Page 72 - Lighting Magazine July 2018

LEDS IN THE FINAL FRONTIER
Advancements in LED technology are not just breaking “ground” on earth. Cu ing-edge horticulture lighting developments are aiding space exploration.
BY LINDA LONGO
70 enLIGHTenment Magazine | july 2018
www.enlightenmentmag.com
When you think of food that on the International Space Station in 2014, where
astronauts eat, you’re prob- ably not imagining leafy green salads. For those who grew up in the 1960s and ’70s,
“space food” was synonymous with Tang breakfast drink, which was famously enjoyed on early NASA manned space ights (although the powdered drink was not made for the space program as com- monly believed).
Some 50 years later, astronauts are still eat- ing powdered and freeze-dried meals, but lately they’ve been able to consume fresh produce that is nutrient-dense to supplement the vitamins and minerals that the packets lack.
Truth be told, astronauts began growing crops on orbit in the 1970s for research purposes, but the practice of eating what they grew on-site is more recent. A er extensive research at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) facilities on earth, the rst Veggie (Veg- etable Production System) module was installed
it is still being used to grow fresh le uce and other similar, short crops.
Hydroponics (the method of growing plants without soil) has been gaining in popularity on a global scale. There are organizations interested in harnessing the technique with the goal of end- ing world hunger; farmers experiencing record droughts who are examining alternative growing methods to save their revenue stream; restau- rants cultivating their own farm-to-table menus; plus consumers interested in produce that has not been tainted by pesticides or contaminants that might cause nationwide e.coli outbreaks.
When it comes to learning about growing ed- ible plants out of thin air, it makes sense to turn to the quali ed experts who have been perfecting the process: NASA. With the basics of hydropon- ics mastered, NASA scientists have continued their research by exploring precisely how speci c amounts of light and color a ect various plants’ growing cycles, control height and width, and can