种植太空蔬菜

1、Growing a vegetablegardenisn'tso difficult,on earth.Buta space garden well,that'sanotherstory. Still,asSheriQuinn reports, plantswill likelybe animportantpartof futurespace missions,notonlytosustainthetravelers'bodies,but their souls, as well.Plants are a vital part of the earth's ec

2、o-system, and they're just as crucialintheartificialenvironmentofan orbitingspacestation.As on earth,theyprovidefood, and offer a sense of tranquility.ScientistsfromtheU.S. space agency NASAand Utah StateUniversityareworkingwith Russian colleagues to figure out how to grow edible plants in space

3、, andunderstandtheirpsychologicalvalue tospace explorers.Bruce Bugbee isa professorof plant physiology at Utah State. His lab helps test so-called space gardens."We now aretryingtoquantify,how importantarethey?"he explains,addingthathe is not just talking about providing fresh greens for t

4、he crew's diet. "Are therepeople that just don't need plants around and if there are, are those the kind ofpeople we want to be flying? Are those the most mentally stable people or are themost mentally stable people the ones that like plants and like interacting withplants?"In fact

5、, since 2002 the International Space Station has had a small greenhousegarden,called Lada. NamedfortheancientRussian goddess ofspring,Lada was createdtoprovidegreen space forthecrew during theirlongflights.Itwas a collaborativeeffort by Utah State researchers at the Space Dynamics Lab and scientists

6、 from theInstitute for Biomedical Problems in Moscow. The suitcase-sized plot has produceda small but steady supply of fresh produce, mainly peas and a type of fast growinglettucecalledmizuna.Scientistsuse Lada to studyhow plantsgrow inmicrogravity.Space Dynamics Lab engineer Shane Topham says Lada

7、also provides a welcomedistraction for crewmembers. "In fact, when the space shuttle a few years ago brokeup on re-entry,the crewmembers who were on thespace stationwere obviouslyshakenup about that, and one of the things that the Russian space program did to try andcalm them down was to assign

8、them more crew time towardsgardening because theynoticeditdidhave a calmingeffect.So iftheycan use thatas a psychologicaltooltohelpregulate the worry or difficulties psychologically then that's a very good benefitto having plants in space, independent of the food."Now, researchersareworking

9、to quantifythosepsychologicalbenefits.They planto track the amount of time crewmembers spend tending the garden. Vladimir Gushin,a psychologistat Russia'sInstituteforBiomedicalProblems,saysthiskindofstudyis new and there's not enough data yet to make scientific conclusions.Gushinsays confine

10、menton thespace stationisn'ttheproblemfor thecrew,it'sa lack of stimulithings often taken for granted onearth likewind blowing, birdschirping, or seeing a new face. "We have to minimize the cargo on the ship and atthe same time keep thecrew alive physically and mentally." Hesays gr

11、een growingplants can make a difference on the ship. "Plants are one of the opportunities thatmakes them feel something is changing, that nature is with them, a piece of earthis with themthat gives them the feeling that there is still of piece of earth,of life. From this point, nothing can subs

12、titute for plants."The trickis gettingtheplantstothinktheyare growing on earthwith sunlight.In thetiny Lada greenhouse,plantsgrow upwards towardscommonhousehold fluorescentbulbs.Insteadof soil,they'replantedina bed of baked clay particles.Sinceexcesswater won't drain away in micro-gravi

13、ty, it's meticulously measured and replaced,and air is recycled through filters to remove trace contaminants that are toxic tothe plants.The spacegardenishelpingresearcherslearnmore about airqualityandagricultureon earth, buttheultimategoalis togrow food in space forlong missionsto other planets

14、. In fact, Utah State professor Bruce Bugbee looks forward to agreenhouse on Mars. "I think it's more than possible, I think it's essential," hesays. "There's a point at which you can't possibly bring enough food with youyoucan imagine an entire trailer full of bag lun

15、ches for a four-year trip to Mars. Atsome point,it'scheapertobringthewholespace farmand solar cellsand grow yourown food."The next crop to be planted and harvested in orbit will be the grain, barley.The seeds are going up on thenextshuttlemissionto the InternationalSpace Stationlater this y

16、ear.备注说明，非正文，实际使用可删除如下部分。本内容仅给予阅读编辑指点：1 、本文件由微软OFFICE 办公软件编辑而成，同时支持WPS 。2 、文件可重新编辑整理。3 、建议结合本公司和个人的实际情况进行修正编辑。4 、因编辑原因，部分文件文字有些微错误的，请自行修正，并不影响本文阅读。Note:it is notthetext.Thefollowingpartscanbe deletedforactualuse.This contentonlygivesinstructions:readingandediting1. This document is edited by Microsoft office office software and supports WPS.2. The files can be edited and reorganized.3. I