The Human Element of Growing Plants in the Unlikeliest of Places

Kurzfassung

From the International Space Station and Antarctica to future Mars missions, plant growth facilities supply isolated crews in extreme situations with fresh fruits and vegetables. At the same time, the innovative designs and lessons learned from this research are being used to address real-world problems such as climate change, foodborne illnesses, and food deserts and insecurity. What does it take to grow fresh food in the most challenging environments on and off our planet? What is this teaching us about the deep relationship we as humans have with plants? Astrobotanist Jess Bunchek shares first-hand experience from her time at NASA, overwintering at Neumayer Station III (Antarctica), and ongoing work at the University of Bremen.