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Bratislav Stankovic1*
1Bratislav Stankovic, United States Patent and Trademark Office, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA
* Bratislav Stankovic contributed to this article in his personal capacity; the views expressed are his own and do not necessarily represent the views of the USPTO or the US Government.
Email: bratislav.stankovic@fulbrightmail.org
Received-28.07.2025, Revised-15.08.2025, Accepted-29.08.2025
Abstract: The growth of plants in outer space has elicited much scientific interest. Plants are expected to be essential for sustaining human life during extended space missions, likely starting soon with a journey to Mars. Given their ability to endure harsh conditions on Earth and evidence that model plants can complete their life cycle in microgravity, plants are well-suited for space-based life support systems. Their role goes beyond biology—successfully cultivating plants in space also reflects our technological ability to (re)create supportive living environments in microgravity. This knowledge also benefits humanity on Earth: by understanding how to grow plants in harsh conditions in space, we could apply that knowledge to growing agriculturally important crops in challenging conditions on Earth. Decades of research have revealed many challenges of growing plants in microgravity, space and on other celestial bodies, but our understanding of this endeavor has improved significantly. As space exploration moves forward, we can be increasingly confident in our capability to cultivate plants aboard spacecraft, on the Moon and beyond. Although plants will need specially designed environments to thrive in microgravity, we already possess the knowledge and tools to create such systems on a small scale.
Keywords: Space biology, Gravitational biology, Microgravity, Plant development, Spaceflight
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