From the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station to the microclimates of Napa Valley, station research impacts many different industries on Earth. The latest video in the Benefits for Humanity series illustrates how solutions for growing crops in space translates to solutions for mold prevention in the wine cellars and other confined spaces of Earth. As NASA plans the Journey to Mars, astronauts will need the capability to grow their own food. Scientists studying crop growth aboard the space station noticed a buildup of a naturally-grown hormone called ethylene within the confined plant growth chambers that was destroying the plants. Through collaboration with the University of Wisconsin, researchers developed an ethylene removal system, called Advanced Astroculture (ADVASC), which was successfully tested on a number of space station missions. It helped to keep the plants alive while also removing viruses, bacteria and mold from the plant growth chamber. This is yet another way the orbiting laboratory is enabling research Off the Earth, For the Earth.

Credit: NASA