VPU
Vegetable Production Unit
The Vegetable Production Unit (VPU) program encompasses experiments in three main areas: food safety, plant technology, and non-nutritional benefits. SDL is collaborating with world-class scientists from Utah State University, NASA, and the Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP) in Moscow to address questions such as the following:
- Which vegetable and plant varieties will meet flight crew needs and wants?
- How do we flight-qualify and optimize support requirements for these plants?
- Will seed-producing plants be genetically stable over 500- to 600-day missions?
- What dangers, if any, are inherent with eating space-grown vegetables?
- What procedures and protocols are necessary for the safe consumption of space-grown vegetables?
- How much stress relief do crew members receive from plants?
- How much vegetable yield is required for crew members to receive measurable psychological benefits?
- Do some crew members benefit more from the plants than others?
The VPU plant experiments are being carried out in Lada, the SDL-designed plant growth chamber that resides on the International Space Station (ISS). Russian cosmonauts grow the experimental plants, and sample tissue is then harvested, frozen, and returned to Earth for evaluation. During 2008, the first frozen samples will be returned and analyzed, and we will also survey veteran space explorers about their experiences in relation to the plants.
|
