Space-based Agriculture

Space-based agricultureis gaining and becoming a subject of serious consideration as a potential industry. For many years,NASAand other space agencies have been focusing on agriculture in space. This is driven by the need for sustainable food sources during extended space missions, such as trips to Mars, where astronauts would need to grow their food on board. Experimentation with various crops in low-gravity conditions has been a regular part of research conducted on the International Space Station. NASA's success ingrowing tomatoeson the ISS and research intoMartian crop cultivationexemplify these advances.