From left to right, Dr. Frederic Bertley, president and CEO, Center of Science and Industry (COSI); NASA Administrator Bill Nelson; JoAnn Newman, president and CEO, Orlando Science Center; and Stephen White, chief strategy officer, COSI helped kick off a new initiative to deliver food and hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math kits, called Learning Lunchboxes, at New Beginnings Church – The Gathering Place in Orlando, Florida on Friday, June 3. The lunchboxes are aimed at inspiring and educating youth and families about NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions, which includes landing the first woman and person of color on the Moon and helping prepare for human exploration of Mars. Partners on the initiative with NASA include COSI, the Second Harvest Food Bank, and the Orlando Science Center. The NASA Artemis Learning Lunchbox is made possible through NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program. NASA Learning Lunchboxes provide five space-focused learning activities that showcase the diversity of STEM at NASA. COSI will distribute 30,000 NASA Learning Lunchboxes at local food banks across the country to help feed hungry lives and feed hungry minds. This innovative, community-based model will bring together other science centers and museums, afterschool providers, and community leaders to highlight the importance of STEM. This project also includes digital extension resources.

S82-28923 (March 1982) --- Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, uses both hands to retrieve part of a meal from an orbital flight test food warmer in the middeck area of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Columbia. The food warmer is a versatile briefcase-like device developed by life sciences personnel at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). Astronaut Jack R. Lousma, STS-3 commander, took this photograph with a 35mm camera. Photo credit: NASA

Barbara Brown (center), director of the Exploration Research and Technology Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, helped kick off a new initiative to deliver food and hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math kits, called Learning Lunchboxes, at New Beginnings Church – The Gathering Place in Orlando, Florida on Friday, June 3. The lunchboxes are aimed at inspiring and educating youth and families about NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions, which includes landing the first woman and person of color on the Moon and helping prepare for human exploration of Mars. Partners on the initiative with NASA include the Center of Science and Industry, the Second Harvest Food Bank, and the Orlando Science Center. The NASA Artemis Learning Lunchbox is made possible through NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program. NASA Learning Lunchboxes provide five space-focused learning activities that showcase the diversity of STEM at NASA. COSI will distribute 30,000 NASA Learning Lunchboxes at local food banks across the country to help feed hungry lives and feed hungry minds. This innovative, community-based model will bring together other science centers and museums, afterschool providers, and community leaders to highlight the importance of STEM. This project also includes digital extension resources.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson helped kick off a new initiative to deliver food and hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math kits, called Learning Lunchboxes, at New Beginnings Church – The Gathering Place in Orlando, Florida on Friday, June 3. The lunchboxes are aimed at inspiring and educating youth and families about NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions, which includes landing the first woman and person of color on the Moon and helping prepare for human exploration of Mars. Partners on the initiative with NASA include the Center of Science and Industry, the Second Harvest Food Bank, and the Orlando Science Center. The NASA Artemis Learning Lunchbox is made possible through NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program. NASA Learning Lunchboxes provide five space-focused learning activities that showcase the diversity of STEM at NASA. COSI will distribute 30,000 NASA Learning Lunchboxes at local food banks across the country to help feed hungry lives and feed hungry minds. This innovative, community-based model will bring together other science centers and museums, afterschool providers, and community leaders to highlight the importance of STEM. This project also includes digital extension resources.

Barbara Brown, director of the Exploration Research and Technology Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, helped kick off a new initiative to deliver food and hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math kits, called Learning Lunchboxes, at New Beginnings Church – The Gathering Place in Orlando, Florida on Friday, June 3. The lunchboxes are aimed at inspiring and educating youth and families about NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions, which includes landing the first woman and person of color on the Moon and helping prepare for human exploration of Mars. Partners on the initiative with NASA include the Center of Science and Industry, the Second Harvest Food Bank, and the Orlando Science Center. The NASA Artemis Learning Lunchbox is made possible through NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program. NASA Learning Lunchboxes provide five space-focused learning activities that showcase the diversity of STEM at NASA. COSI will distribute 30,000 NASA Learning Lunchboxes at local food banks across the country to help feed hungry lives and feed hungry minds. This innovative, community-based model will bring together other science centers and museums, afterschool providers, and community leaders to highlight the importance of STEM. This project also includes digital extension resources.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson helped kick off a new initiative to deliver food and hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math kits, called Learning Lunchboxes, at New Beginnings Church – The Gathering Place in Orlando, Florida on Friday, June 3. The lunchboxes are aimed at inspiring and educating youth and families about NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions, which includes landing the first woman and person of color on the Moon and helping prepare for human exploration of Mars. Partners on the initiative with NASA include the Center of Science and Industry, the Second Harvest Food Bank, and the Orlando Science Center. The NASA Artemis Learning Lunchbox is made possible through NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program. NASA Learning Lunchboxes provide five space-focused learning activities that showcase the diversity of STEM at NASA. COSI will distribute 30,000 NASA Learning Lunchboxes at local food banks across the country to help feed hungry lives and feed hungry minds. This innovative, community-based model will bring together other science centers and museums, afterschool providers, and community leaders to highlight the importance of STEM. This project also includes digital extension resources.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson helped kick off a new initiative to deliver food and hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math kits, called Learning Lunchboxes, at New Beginnings Church – The Gathering Place in Orlando, Florida on Friday, June 3. The lunchboxes are aimed at inspiring and educating youth and families about NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions, which includes landing the first woman and person of color on the Moon and helping prepare for human exploration of Mars. Partners on the initiative with NASA include the Center of Science and Industry, the Second Harvest Food Bank, and the Orlando Science Center. The NASA Artemis Learning Lunchbox is made possible through NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program. NASA Learning Lunchboxes provide five space-focused learning activities that showcase the diversity of STEM at NASA. COSI will distribute 30,000 NASA Learning Lunchboxes at local food banks across the country to help feed hungry lives and feed hungry minds. This innovative, community-based model will bring together other science centers and museums, afterschool providers, and community leaders to highlight the importance of STEM. This project also includes digital extension resources.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson helped kick off a new initiative to deliver food and hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math kits, called Learning Lunchboxes, at New Beginnings Church – The Gathering Place in Orlando, Florida on Friday, June 3. The lunchboxes are aimed at inspiring and educating youth and families about NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions, which includes landing the first woman and person of color on the Moon and helping prepare for human exploration of Mars. Partners on the initiative with NASA include the Center of Science and Industry, the Second Harvest Food Bank, and the Orlando Science Center. The NASA Artemis Learning Lunchbox is made possible through NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program. NASA Learning Lunchboxes provide five space-focused learning activities that showcase the diversity of STEM at NASA. COSI will distribute 30,000 NASA Learning Lunchboxes at local food banks across the country to help feed hungry lives and feed hungry minds. This innovative, community-based model will bring together other science centers and museums, afterschool providers, and community leaders to highlight the importance of STEM. This project also includes digital extension resources.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson (left) and Barbara Brown (right), director of the Exploration Research and Technology Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, helped kick off a new initiative to deliver food and hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math kits, called Learning Lunchboxes, at New Beginnings Church – The Gathering Place in Orlando, Florida on Friday, June 3. The lunchboxes are aimed at inspiring and educating youth and families about NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions, which includes landing the first woman and person of color on the Moon and helping prepare for human exploration of Mars. Partners on the initiative with NASA include the Center of Science and Industry, the Second Harvest Food Bank, and the Orlando Science Center. The NASA Artemis Learning Lunchbox is made possible through NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program. NASA Learning Lunchboxes provide five space-focused learning activities that showcase the diversity of STEM at NASA. COSI will distribute 30,000 NASA Learning Lunchboxes at local food banks across the country to help feed hungry lives and feed hungry minds. This innovative, community-based model will bring together other science centers and museums, afterschool providers, and community leaders to highlight the importance of STEM. This project also includes digital extension resources.

Dr. Frederic Bertley (center), president and CEO, Center of Science and Industry (COSI), speaks at New Beginnings Church – The Gathering Place in Orlando, Florida on Friday, June 3, as part of the launch of a new initiative to deliver food and hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math kits, called Learning Lunchboxes. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and other agency representatives were on hand to hand out the lunchboxes, which are aimed at inspiring and educating youth and families about NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions, including landing the first woman and person of color on the Moon and helping prepare for human exploration of Mars. Along with COSI, NASA’s partners on the initiative include the Second Harvest Food Bank and the Orlando Science Center. The NASA Artemis Learning Lunchbox is made possible through NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program. NASA Learning Lunchboxes provide five space-focused learning activities that showcase the diversity of STEM at NASA. COSI will distribute 30,000 NASA Learning Lunchboxes at local food banks across the country to help feed hungry lives and feed hungry minds. This innovative, community-based model will bring together other science centers and museums, afterschool providers, and community leaders to highlight the importance of STEM. This project also includes digital extension resources.

Dr. Frederic Bertley (center), president and CEO, Center of Science and Industry (COSI), speaks at New Beginnings Church – The Gathering Place in Orlando, Florida on Friday, June 3, as part of the launch of a new initiative to deliver food and hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math kits, called Learning Lunchboxes. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and other agency representatives were on hand to hand out the lunchboxes, which are aimed at inspiring and educating youth and families about NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions, including landing the first woman and person of color on the Moon and helping prepare for human exploration of Mars. Along with COSI, NASA’s partners on the initiative include the Second Harvest Food Bank and the Orlando Science Center. The NASA Artemis Learning Lunchbox is made possible through NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program. NASA Learning Lunchboxes provide five space-focused learning activities that showcase the diversity of STEM at NASA. COSI will distribute 30,000 NASA Learning Lunchboxes at local food banks across the country to help feed hungry lives and feed hungry minds. This innovative, community-based model will bring together other science centers and museums, afterschool providers, and community leaders to highlight the importance of STEM. This project also includes digital extension resources.

ISS007-E-14284 (1 September 2003) --- Astronaut Edward T. Lu, Expedition 7 NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer, is pictured near food items floating freely in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station (ISS).

In the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of plant growth research for food production in space. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.

ISS013-E-29344 (1 June 2006) --- Astronaut Jeffrey N. Williams, Expedition 13 NASA space station science officer and flight engineer, holds a package of food near the galley in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station.

iss072e069593 (Oct. 19, 2024) --- Space science is fun! NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Don Pettit filled this sphere of water with food coloring creating a Jupiter-like effect in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station.

ISS011-E-05161 (17 April 2005) --- Astronaut John L. Phillips, Expedition 11 NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer, uses the ISS wet/dry vacuum cleaner assembly to catch floating debris from the top of a food can in the Unity node of the International Space Station (ISS).

jsc2025e043585 (4/16/2025) --- Fenugreek seeds are shown in a petri dish as part of the Sprouting Salad Seeds in Space (SPROUTS - ISRO) investigation. This investigation supports the development of ways to grow plants to provide food and support crew nutrition and wellbeing in the space environment. Image courtesy of University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka, India.

In the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of plant growth research for food production in space. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.

ISS013-E-13224 --- Inside the U.S. laboratory, astronaut Jeffrey N. Williams, Expedition 13 flight engineer and NASA science officer, pulls out some food items from among personal supplies for the current inhabitants of the International Space Station.

iss052e075812 (Aug. 30, 2017) --- Eli Lily-Lyophilization hardware setup in the Migrogravity Science Glovebox (MSG) work volume. Eli Lily-Lyophilization examines freeze-drying processes in the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to improve the understanding of how food, drugs and other compounds are preserved in space.

iss072e069543 (Oct. 19, 2024) --- Space science is fun! NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Don Pettit fills this sphere of water with food coloring creating a Jupiter-like effect in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station.

In the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of plant growth research for food production in space. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.

iss072e069592 (Oct. 19, 2024) --- Space science is fun! NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Don Pettit filled this sphere of water with food coloring creating a Jupiter-like effect in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station.

iss052e075807 (Aug. 30, 2017) --- Eli Lily-Lyophilization hardware setup in the Migrogravity Science Glovebox (MSG) work volume. Eli Lily-Lyophilization examines freeze-drying processes in the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to improve the understanding of how food, drugs and other compounds are preserved in space.

ISS007-E-07832 (21 June 2003) --- Astronaut Edward T. Lu, Expedition 7 NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer, eats a meal in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station (ISS).

SL3-111-1519 (6 Aug. 1973) --- Scientist-astronaut Owen K. Garriott, Skylab 3 science pilot, reconstitutes a pre-packaged container of food at the crew quarters ward room table of the Orbital Workshop (OWS) of the Skylab Space Station cluster. This picture was taken with a hand-held 35mm Nikon camera. Astronauts Garriott, Alan L. Bean and Jack R. Lousma remained with the Skylab Space Station in Earth orbit for a total of 59 days conducting numerous medical, scientific and technological experiments. Note the knife and fork on the food tray and the utensil with which Garriott stirs the food mixed with water. Skylab is the first manned space program by NASA which affords the crew men an opportunity to eat with the same type utensils used on Earth. Photo credit: NASA

S126-E-008120 (18 Nov. 2008) --- Interior view of the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module attached to the Earth-facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony node. Leonardo was moved from Space Shuttle Endeavour's cargo bay and linked to the station on Nov. 17, carrying two water recovery systems racks for recycling urine into potable water, a second toilet system, new gallery components, two new food warmers, a food refrigerator, an experiment freezer, combustion science experiment rack, two separate sleeping quarters and a resistance exercise device (aRED) that allows station crewmembers to perform a variety of exercises.

S126-E-008117 (18 Nov. 2008) --- Interior view of the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module attached to the Earth-facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony node. Leonardo was moved from Space Shuttle Endeavour's cargo bay and linked to the station on Nov. 17, carrying two water recovery systems racks for recycling urine into potable water, a second toilet system, new gallery components, two new food warmers, a food refrigerator, an experiment freezer, combustion science experiment rack, two separate sleeping quarters and a resistance exercise device (aRED) that allows station crewmembers to perform a variety of exercises.

S72-41853 (15 June 1972) --- Two members of the three-man Skylab Medical Experiment Altitude Test (SMEAT) crew, that will spend up to 56 days in the Crew Systems Division's 20-foot altitude chamber at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) beginning in mid-July, go over a menu in the food preparation area. Seated at the simulated wardroom food table is astronaut Karol J. Bobko, SMEAT pilot, and standing is astronaut Robert L. Crippen, SMEAT commander. Dr. William E. Thornton, SMEAT science pilot, the third crew member is not shown in this view. Photo credit: NASA

S126-E-008118 (18 Nov. 2008) --- Interior view of the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module attached to the Earth-facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony node. Leonardo was moved from Space Shuttle Endeavour's cargo bay and linked to the station on Nov. 17, carrying two water recovery systems racks for recycling urine into potable water, a second toilet system, new gallery components, two new food warmers, a food refrigerator, an experiment freezer, combustion science experiment rack, two separate sleeping quarters and a resistance exercise device (aRED) that allows station crewmembers to perform a variety of exercises.

Mission engineers receive and prepare science and research and food items for the final cargo load into the Cygnus resupply spacecraft onboard the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 at the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman’s 13th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver more than 7,500 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Mission engineers receive and prepare science and research and food items for the final cargo load into the Cygnus resupply spacecraft onboard the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 at the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman’s 13th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver more than 7,500 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Mission engineers receive and prepare science and research and food items for the final cargo load into the Cygnus resupply spacecraft onboard the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 at the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman’s 13th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver more than 7,500 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Mission engineers receive and prepare science and research and food items for the final cargo load into the Cygnus resupply spacecraft onboard the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 at the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman’s 13th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver more than 7,500 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Mission engineers receive and prepare science and research and food items for the final cargo load into the Cygnus resupply spacecraft onboard the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 at the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman’s 13th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver more than 7,500 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Mission engineers receive and prepare science and research and food items for the final cargo load into the Cygnus resupply spacecraft onboard the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 at the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman’s 13th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver more than 7,500 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

In the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns such as Ayla Grandpre, left, and Payton Barnwell are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of plant growth research for food production in space. Grandpre is pursuing a degree in computer science and chemistry at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana. Barnwell is a mechanical engineering and nanotechnology major at Florida Polytechnic University. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.

In the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns such as Ayla Grandpre are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of plant growth research for food production in space. Grandpre is majoring in computer science and chemistry at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.

Max Dunsker speaks about the DEVELOP Kansas Agriculture and Food Security Project, which modeled soil drydown parameters for drought mitigation, during the 2019 Annual Earth Science Applications Showcase, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019 at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Every summer students and young professionals from NASA’s Applied Sciences’ DEVELOP National Program come to NASA Headquarters and present their research projects. DEVELOP is a training and development program where students work on Earth science research projects, mentored by science advisers from NASA and partner agencies, and extend research results to local communities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

jsc2024e040728 -- Matt Rowell, an engineer from the Marshall Space Flight Center demonstrates the Mini Potable Water Dispenser to NASA food scientists during a testing session. Photo Credit: NASA/David DeHoyos

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Robert Ferl, professor in the horticultural sciences department and assistant director of the University of Florida Biotechnology Program, speaks during the opening ceremony to launch a new program called SABRE, Space Agricultural Biotechnology Research and Education, that involves UF and NASA. SABRE will focus on the discovery, development and application of the biological aspects of advanced life support strategies. The program will include faculty from UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, who will be located at both KSC - in the state-owned Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL) being built there - and UF in Gainesville. Ferl will direct and be responsible for coordinating the research and education efforts of UF and NASA.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- U.S. Representative Dave Weldon addresses a large group attending the opening of a new program known as SABRE, Space Agricultural Biotechnology Research and Education, that involves the University of Florida and NASA. SABRE will focus on the discovery, development and application of the biological aspects of advanced life support strategies. The program will include faculty from UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, who will be located at both KSC - in the state-owned Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL) being built there - and UF in Gainesville. SABRE will be directed by Robert Ferl, professor in the horticultural sciences department and assistant director of UF's Biotechnology Program. He will be responsible for coordinating the research and education efforts of UF and NASA

Alan Lindenmoyer, program manager, NASA's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program, left, and, Frank Culbertson, executive vice president, Orbital Sciences Corporation,are seen during a press conference held after the successful launch of the Orbital Sciences Antares rocket, with the Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. Cygnus is on its way to rendezvous with the space station. The spacecraft will deliver about 1,300 pounds (589 kilograms) of cargo, including food and clothing, to the Expedition 37 crew. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- U.S. Representative Dave Weldon addresses a large group attending the opening of a new program known as SABRE, Space Agricultural Biotechnology Research and Education, that involves the University of Florida and NASA. SABRE will focus on the discovery, development and application of the biological aspects of advanced life support strategies. The program will include faculty from UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, who will be located at both KSC - in the state-owned Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL) being built there - and UF in Gainesville. SABRE will be directed by Robert Ferl, professor in the horticultural sciences department and assistant director of UF's Biotechnology Program. He will be responsible for coordinating the research and education efforts of UF and NASA

Sally Scalera, urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Brevard Extension Office, presents some sustainable tips and tricks for a healthy yard and garden to Kennedy Space Center employees on April 24, 2019. Held inside the Florida spaceport’s Space Station Processing Facility Conference Center, Scalera also provided information on Florida-friendly landscaping practices. The lunch and learn was available for employees to attend as part of Kennedy’s Earth Day events.

iss061e033379 (Nov. 7, 2019) --- Mizuna mustard greens are growing aboard the International Space Station to demonstrate the feasibility of space agriculture to provide fresh food for crews on deep space missions. The plants are grown under red-to-blue lighting and watered in pillows rather than soil in a specialized botany facility called VEGGIE. Crops are grown, harvested and consumed by astronauts with some samples stowed in science freezers for later analysis as part of the VEG-04 study.

ISS006-E-18446 (19 January 2003) --- View of surface tension demonstration using water that is being held in place by a metal loop. Food coloring has been added to the water for demonstration purposes only. Astronaut Donald R. Pettit, Expedition Six NASA ISS science officer, photographed these demonstrations for educational purposes. The experiment took place in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson meets with USAID Administrator Samantha Power and staff prior to signing a NASA-USAID Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The MoU will enhance and expand the Agencies’ longstanding partnership that promotes science and technology solutions to address international development challenges in areas such as global health, climate change, food security, disaster mitigation and response, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management for sustainable development. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Kennedy Space Center employees attend a lunch and learn focused on Florida-friendly landscaping practices in the Florida spaceport’s Space Station Processing Facility Conference Center on April 24, 2019. Sally Scalera, urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Brevard Extension Office, presented information on sustainable tips and tricks for a healthy yard and garden. The lunch and learn was available for employees to attend as part of Kennedy’s Earth Day events.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson meets with USAID Administrator Samantha Power and staff prior to signing a NASA-USAID Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The MoU will enhance and expand the Agencies’ longstanding partnership that promotes science and technology solutions to address international development challenges in areas such as global health, climate change, food security, disaster mitigation and response, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management for sustainable development. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson meets with USAID Administrator Samantha Power and staff prior to signing a NASA-USAID Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The MoU will enhance and expand the Agencies’ longstanding partnership that promotes science and technology solutions to address international development challenges in areas such as global health, climate change, food security, disaster mitigation and response, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management for sustainable development. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Expedition 6 astronaut Dr. Don Pettit photographed a cube shaped wire frame supporting a thin film made from a water-soap solution during his Saturday Morning Science aboard the International Space Station’s (ISS) Destiny Laboratory. Food coloring was added to several faces to observe the effects of diffusion within the film.

Sally Scalera, urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Brevard Extension Office, presents some sustainable tips and tricks for a healthy yard and garden to Kennedy Space Center employees on April 24, 2019. Held inside the Florida spaceport’s Space Station Processing Facility Conference Center, Scalera also provided information on Florida-friendly landscaping practices. The lunch and learn was available for employees to attend as part of Kennedy’s Earth Day events.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and USAID Administrator Samantha Power participate in a NASA-USAID Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The MoU will enhance and expand the Agencies’ longstanding partnership that promotes science and technology solutions to address international development challenges in areas such as global health, climate change, food security, disaster mitigation and response, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management for sustainable development. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Sally Scalera, urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Brevard Extension Office, presents some sustainable tips and tricks for a healthy yard and garden to Kennedy Space Center employees on April 24, 2019. Held inside the Florida spaceport’s Space Station Processing Facility Conference Center, Scalera also provided information on Florida-friendly landscaping practices. The lunch and learn was available for employees to attend as part of Kennedy’s Earth Day events.

iss073e0177558 (June 12, 2025) -- NASA astronaut Jonny Kim works in the International Space Station’s Microgravity Science Glovebox on Ring Sheared Drop-IBP-2. This investigation studies the behavior of high-concentration protein fluids in microgravity using a special device that holds liquid protein solutions without containers, eliminating interference from interactions with container walls. Results could help advance manufacturing processes and 3D printing in space and for production of medicines, microelectronics, foods, and medical devices on Earth.

In the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns such as Payton Barnwell are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of plant growth research for food production in space. Barnwell is a mechanical engineering and nanotechnology major at Florida Polytechnic University. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.

ISS006-E-18431 (19 January 2003) --- View of surface tension demonstration using water that is being held in place by a metal loop. Food coloring has been added to the water for demonstration purposes only. Astronaut Donald R. Pettit, Expedition Six NASA ISS science officer, photographed these demonstrations for educational purposes. The experiment took place in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS).

School children react to food shrinking in a vacuum chamber during an Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education event held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Arlington, VA on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. Students were able to meet with Astronaut Melvin, conduct experiments, build their own space jab, and touch a mockup space suit. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson meets with USAID Administrator Samantha Power and staff prior to signing a NASA-USAID Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The MoU will enhance and expand the Agencies’ longstanding partnership that promotes science and technology solutions to address international development challenges in areas such as global health, climate change, food security, disaster mitigation and response, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management for sustainable development. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and USAID Administrator Samantha Power participate in a NASA-USAID Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The MoU will enhance and expand the Agencies’ longstanding partnership that promotes science and technology solutions to address international development challenges in areas such as global health, climate change, food security, disaster mitigation and response, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management for sustainable development. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

ISS006-E-18432 (19 January 2003) --- View of surface tension demonstration using water that is being held in place by a metal loop. Food coloring has been added to the water for demonstration purposes only. Astronaut Donald R. Pettit, Expedition Six NASA ISS science officer, photographed these demonstrations for educational purposes. The experiment took place in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson meets with USAID Administrator Samantha Power and staff prior to signing a NASA-USAID Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The MoU will enhance and expand the Agencies’ longstanding partnership that promotes science and technology solutions to address international development challenges in areas such as global health, climate change, food security, disaster mitigation and response, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management for sustainable development. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson meets with USAID Administrator Samantha Power and staff prior to signing a NASA-USAID Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The MoU will enhance and expand the Agencies’ longstanding partnership that promotes science and technology solutions to address international development challenges in areas such as global health, climate change, food security, disaster mitigation and response, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management for sustainable development. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and USAID Administrator Samantha Power participate in a NASA-USAID Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The MoU will enhance and expand the Agencies’ longstanding partnership that promotes science and technology solutions to address international development challenges in areas such as global health, climate change, food security, disaster mitigation and response, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management for sustainable development. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Frank Culbertson, executive vice president, Orbital Sciences Corporation, talks during a press conference held after the successful launch of the Antares rocket, with the Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. Cygnus is on its way to rendezvous with the space station. The spacecraft will deliver about 1,300 pounds (589 kilograms) of cargo, including food and clothing, to the Expedition 37 crew. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

iss061e022796 (Oct. 30, 2019) --- NASA astronaut Jessica Meir cuts Mizuna mustard green leaves grown aboard the International Space Station for the VEG-04B space agriculture study. The botany research is helping scientists to learn how to provide fresh food to space crews on long-duration missions. The Expedition 61 crewmembers also tasted the leaves for edibility and stowed the leftovers in a science freezer for scientific analysis.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson meets with USAID Administrator Samantha Power and staff prior to signing a NASA-USAID Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The MoU will enhance and expand the Agencies’ longstanding partnership that promotes science and technology solutions to address international development challenges in areas such as global health, climate change, food security, disaster mitigation and response, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management for sustainable development. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Frank Culbertson, executive vice president, Orbital Sciences Corporation, talks during a press conference held after the successful launch of the Antares rocket, with the Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. Cygnus is on its way to rendezvous with the space station. The spacecraft will deliver about 1,300 pounds (589 kilograms) of cargo, including food and clothing, to the Expedition 37 crew. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

iss052e075804 (Aug. 30, 2017) --- NASA astronaut Jack Fischer working in the Microgravity Sciences Glovebox (MSG) work volume to set up the Eli Lily-Lyophilization experiment. Eli Lily-Lyophilization examines freeze-drying processes in the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to improve the understanding of how food, drugs and other compounds are preserved in space.

Employees get an up-close look at some Florida marine life during a visit to the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences booth at Kennedy Space Center’s annual Earth Day celebration. The two-day event featured approximately 50 exhibitors offering information on a variety of topics, including electric vehicles, sustainable lighting, renewable energy, Florida-friendly landscaping tips, Florida’s biking trails and more.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson meets with USAID Administrator Samantha Power and staff prior to signing a NASA-USAID Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The MoU will enhance and expand the Agencies’ longstanding partnership that promotes science and technology solutions to address international development challenges in areas such as global health, climate change, food security, disaster mitigation and response, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management for sustainable development. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

In the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns such as Alex Litvin are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of plant growth research for food production in space. Litvin is pursuing doctorate in horticulture at Iowa State University. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.

Sally Scalera, urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Brevard Extension Office, presents some sustainable tips and tricks for a healthy yard and garden to Kennedy Space Center employees on April 24, 2019. Held inside the Florida spaceport’s Space Station Processing Facility Conference Center, Scalera also provided information on Florida-friendly landscaping practices. The lunch and learn was available for employees to attend as part of Kennedy’s Earth Day events.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson meets with USAID Administrator Samantha Power and staff prior to signing a NASA-USAID Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The MoU will enhance and expand the Agencies’ longstanding partnership that promotes science and technology solutions to address international development challenges in areas such as global health, climate change, food security, disaster mitigation and response, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management for sustainable development. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

ISS011-E-05163 (17 April 2005) --- Astronaut John L. Phillips, Expedition 11 NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer, poses for a photo with the ISS wet/dry vacuum cleaner assembly he used to catch floating debris from the top of a food can in the Unity node of the International Space Station (ISS).

In the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, student interns such as Emma Boehm, left, and Jessica Scotten are joining agency scientists, contributing in the area of plant growth research for food production in space. Boehm is pursuing a degree in ecology and evolution at the University of Minnesota. Scotten is majoring in microbiology at Oregon State University. The agency attracts its future workforce through the NASA Internship, Fellowships and Scholarships, or NIFS, Program.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson meets with USAID Administrator Samantha Power and staff prior to signing a NASA-USAID Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The MoU will enhance and expand the Agencies’ longstanding partnership that promotes science and technology solutions to address international development challenges in areas such as global health, climate change, food security, disaster mitigation and response, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management for sustainable development. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Sally Scalera, urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Brevard Extension Office, presents some sustainable tips and tricks for a healthy yard and garden to Kennedy Space Center employees on April 24, 2019. Held inside the Florida spaceport’s Space Station Processing Facility Conference Center, Scalera also provided information on Florida-friendly landscaping practices. The lunch and learn was available for employees to attend as part of Kennedy’s Earth Day events.

Alan Lindenmoyer, program manager, NASA's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program, talks during a press conference held after the successful launch of the Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket, with the Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. Cygnus is on its way to rendezvous with the space station. The spacecraft will deliver about 1,300 pounds (589 kilograms) of cargo, including food and clothing, to the Expedition 37 crew. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Alan Lindenmoyer, program manager, NASA's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program, talks during a press conference held after the successful launch of the Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket, with the Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. Cygnus is on its way to rendezvous with the space station. The spacecraft will deliver about 1,300 pounds (589 kilograms) of cargo, including food and clothing, to the Expedition 37 crew. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson meets with USAID Administrator Samantha Power and staff prior to signing a NASA-USAID Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The MoU will enhance and expand the Agencies’ longstanding partnership that promotes science and technology solutions to address international development challenges in areas such as global health, climate change, food security, disaster mitigation and response, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management for sustainable development. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

iss050e053700 (03/01/2017) --- Shane Kimbrough of NASA (left), Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) (middle) and Peggy Whitson of NASA (right) juggle some of the newly arrived fruit aboard the International Space Station. The fresh food was delivered on SpaceX’s tenth commercial resupply mission along with more than 5,600 pounds of supplies, science experiments and vehicle hardware.

Employees stop by the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences booth at Kennedy Space Center’s annual Earth Day celebration. The two-day event featured approximately 50 exhibitors offering information on a variety of topics, including electric vehicles, sustainable lighting, renewable energy, Florida-friendly landscaping tips, Florida’s biking trails and more.

iss071e612592 (Sept. 6, 2024) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Tracy C. Dyson conducts research maintenance on the Fluids Science Laboratory including removing samples from the Soft Matter Dynamics experiment. The space physics investigation is exploring how microgravity affects foams and emulsions potentially benefitting a variety of Earth and space industries such as fire safety, pharmaceuticals, food, and more.

S73-31973 (August 1973) --- Scientist-astronaut Owen K. Garriott, Skylab 3 science pilot, looks at a map of Earth at the food table in the ward room of the Orbital Workshop (OWS). In this photographic reproduction taken from a television transmission made by a color TV camera aboard the Skylab space station cluster in Earth orbit. Photo credit: NASA

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson meets with USAID Administrator Samantha Power and staff prior to signing a NASA-USAID Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The MoU will enhance and expand the Agencies’ longstanding partnership that promotes science and technology solutions to address international development challenges in areas such as global health, climate change, food security, disaster mitigation and response, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management for sustainable development. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Frank Culbertson, executive vice president, Orbital Sciences Corporation, talks during a press conference held after the successful launch of the Antares rocket, with the Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013, NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. Cygnus is on its way to rendezvous with the space station. The spacecraft will deliver about 1,300 pounds (589 kilograms) of cargo, including food and clothing, to the Expedition 37 crew. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

iss061e033363 (Nov. 7, 2019) --- Mizuna mustard greens are growing aboard the International Space Station to demonstrate the feasibility of space agriculture to provide fresh food for crews on deep space missions. The plants are grown under red-to-blue lighting and watered in pillows rather than soil in a specialized botany facility called VEGGIE. Crops are grown, harvested and consumed by astronauts with some samples stowed in science freezers for later analysis as part of the VEG-04 study.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and USAID Administrator Samantha Power participate in a NASA-USAID Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The MoU will enhance and expand the Agencies’ longstanding partnership that promotes science and technology solutions to address international development challenges in areas such as global health, climate change, food security, disaster mitigation and response, biodiversity conservation, and environmental management for sustainable development. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

iss042e046523 (12/16/14) --- Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA is seen here on 16 December 2014 setting up the station’s Microgravity Science Glovebox for the upcoming Micro-5 experiment. Micro-5 will use roundworms as a model organism with the microbe Salmonella typhimurium, which causes food poisoning in humans, to better understand the risks of in-flight infections in space explorers.

Expedition 6 astronaut Dr. Don Pettit photographed a cube shaped wire frame supporting a thin film made from a water-soap solution during his Saturday Morning Science aboard the International Space Station’s (ISS) Destiny Laboratory. Food coloring was added to several faces to observe the effects of diffusion within the film.

S73-20236 (1 March 1973) --- The three members of the prime crew of the first manned Skylab mission dine on specially prepared Skylab space food in the wardroom of the crew quarters of the Skylab Orbital Workshop (OWS) trainer during Skylab training at the Johnson Space Center. They are, left to right, scientist-astronaut Joseph P. Kerwin, science pilot; astronaut Paul J. Weitz, pilot; and astronaut Charles Conrad Jr., commander. Photo credit: NASA

iss069e030677 (July 10, 2023) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen works on the Plant Habitat-03B Science Carrier, a space botany research device, in the International Space Station's Harmony module. The Plant Habitat-03 investigation explores how space-caused DNA changes are transferred from one generation of plants to the next and then continue to accumulate or stabilize. This could provide insight into how to grow repeated generations of crops to provide food and other services on future space missions.

ISS006-E-18405 (19 January 2003) --- View of surface tension demonstration using water that is being held in place by a metal loop. Food coloring has been added to the water for demonstration purposes only. Astronaut Donald R. Pettit, Expedition Six NASA ISS science officer, photographed these demonstrations for educational purposes. The experiment took place in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS).

iss072e308289 (Dec. 2, 2024) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams displays science hardware housing bacteria and yeast samples for the Rhodium Biomanufacturing 03 study that may enable the production of food and medicine in space. Williams was in the cupola, the International Space Station's "window to the world," as the orbital outpost soared 258 miles above a cloudy Pacific Ocean off the coast of Costa Rica.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the opening ceremony for the new program known as SABRE, Space Agricultural Biotechnology Research and Education, key participants gather around the SABRE poster. From left are Robert Ferl, professor in the horticultural sciences department and assistant director of the University of Florida Biotechnology Program, who will direct and be responsible for coordinating the research and education; William Knott, senior scientist in the NASA biological sciences office; U.S. Representative Dave Weldon; Center Director Roy D. Bridges Jr.; and Florida Representative Bob Allen. Involving UF and NASA, SABRE will focus on the discovery, development and application of the biological aspects of advanced life support strategies. The program will include faculty from UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, who will be located at both KSC - in the state-owned Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL) being built there - and UF in Gainesville

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the opening ceremony for the new program known as SABRE, Space Agricultural Biotechnology Research and Education, William Knott speaks to attendees. Knott is senior scientist in the NASA biological sciences office. SABRE is a joint effort of the University of Florida and NASA and will focus on the discovery, development and application of the biological aspects of advanced life support strategies. The program will include faculty from UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, who will be located at both KSC - in the state-owned Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL) being built there - and UF in Gainesville. Robert Ferl, professor in the horticultural sciences department and assistant director of the University of Florida Biotechnology Program, will direct and be responsible for coordinating the research and education.

Howard Levine, at left, chief scientist in the Utilization and Life Sciences Office at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, and Dave Reid, a project manager with Techshot, discuss continuing research on growing food in space, as the Veggie Passive Orbital Nutrient Delivery System (PONDS) experiment tests a new way to deliver nutrients to plants. PONDS is one of the experiments that will be aboard a Dragon spacecraft scheduled for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 at 4:30 p.m. EST, on April 2, 2018. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the company's 14th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the space station.

iss071e439623 (Aug. 7, 2024) -- Rhodium science chambers are pictured prior to storage in an ambient locker location aboard the International Space Station. The Swinburne Youth Space Innovation Challenge 2023 Examining Mushroom Growth in Microgravity, or Rhodium Microgravity Mycelium investigation, tests the growth rates of mycelia, the root structures of mushrooms, in space. Microgravity can alter the growth rates of other organisms and understanding how it affects mycelium growth rate and biomass production could provide insight into growth characteristics of fungi. Mushrooms have recognized nutritional value and results could lead to more efficient mushroom growth and new strains of mushrooms as potential food sources for space travel and for research on Earth.