<p>A <b>plant growth chamber</b> has been delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) by the recent SpaceX-3 resupply mission, according to NASA.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/spacelettuce_body3_050514.jpg" alt="050514 cropped" /></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>NASA's experiement is called Veg-01 and it will be used to study the in-orbit function and performance of a new expandable plant growth facility called Veggie. Veggie uses plant "pillows" in order to <b>grow plants in zero gravity</b>.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"The ability to grow food in space will become increasingly important in the context of future <b>long-duration space missions</b>, and especially in the context of future human settlements on the moon and Mars," Ian Crawford, a professor of planetary science and astrobiology at Birkbeck, University of London, told the Guardian. "These experiments are an important step in developing this capability."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/spacelettuce_body4_050514.jpg" alt="050514 cropped" /></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The plant pillows have a base with a reservoir of water that is covered by a fabric. <b>A series of wicks</b> guide water to the plants and the wicks also help to keep the plants growing upright. <b>Seeds are also glued in the correct orientation</b>, and <b>LED lights</b> provide the plants with energy, according to the International Business Times.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/spacelettuce_body1_050514.jpg" alt="050514 cropped" /></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Two of the plant pillows contain seeds of <b>red romaine lettuce</b> and a third holds <b>zinnia seeds</b>, a flowering plant.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Before astronauts can eat anything that is grown in Veggie, the first batch of produce will be sent back to Earth for analysis. Scientists will need to ensure that the vegetables are <b>safe to eat</b>.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">As AndNowUKnow has previously reported, other growth experiments have already been conducted on the Space Station to grow plants in zero gravity. However, these previous experiments were seeking to understand how zero gravity affects plant growth. The new experiments aim to verify that food grown in space is actually safe to eat, with the ultimate goal of providing astronauts with fresh food in space.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/spacelettuce_body2_050514.jpg" alt="050514 cropped" /></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.andnowuknow.com/quick-dish/russian-cosmonauts-grow-crops-space/jonathan-nivens" target="_new" class="btn"> Click Here to Read: Russian Cosmonauts Grow Crops In Space </a><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"Veggie will provide a new resource for U.S. astronauts and researchers as we begin to develop the capabilities of growing <b>fresh produce</b> and <b>other large plants</b> on the space station," said Gioia Massa, NASA payload scientist for Veggie. <b>"Determining food safety is one of our primary goals for this validation test."</b><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Developed by <b>Orbital Technologies Corporation</b> (ORBITEC) in Madison, WI, Veggie is a low-cost plant growth chamber that uses a flat-panel light bank that includes <b>red, blue and green LEDs</b> for plant growth and crew observation. The design is collapsible for transportation and storage, and it is expandable up to a foot and a half as plants grow inside.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"The internal growing area is 11.5 inches wide by 14.5 inches deep, making it the largest plant growth chamber for space to date," Massa said.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">As NASA learns more about the food safety of crops grown in microgravity, will we begin to see <b>farms in space</b> which supply fresh food and oxygen to space explorers?<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/veggie/#.U2gT1fldV67" target="_new" class="btn"> NASA's Veggie Growth Chamber </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
