green and yellow boxes and lines.
How do Dangerous Blood Clots Form in Space? New Insights from a Valve Model May Provide Information to Protect Astronauts
Space Experiments, Space Biology
Aug 2, 2022
Determining how blood-flow patterns near valves in the veins affect the movement of red blood cells may identify ways to prevent blood clots in astronauts.
Photo of a man and woman in lab coats working at a computer and microscope
How do You Harvest Microgreens in Microgravity?
Space Experiments, Space Biology
May 17, 2022
Harvesting and containment technologies for microgreens may allow astronauts to add these delicious, nutritious crops to their space diet.
4 Agencies Select 8 Research Projects to Extend Longevity of 3D Tissue Chips to 6 Months
Space Experiments, Space Biology
Mar 1, 2022
NASA, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announce the award of 8 contracts in a multi-agency collaboration that will extend tissue viability and... Read More
Three Experiments That Just Might Change Your Life.
Space Experiments, Space Biology, Physical Sciences
Feb 16, 2022
When Northrop Grumman’s 17th Commercial Resupply Mission to the International Space Station launches in mid-February, it will carry three investigations of particular interest to NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division.  “It’s not often we get the opportunity to launch experiments with... Read More
Two rows atop one another with the top row showing a blue crescent growing larger into a bright orange ball in six stages, and the bottom row showing the reverse – a large glowing orange orb fades into a very thin blue crescent also in six stages.
Preparing to Take Flight
Space Experiments, Space Biology
Feb 11, 2022
NASA’s STAR Program Equips Researchers to Conduct Experiments in Space Biosciences
A collage of people
'Chipping’ Away at Personalized Medicine
Space Experiments, Space Biology
Oct 25, 2021
Multi-Agency Research Initiative Could Lead to Improved Medical Treatments and Support Deep-Space Exploration
Photograph of a hand holding a colorized chip being handed to a gloved hand.
NASA Selects Three Space Biology Proposals to Prepare for Future Research on the Surface of the Moon
Space Experiments, Space Biology
Sep 10, 2021
The measurement of the effects of space-relevant stresses on organisms, and fundamental research into the underlying mechanisms of those effects, are core components of NASA's Space Biology Program. These stresses include galactic cosmic radiation (GCR), solar particle events (SPEs), and reduced... Read More