RESULTS
Arabidopsis thaliana was
successfully grown from seed to
seed on the International Space
Station (ISS). During a 2-month
growth period, the plants
progressed from seed hydration
to germination, vegetative, and
reproductive stages, producing
mature seeds. Ninety percent of
the seeds germinated in space,
although only 70 percent of the
plants grew to maturity. Some of
the seeds that were harvested
from the plants grown in
microgravity were planted in a
ground study. These seeds
produced typical plants without
any visible abnormalities (Link 2003). During a second ADVASC run, second-generation seeds
were produced and tissues were harvested and preserved for RNA and complementary
deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA) analysis. Detailed results of the germination and harvesting of
space-grown seeds in the ADVASC growth chamber in the U.S. Destiny Laboratory have not
been released. In the third ADVASC run, which took place over approximately 95 days on ISS,
soybeans were grown from seed to seed for the first time in space. Biomass production in the
space seeds was approximately 4% larger than ground controls. Flight and ground controls
produced nearly identical numbers of seeds, but the space seeds were larger on average.
Scientists found that the seeds produced in space were healthy, the germination rates were
comparable to those on Earth, and no major morphological differences were evident.
Phytochemical analysis of commercially important components such as oils, amino acids,
proteins, carbohydrates, and phytoestrogens have not yet been released.
PUBLICATION(S)
Link BM, Busse JS, Stankovic B. Seed-to-seed-to-seed growth and development of Arabidopsis in
microgravity. Astrobiology. October 2014;14:866-875. doi: 10.1089/ast.2014.1184.
Link BM, Durst SJ, Zhou W, Stankovic B. Seed-to-seed growth of Arabidopsis Thaliana on the
International Space Station. Advances in Space Research. 2003;31(10):2237-2243. doi:
10.1016/S0273-1177(03)00250-3.
Zhou W, Durst SJ, DeMars M, et al. Performance of the advanced ASTROCULTURETM plant
growth unit during ISS-6A/7A mission. SAE Technical Paper. 2002;2002- 01 -2280. doi:
10.4271/2002-01-2280. [Paper # 02ICES-267].
ISS005E07209 - Astronaut Peggy A. Whitson, Expedition 5 NASA ISS
science officer, displays a first crop of soybeans growing inside the
AdvAsC. Photos of the growing plant have been a useful tool for the
ground-based science team, which uses them to determine optimal time
for cross-pollination and harvesting.