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Space Lab Technologies, LLC and researchers in plant biology and aerospace engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder are working to establish duckweed as a nutrient dense space crop for deep space exploration. NASA first contracted Space Lab® in 2017 to investigate a system capable of producing highly nutritious aquatic plants to supplement the crew’s diet, μG-LilyPond™. μG-LilyPond™ is an autonomous, environmentally controlled floating plant cultivation system for use in microgravity. In 2018, NASA awarded Space Lab® a Phase II STTR for this effort. The system features several innovations relative to state of the art. μG-LilyPond™ utilizes passive thin film capillary force in the growth bed for biomass propagation and stability. The plant growth chamber design is versatile allowing growth of several plant types, not just aquatic plants. Essentially, μG-LilyPond™ acts as a thin film hydroponic system in microgravity. The primary aquatic crop of study is duckweed. See Space Plant Life Sciences for more information. An investigation is underway into adding a hydrophilic membrane to allow for rooted plant growth, where a thin film of nutrient solution will passively recycle and diffuse under the membrane.
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Microgravity Plant Growth Chamber with microgreens (2020).
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Duckweed
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Microgreens
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Herbs and Leafy Greens
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