NASA Astronauts Are Growing Plants in the International Space Station — but How Do They Water Them?

Taking care of the plants in your indoor or outdoor garden is not an easy task, as it requires a lot of attention. One must know everything about the plant's specific needs, including the right amount of light, the type of soil, and enough moisture. A proper level of hydration is one of the most essential steps to keep the plants healthy. This is because too much water can cause root rot, while too little can lead the plant to be dry and droopy. While it is already a major task, imagine taking care of a plant in space. Watering a plant in space brings unique challenges, but NASA astronauts have come up with a very clever technique to ensure their greenery thrives.

Space doesn't have the concept of gravity, unlike our planet. So, to guide the water flow while watering a plant, astronauts use some specially designed methods, helping them grow healthy, as per the NASA Science Editorial Team. While testing this method, many unusual challenges arose as they tried to manage how fluids move. In 2021, NASA launched an experiment called Plant Water Management, also known as PWM, to find out how capillary hydroponics, a process of growing plants without traditional soil, works at the International Space Station. These PWM systems consist of three test units that include pumps, tubes, valves, and hydroponic channels.

On Earth, due to gravity, bubbles are automatically separated from liquids, but in space, the PWM system separates oxygen bubbles and traps extra liquid. While the results of these tests show success with fake plant roots, scientists are still checking how real plants will react to this. Additionally, it's the space crew that sets up the system and runs the experiments, while also staying in touch with the ground team. At the time of doing this experiment, they even capture video proofs on high-quality cameras. These ongoing studies aim to help astronauts grow fresh vegetables in space.

Not just this, it also helps the astronauts with several other things, mainly the liquid fuel management. When they visited the International Space Station, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore also tested the functionality of Plant Water Management-6 (PWM-6). Meanwhile, for well over two decades, scientists and astronauts have conducted several research projects at the International Space Station that would be impossible to do anywhere else. Orbiting hundreds of miles above the Earth, this space station serves as the only long-term microgravity lab.

Their dedication and teamwork have led to countless discoveries and breakthroughs, advancing space exploration while also benefiting life on Earth. For instance, one of the breakthroughs came when scientists and astronauts figured out how to grow food in microgravity, paving the way for longer space missions. This development allows the experts to produce supplemental food while away from Earth. On August 10, 2015, NASA reported that crew members enjoyed their first salad grown entirely in space.

More on Green Matters

NASA Astronauts Stuck in Space For Months Are Now Growing Lettuce — But It's Not For Dinner

NASA Astronauts Have Finally Cracked the Mysterious Case of a Tomato That Got Lost in Space

Researchers Successfully Grow Chickpeas in Moondust Soil, Offering a New Hope for Space Missions