PLANT GENERIC BIOPROCESSING APPARATUS (PGBA)
Research Area: Plant Biology
Expedition(s): 5
Principal Investigator(s): ● Anthony Gerard Heyenga, PhD, BioServe Space Technologies,
Boulder, Colorado
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Plant Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (PGBA) monitors and maintains light, temperature,
humidity, and oxygen levels to study lignin production changes in Arabidopsis thaliana (a fast
growing plant) grown in microgravity on the International Space Station (ISS).
EARTH BENEFITS
One interest to scientists and industry is the structural compound called lignin, which is
produced by plants. Lignin is one of the molecules plants use to make stiff, woody cell walls.
Plants grown in space produce less lignin, because in the absence of gravity they don't need
such a woody structure.
Genetic information gained
from plants grown in the
PGBA could enable
scientists on Earth to
control the amount of
lignin a plant produces.
Growing trees with less
lignin could dramatically
reduce the economic and
environmental cost of
paper production, allowing
faster tree growth, more
paper production, and less
chemical use during
milling. Other plants could
gain added protection from
the elements if lignin
production was increased.
SPACE BENEFITS
The ability to grow plants in space has an enormous impact on the success of future
interplanetary space exploration. Any long-term human presence on the moon or Mars
requires sustainable plant growth, which can provide a renewable food supply for explorers and
assist with the maintenance of breathable air.
RESULTS
The returned plant material did not develop in a normal manner, and the primary scientific
objectives were not met. The study did, however, help identify the need for greater regulation
of air quality within a plant growth chamber to ensure uniform plant growth. Although there
Arabidopsis thaliana (Brassica family) plants grown under controlled
conditions in a plant cultivation module in the BioServe Laboratories. BioServe
Laboratories image.