ALS Crop Experimentation

The NASA Advanced Life-Support (ALS) program element has tentatively selected a number of staple and salad crops to include in an advanced life support system. Our research includes work in conjunction with Dr. Lisa Mauer and Dr. Desmond Mortley studying the effects of Sweetpotato cultivation on yield, nutrition, and space utilization efficiency. Also, we are growing a variety of crops for other research groups within the NSCORT studying exotic mushroom production or tilapia production from plant waste and waste-processing residue from inedible biomass. We grow a number of ALS target crops including peanuts, cowpeas, soybeans, salad greens, herbs, strawberries, carrots, and an assortment of dwarf crops produced for growth in a space environment in the Crop Physiology Lab of Utah State University.