In what direction do plants grow on the International Space Station?
On the ground, the leaves turn towards the sky in search of light and the roots sink into the ground thanks to gravity. But what happens in the absence of gravity and light on the International Space Station (ISS)?
On the International Space Station, plants grow in all directions! On Earth, plant growth is regulated by certain hormones such as auxin. When a plant is exposed to Earth’s gravity, if the root begins to grow upwards, the auxin will be concentrated at the bottom of it by gravity, causing it to tilt downward. But in the absence of gravity and light, the mechanisms of the plant are completely disrupted. To overcome these problems and grow a plant in space, a ‘growth chamber’ is used that provides control over light, temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide.Ray Wheeler, a plant physiologist at NASA, explains. Light helps control plant growth in the right directions, but lack of gravity is a real problem. “Watering roots in zero gravity is a real challenge because there is no gravity drainage wet, then they end up rotting, The world continues. So we use porous tubes in which we enter the water that will flow by capillaries towards the surrounding soil. ” Between 2014 and 2016, astronauts grew in power over the International Space Station. After analysis on the ground, it turned out that they are as edible and nutritious as the ones that grow in our fields!
>> Read also: How to grow plants in space?
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