Australian researchers are conducting tests to find if an aquatic plant abundant on Earth will grow in space.
Researchers from the Plants for Space program sent a sample of duckweed into space recently as part of an investigation into its potential for use as food, material or medicine.
The experiment was designed to test what impacts changes in gravity, including seven minutes of microgravity, would have on duckweed.
“This is all about trying to understand how we can use plants to support long-term human exploration in space,” Plants for Space chief investigator Jenny Mortimer said.
Duckweed naturally occurs in still water. (ABC News: Sara Tomevska)
What is duckweed?
Duckweed is a group of species of small flowering plants that divide and grow quickly on top of water.
SA State Herbarium chief botanist Michelle Waycott said it grew on lakes, ponds and at the edge of rivers.
“There are various cultures around the world that use it for food,” she said.
Jenny Mortimer and Sebastian Feles preparing the samples. (Supplied: Jenny Mortimer)
Professor Mortimer said wild duckweed was not safe to eat, but the protein and nutrient-rich plant could be grown indoors under controlled conditions.
“You can basically stack it in shelving systems,” she said.
“You can massively increase the amount of production you have, but but we have no idea how it’s going to respond to being in a space environment.”
The duckweed samples that were sent to space. (Supplied: Associate Professor Jenny Mortimer)
Future food source?
The MiniWeed experiment was a collaboration between the University of Adelaide, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and Melbourne’s LaTrobe University.
It was among 21 scientific experiments sent into space on a single rocket.
Plants for Space is a seven-year fundamental research program that launched in January with funding from the Australia Research Centre.
The rocket carried 21 experiments into space. (Supplied: Jenny Mortimer)
Professor Mortimer said the program would have implications for people dealing with the changing climate on Earth.
“Working in space and trying to feed people is like working in the most remote-controlled environment you’ve ever come across,” she said.
“You have to be ultra-sustainable and ultra-considerate of everything that you’re using.
“We see it as a really great way for inspiring new ways for sustainable growth here on Earth.”
Sebastian Feles loads the MiniWeed experiment ahead of blast-off. (Supplied: Jenny Mortimer)
Shooting for the Moon
Professor Mortimer said about 10 tonnes of food would be required to get people to Mars and back.
She said food would pose a “huge challenge” to anyone on a long mission to the Red Planet.
The module that contained the duckweed samples. (Supplied: Jenny Mortimer)
“We’re almost domesticating new crops for the indoor environment,” she said, adding that more testing further afield was already being planned.
“We’re going to put plants on the Moon.
“We’re going to germinate these plants, including my duckweed, then the astronaut – hopefully, if all goes well – will bring those samples back.”
Professor Waycott said duckweed could be cultivated to better suit it for growing in space.
“It’s very amenable to the kind of culturing that they would need to do to grow it in space, or growing lines that have particular production characteristics,” she said.
