1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:02,502 What do I do with my hands, OK? 2 00:00:02,502 --> 00:00:04,904 [UPBEAT MUSIC] Hey everyone, welcome to Snack Time with NASA. 3 00:00:04,938 --> 00:00:06,973 I'm your host, Kathleen Gaeta. 4 00:00:06,973 --> 00:00:09,542 Now, we've been exploring all the ways that NASA helps 5 00:00:09,542 --> 00:00:11,544 get some of your favorite foods onto your plate. 6 00:00:11,811 --> 00:00:15,148 And so far, all of those foods have been down here on Earth, obviously. 7 00:00:15,348 --> 00:00:16,583 But we're NASA, right? 8 00:00:16,583 --> 00:00:20,987 So while we may not be professional chefs, we do know a thing or two about space. 9 00:00:21,454 --> 00:00:24,391 That's why today we'll be learning what it takes to grow food 10 00:00:24,424 --> 00:00:28,161 two hundred miles above our heads onboard the International Space Station. 11 00:00:28,561 --> 00:00:29,529 And later, we'll hear 12 00:00:29,529 --> 00:00:33,333 how the space station helps us monitor the health of plants down here on Earth. 13 00:00:33,633 --> 00:00:34,734 So let's get into it. 14 00:00:34,734 --> 00:00:37,303 As you can see, I have a nice haul of greens right in front of me. 15 00:00:37,470 --> 00:00:41,041 Some romaine lettuce, some bok choy, radishes, micro greens. 16 00:00:41,541 --> 00:00:44,210 Now, I got all these ingredients for my local grocery store. 17 00:00:44,344 --> 00:00:47,547 But actually, every single one of these plants is grown onboard the ISS. 18 00:00:48,014 --> 00:00:51,785 And here to help explain how that happens is Matt Romeyn, Project Scientist 19 00:00:51,785 --> 00:00:54,721 at the Kennedy Space Center. Matt, thank you so much for being here. 20 00:00:54,721 --> 00:00:58,258 How's it going? Matt: Oh it's going good, glad to be here Kathleen. 21 00:00:58,391 --> 00:01:01,161 Kathleen: So you sent me a list of vegetables that you work with, 22 00:01:01,161 --> 00:01:03,329 and I'm wondering how you go about choosing 23 00:01:03,329 --> 00:01:06,199 which foods to grow up in space? 24 00:01:06,199 --> 00:01:10,370 Matt: We have to do a lot of crop screening. We're able to screen these crops and test them at our growth chambers 25 00:01:10,370 --> 00:01:13,039 at Kennedy Space Center that are able to replicate the environmental conditions 26 00:01:13,039 --> 00:01:15,875 on the International Space Station, except for microgravity. 27 00:01:18,211 --> 00:01:20,713 We're looking for how productive they grow, growth for compact 28 00:01:20,713 --> 00:01:24,751 morphologies and crops that are nutritious and flavorful. 29 00:01:24,751 --> 00:01:27,720 Kathleen: OK, I have to ask, have you ever grown potatoes in space? 30 00:01:29,322 --> 00:01:33,493 Matt: Well, we've been growing crops recently on ISIS - last five years or so. 31 00:01:33,693 --> 00:01:36,830 We haven't had potatoes recently, but in the past we've done them 32 00:01:36,830 --> 00:01:37,931 on the shuttle program 33 00:01:37,931 --> 00:01:40,400 and we have grown them extensively on the ground at Kennedy Space Center. 34 00:01:41,201 --> 00:01:44,804 Kathleen: I will eat a space potato in my lifetime, I promise you that. 35 00:01:45,105 --> 00:01:48,541 Anyways, so you suggested I pick up some bok choy and mustard 36 00:01:48,541 --> 00:01:51,811 greens, and I can't say those are typical salad ingredients for myself. 37 00:01:51,945 --> 00:01:54,247 Matt: The bok choy is interesting because the crew recently 38 00:01:54,247 --> 00:01:57,550 grew and got to eat that on the ISS and they really enjoyed it. 39 00:01:58,051 --> 00:02:00,420 They actually found a way to cook it, using their food warmer 40 00:02:00,887 --> 00:02:04,557 and combining some garlic paste, soy sauce, and bit of olive oil. 41 00:02:05,492 --> 00:02:08,995 The mustard greens are great because they have a lot of strong flavors. 42 00:02:09,295 --> 00:02:12,332 And when you're an astronaut on the ISS, with the microgravity, 43 00:02:12,332 --> 00:02:14,234 you have a diminished sense of taste and smell. 44 00:02:14,234 --> 00:02:16,970 So they like those bolder flavors that kind of punch through there. 45 00:02:18,004 --> 00:02:19,672 Kathleen: Wow. I did not know that. 46 00:02:19,672 --> 00:02:24,410 And now, do you also grow the same plants that you're growing in space down at KSC? 47 00:02:24,577 --> 00:02:28,081 Matt: Yeah, well, we're growing plants in space on ISS, we also have ground controls 48 00:02:28,081 --> 00:02:29,215 at KSC that 49 00:02:29,215 --> 00:02:32,852 replicate the exact conditions on the ISS - the temperature, humidity, the CO2 50 00:02:32,852 --> 00:02:37,824 levels, we can control for everything but the microgravity element. 51 00:02:37,857 --> 00:02:40,527 Kathleen: Ok, and I assume that so that you can more closely monitor 52 00:02:40,527 --> 00:02:43,396 the difference of plants growing in space versus on Earth. 53 00:02:43,696 --> 00:02:46,933 What have you discovered in that process? 54 00:02:46,933 --> 00:02:49,702 Matt: Well, we find that plants, for the most part, grow similar in space as on Earth. 55 00:02:50,103 --> 00:02:52,272 A big variable is the water. 56 00:02:52,272 --> 00:02:56,309 There's a lack of convective flow in space, and that makes water very 57 00:02:56,309 --> 00:02:59,913 sticky. Plants like a good mix of water and oxygen in their root zone. 58 00:02:59,913 --> 00:03:03,149 And when we have water that doesn't mix well with 59 00:03:03,149 --> 00:03:06,653 oxygen, we get a lot of swinging back and forth between 60 00:03:06,653 --> 00:03:09,422 the roots being flooded and being in a state of drought. 61 00:03:10,256 --> 00:03:12,258 We have technologies that are working on that. 62 00:03:12,258 --> 00:03:14,294 To solve that problem of microgravity. 63 00:03:14,294 --> 00:03:17,730 Luckily, when we get to Mars and the moon, those problems mostly go away. 64 00:03:18,831 --> 00:03:22,402 Kathleen: Got it. And so talk to me about this little space garden 65 00:03:22,435 --> 00:03:24,971 I keep hearing of - the VEGGIE Growth System. What is that? 66 00:03:25,104 --> 00:03:27,607 Yeah, the VEGGIE. We've got two of those on ISS, 67 00:03:27,607 --> 00:03:29,175 And it's a real simple system. 68 00:03:29,175 --> 00:03:32,111 It's about the size of a piece of carry-on luggage. 69 00:03:32,645 --> 00:03:36,149 It uses LED lighting and has six little plant pillows in there 70 00:03:36,149 --> 00:03:40,420 that are filled with growth medium, which is basically a soil substitute. 71 00:03:40,620 --> 00:03:43,323 And that's how we're able to grow and propagate the plants on the ISS. 72 00:03:45,525 --> 00:03:46,859 Kathleen: That's so interesting. 73 00:03:46,859 --> 00:03:49,762 The vision of a space garden just brings a lot of joy to me 74 00:03:49,762 --> 00:03:51,164 and I'm sure a lot of people. 75 00:03:51,164 --> 00:03:53,866 Anyway, so is there a plant that you're kind of the most excited 76 00:03:53,866 --> 00:03:55,702 about trying to grow in space? 77 00:03:55,702 --> 00:03:56,903 Matt: Definitely peppers. 78 00:03:56,903 --> 00:04:00,807 We actually just sent chili peppers to ISIS, that will be grown in the summer, 79 00:04:00,807 --> 00:04:04,310 and we're excited about peppers because they are very challenging. 80 00:04:04,410 --> 00:04:06,479 They take a long time to germinate. 81 00:04:06,512 --> 00:04:09,082 They take a long time to grow, about 120 days. 82 00:04:09,983 --> 00:04:11,985 And there's a real challenge with the flavor. 83 00:04:12,018 --> 00:04:15,021 If we were to overwater them, they taste 84 00:04:15,421 --> 00:04:18,524 like grass clippings. If we under water, 85 00:04:18,524 --> 00:04:20,660 and we stress out a lot, they're really spicy. 86 00:04:21,027 --> 00:04:24,130 So we're trying to really control to grow healthy plants 87 00:04:24,130 --> 00:04:27,533 and flavorful plants that the crew wants to eat and enjoy. 88 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,036 Kathleen: Right. And you know what they say, if you can't take the heat, 89 00:04:30,036 --> 00:04:32,272 get off the space station, right? 90 00:04:32,272 --> 00:04:34,974 Just kidding, that's my dad joke of the day! 91 00:04:35,008 --> 00:04:36,843 Well anyways, Matt I can't thank you enough for being here. 92 00:04:36,843 --> 00:04:38,678 [Bark] I learned a lot, and I hope you all did as well. 93 00:04:38,678 --> 00:04:42,348 And I can't wait to hear what you grow in space next! Matt: Thank you. 94 00:04:42,348 --> 00:04:46,819 [Bark] Kathleen: Shut your little door, Buoy 95 00:04:48,354 --> 00:04:50,156 So now that we know more about crops 96 00:04:50,156 --> 00:04:52,292 aboard the space station, what about the crops 97 00:04:52,292 --> 00:04:55,061 we study from the space station that live down here on Earth? 98 00:04:55,361 --> 00:04:58,665 And for that, Christine Lee, Applications Lead for the ECOSTRESS 99 00:04:58,665 --> 00:05:00,166 mission is here to talk to us. 100 00:05:00,166 --> 00:05:02,435 Hey, Christine, thank you for being here. 101 00:05:02,435 --> 00:05:04,337 Christine: Hi. Thank you. Glad to be here. 102 00:05:04,337 --> 00:05:07,173 I was just talking with Matt about how the VEGGIE Lab on 103 00:05:07,173 --> 00:05:10,943 the ISS helps us better understand how plants grow in microgravity. 104 00:05:11,110 --> 00:05:14,180 And that's inspired all of the ingredients here for the salad. 105 00:05:14,781 --> 00:05:16,182 But I also know that instruments 106 00:05:16,182 --> 00:05:19,852 on the ISS help us better understand how plants grow down on Earth. 107 00:05:20,119 --> 00:05:21,654 I'm wondering how that is? 108 00:05:21,654 --> 00:05:26,926 Christine: Well, the instrument and projects that I work on, the Ecosystem Spaceborne 109 00:05:26,926 --> 00:05:31,097 Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station, also known as ECOSTRESS, 110 00:05:31,698 --> 00:05:35,535 collects thermal data from on board the International Space Station. 111 00:05:35,702 --> 00:05:37,970 And we use this thermal data 112 00:05:37,970 --> 00:05:41,074 to better understand vegetation water stress here on Earth. 113 00:05:41,674 --> 00:05:45,745 And so we can apply this data in understanding crop water stress, 114 00:05:45,745 --> 00:05:49,148 looking at drought across forests 115 00:05:49,148 --> 00:05:51,718 in climate-vulnerable areas all around the world. 116 00:05:52,318 --> 00:05:55,121 Kathleen: And so I know that we also look at the temperature of plants. 117 00:05:55,121 --> 00:05:57,156 And I can't say I know why we do that? 118 00:05:57,924 --> 00:06:00,193 Christine: We look at the temperature of plants because 119 00:06:00,193 --> 00:06:01,861 plants contain a lot of water. 120 00:06:01,861 --> 00:06:05,098 It's part of their process for photosynthesizing. 121 00:06:05,198 --> 00:06:07,633 And the temperature is directly 122 00:06:07,633 --> 00:06:10,737 related to the water content within those plants. 123 00:06:10,737 --> 00:06:14,807 And so the hotter a plant gets, we can use that as an indicator of how 124 00:06:14,807 --> 00:06:18,711 how healthy that particular plant is. 125 00:06:18,711 --> 00:06:21,781 Kathleen: Got it. OK, so all this data is captured and collected. 126 00:06:21,781 --> 00:06:23,182 Who then uses it? 127 00:06:23,182 --> 00:06:26,252 Christine: Well, we have a wide variety of partners. 128 00:06:26,252 --> 00:06:30,323 One of our key partners is the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 129 00:06:30,356 --> 00:06:34,293 They utilize the data to better understand crop water stress across 130 00:06:34,293 --> 00:06:37,864 different areas, primarily in the continental United States. 131 00:06:37,864 --> 00:06:41,868 And they use this to understand and inform decisions 132 00:06:41,868 --> 00:06:45,638 like irrigation and water management, as well as the onset of drought. 133 00:06:45,638 --> 00:06:50,343 Kathleen: And so what advantages does ECOSTRESS get being on the ISS? 134 00:06:50,710 --> 00:06:53,379 Christine: We love being on the International Space Station. 135 00:06:53,379 --> 00:06:58,084 One of the really unique aspects of being on the ISIS 136 00:06:58,084 --> 00:07:00,887 is that there's a variable overpass time. 137 00:07:00,887 --> 00:07:05,391 And what that means is that instead of taking measurements at the same time, 138 00:07:05,391 --> 00:07:09,362 during each overpass, the way we might with other polar 139 00:07:09,362 --> 00:07:13,366 orbiting satellite missions, is that we actually get to take a snapshot 140 00:07:13,366 --> 00:07:17,637 of temperatures and water stress at different times of day. 141 00:07:17,637 --> 00:07:20,573 And what this then translates to 142 00:07:20,573 --> 00:07:24,110 is being able to look at the peak of vegetation water stress, 143 00:07:24,110 --> 00:07:27,246 which typically occurs in the mid to late afternoon. 144 00:07:27,246 --> 00:07:29,415 This is something that has not been done before. 145 00:07:29,415 --> 00:07:35,488 And being able to create this daily cycle of water stress 146 00:07:35,488 --> 00:07:38,958 for vegetation at these spatial and temporal scales. 147 00:07:38,958 --> 00:07:42,528 Kathleen: Well, it seems to me that instruments onboard the ISS are pretty crucial 148 00:07:42,528 --> 00:07:45,364 when it comes to monitoring our human caused climate change. [DOG BARK] 149 00:07:45,364 --> 00:07:47,133 Climate change is bad. 150 00:07:47,166 --> 00:07:49,969 Christine: Yes, so the really great thing about ECOSTRESS is that it 151 00:07:49,969 --> 00:07:54,941 complements these other instruments and other satellites like Landsat, 152 00:07:54,941 --> 00:07:58,778 to create a continuous long-term record of the Earth system. 153 00:07:59,378 --> 00:08:03,716 And right now, NASA is working on future missions that will build on these records 154 00:08:03,716 --> 00:08:06,819 to provide climate scientists a holistic view of the Earth. 155 00:08:06,819 --> 00:08:11,190 This provides us really unique insights to how vegetation 156 00:08:11,190 --> 00:08:15,228 and forests around the world are reacting to environmental and climate stressors. 157 00:08:15,228 --> 00:08:18,464 Kathleen: Well, you know, it's amazing to hear about all the science 158 00:08:18,464 --> 00:08:21,634 that goes into growing plants both in space and on Earth. 159 00:08:21,634 --> 00:08:24,470 And on that note, I'm ready to appreciate some of that science 160 00:08:24,470 --> 00:08:28,040 by digging into this salad. Christine, thank you so much for being here. 161 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:31,277 I really appreciate it! And thank you all for watching. Cheers! 162 00:08:31,344 --> 00:08:34,780 [DOG BARKING] You want salad?