Gravi-2 Continues The Research Of Its Predecessor Into How Sensitive Plants Are To Gravity.

The Dragon space ferry that arrived at the International Space Station last week carried a cargo of lentil seeds that will be nurtured into life on the International Space Station. The seeds will be subjected to different levels of simulated gravity. Spinning them in centrifuges at different speeds on the Space Station will recreate gravity, similar to how astronauts and fighter pilots are subjected to high-forces in human centrifuges.

The goal is to see at what gravity level the seedlings begin to show growth differences. Kept spinning for 30 hours at four different centrifuge speeds, the seedlings will be observed as they grow.

Anyone with plants at home knows that keeping a plant happy requires the right environment. The lentils need to survive a launch and grow in microgravity before they are chemically fixed to undergo detailed lab analysis on their return to researchers on the ground.

Once aboard the Space Station, the plants will be grown in ESA’s space greenhouse and time-lapse photography will show how the roots curve towards the ‘downwards’ force. The earlier Gravi-1 experiment showed that plants sense where ‘down’ is at very low gravity levels but the mechanisms are not well known 

This kind of experiment is also important for missions to faraway planets where astronauts will rely on plants for food, oxygen and waste recycling. Establishing a human outpost on Mars will require a certain amount of self-sufficiency and growing plants for consumption is essential.

(Image provided by NASA. Dragon space ferry arriving at International Space Station)

FMI: www.esa.int