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Massa, Gioia D.

Publications and source records attributed to Massa, Gioia D..

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2020

VEG-04: The Effects of Light Quality on Mizuna Mustard Growth, Nutritional Composition, and Organoleptic Acceptability for a Space Diet

Growing fresh, nutritious, palatable produce for crew consumption during spaceflight may provide health-promoting, bioavailable nutrients and enhance the astronaut dietary experience as we move toward longer-duration missions. Tending plants may also serve as a countermeasure for crew psychological stresses associated with spaceflight. However, requirements to support consistent growth of a variety of high quality, nutritious crops under spaceflight environmental conditions remain unclear. This study explores the potential to grow crops for consumption on the International Space Station (ISS) using the Veggie vegetable-production system. VEG-04A and B were two flight tests conducted in 2019 with the leafy green crop mizuna mustard. Mizuna was grown in two Veggie chambers simultaneously, with the chambers set to different red-to-blue light formulations; one Veggie was programmed as "red-rich" and the second as "blue-rich." Light quality is known to impact plant growth, nutrition, microbiology, and organoleptic characteristics on Earth, and the Veggie flight tests examined how these impacts might differ in microgravity. VEG-04A, a 35-day growth test with a single harvest, was initiated in June and harvested in July 2019. At harvest, the astronauts froze half of the edible plant tissue to return to Earth and weighed the remaining half using the Mass Measurement Device (MMD). Weighed samples were then cleaned with produce-sanitizing wipes, and consenting crew members participated in organoleptic evaluation of the fresh produce. The remaining sanitized produce was available for crew consumption as desired. Frozen flight samples were returned at the end of August for microbial and chemical analyses to assess food safety and nutritional quality. No pathogens were detected on VEG-04A flight or ground control samples. On average, bacterial and fungal counts were significantly lower on ground control samples than flight samples. VEG-04B, a 56-day test with multiple harvests from the same plants, assessed sustained productivity. VEG-04B was initiated in October 2019 with three harvests at four, six, and eight weeks after initiation. Challenges with the watering program occurred early during VEG-04A, and several plants failed to survive in both the flight and ground control operations. Thus, prior to VEG-04B, an extra test was conducted to tailor water timing and volumes. This test determined that mizuna grew best if the wicks inside the plant pillow were allowed to dry after plants germinated, reducing persistent water around the stem. The wicks changed from being a conduit for water out of the plant pillow to being a conduit for air into the root zone. This test allowed a fine tuning of methods for VEG-04B. It is our hope that these tests on ISS will help mitigate the risk of an inadequate food supply for long-duration missions by adding fresh vegetables to the crew diet. This research was co-funded by the Human Research Program and Space Biology (MTL#1075) in the ILSRA 2015 NRA call.

Massa, Gioia D.↗
NASA NTRS2019

How Does Water Delivery System Design Impact the Microbial Load of Salad Crops?

In a microgravity setting, such as the environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS), an ideal plant water delivery system is one that can grow edible crops with minimal resource consumption and minimal risk to crew members. There are also concerns associated with the ability to control fluid escape and biofilm formation resulting in potential dangers to systems, crops, or crewmembers. To identify an appropriate system, candidate systems were assembled and operated under simulated ISS environmental conditions (T,CO2,and RH) with red romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa cultivar 'Outredgeous') as a model crop. Fluid reservoirs and randomly selected planting sites were sampled every seven days until maturity at which point edible plant biomass and root samples were also taken. Heterotrophic bacteria and fungi growth patterns throughout each planting cycle were determined by plate counts on appropriate agar media. The candidate systems were compared to a classic hydroponics system as a control and harvested crops were compared to controls as well as Veggie-grown and market produce. Plants harvested from candidate systems yielded lower average heterotrophic bacteria and fungi per gram of plant mass levels when compared to market and Veggie samples as well as those from the control system. Additional studies to evaluate the system sanitation regimen as well as testing additional crops should be considered to aid in the selection of an ideal system.

Curry, Aaron B.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Plant Microbiomes May Provide Vital Information to Plant Success

Plant associated microbiomes, the rhizosphere and phyllosphere, are composed of communities of bacteria and fungi that may be mutualistic or pathogenic. These communities have the potential to influence plant health and development and can affect plant growth. Crop plants are being investigated as a fresh and safe supplement to astronauts’ diet and it is critical to understand and characterize these microbial communities. Multi-species crops, Mizuna mustard (Brassica rapa var japonica), ‘Outredgeous’ red romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa), and Waldman’s Green lettuce (Lactuca sativa) were grown in two Veggie units on the International Space Station (ISS) for three grow outs in various combinations of plant types. Upon harvest, plant and pillow samples were frozen and returned to Earth for analysis. Bacterial and fungal community analyses for plant leaf and root, as well as pillow components, wick and media, were completed using next generation sequencing with the goal of surveying the composition of the entire community and identifying any potential pathogens. Bacteria were identified using the 16S rRNA gene whereas, fungi were identified with the internal transcribed spacer (ITS). The community composition for these three crops was compared between crop types and between plant tissue types. It is vital to mission success for the short term and long term to add nutritious, safe to eat vegetables providing a supplement to the crew members’ dietary requirements as well as to develop planning for deep space missions as we reach for the moon and on to Mars. Veggie technology validation tests were supported by NASA’s Space Biology Program.

Khodadad, Christina L.↗
NASA NTRS2019

A Multidisciplinary Modeling Approach of Plant Gas Exchange in Reduced Gravity Environments

In-situ food production is a necessary step for human exploration of the solar system and requires a deep understanding of plant growth in reduced gravity environments. In particular, the lack of buoyancy-driven convection changes the gas exchange at the leaf surface, which decreases photosynthesis and transpiration rates, and ultimately biomass production. To understand the intricate relations between physical, chemical, and biochemical processes, the following methodology combines the development of a mechanistic model of plant growth in reduced gravity environments, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, and experiments in different time frames.The model presented here is a coupled mass and energy balance using the single round leaf assumption, including gravity as an entry parameter, and the leaf surface temperature as an output variable. Measures of the leaf surface temperature using infra-red cameras allow for a computation of the transpiration rate. This approach was followed to design a parabolic flight experiment, which performed 7 flights, and enabled data collection for model validation in different gravity and ventilation settings on a short time frame. Current measures of carbon assimilation and transpiration rate at the leaf and canopy level using an infra-red gas analyzer (Li-6800) in 1g lab conditions on several species will enable a validation on longer time frames and further calibration of the model. CFD studies both on the parabolic flight and on the lab experimental set-up allow the precise assessment of ventilation above the canopy and plants' leaves.Ultimately, this work will provide recommendations for the design of future plant growth hardware, especially on the lowest adequate ventilation for optimal plant growth in reduced gravity environments, as well as assessing biomass and oxygen production rates on planetary surfaces and space stations. This work was funded by CNES, CNRS, Clermont Auvergne Metropole, and NASA Space Biology through NASA postdoctoral program / USRA.

Poulet, Lucie↗
NASA NTRS2019

VEG-04: the Effects of Light Quality on Mizuna Mustard Growth, Nutritional Composition, and Organoleptic Acceptability for a Space Diet

Space crop production will be important in future long duration exploration missions to supplement the packaged diet with fresh bioactive nutrients. Plant care and the addition of fresh veggies to the diet may also have a role in astronaut well-being. Pick-and-eat salad crops are the best candidates for this near-term supplementation since they require minimal processing or preparation to add to meals. While light quality can strongly influence plant responses on Earth, the impacts of light quality on plant growth and composition in spaceflight remain unclear. The VEG-04 experiment uses two Veggie plant growth chambers on the International Space Station to simultaneously test different red: blue light ratios on the growth of Mizuna mustard, a leafy green salad crop. In addition to plant health and yield, the composition of key nutrients is assessed. Astronauts conduct on-board organoleptic evaluation of the fresh produce. Microbial food safety of returned produce is examined, and a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan has been developed for this crop. VEG-04 consists of two experiments, one lasting 28 days with a single harvest, and the second lasting 56 days, with three cut-and-come-again harvests. These different scenarios provide an opportunity to test two production concepts, examine different fertilizers, monitor microbial changes over time for this crop, and assess potential impacts of interacting with plants on crew behavioral health and performance in spaceflight operations. In ground testing, plant growth was not significantly different across the different light treatments, however nutrient composition did differ significantly. Flight test results will be compared with ground data. This research was co-funded by NASA's Human Research Program and Space Biology in the ILSRA 2015 NRA call.

Massa, Gioia D.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Autonomy and Robotics Workshop in Support of Space Crop Production

This presentation will be an introduction and overview of space crop production needs, goals, and challenges in the areas of robotics and automation for the workshop Aug. 6-7, 2019 at Kennedy Space Center. This presentation will be used to start the workshop and set the direction.

Fritsche, Ralph F.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Does Seed Sanitization Affect the Plant Rhizosphere Microbiome and Its Ability to Compete with the Human Associated Pathogen, E. coli on Salad Crops?

Cultivation of crops in controlled environmental agricultural systems may limit microbial colonization and reduce diversity of the microbial communities. Practices like seed and growth medium sanitization may further impact microbial communities in the mature plant and the plant’s capacity to limit the growth of pathogens through competition. As humans expand their travels to space, understanding plant growth, health, and development in closed environments will be critical to the success of producing a safe, supplemental food source for astronauts. To determine the persistence of a potential human pathogen in plant growth and development, sanitized and unsanitized seeds from, mizuna (Brassica rapa var japonica) and red romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa cultivar ‘Outredgeous’), were inoculated with Escherichia coli, ATCC 21445, germinated under simulated International Space Station (ISS) environmental conditions and harvested every 7 days until maturity. The persistence of E. coli in the rhizosphere was determined by plating on selective media, real time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) and community sequencing of the rhizosphere communities. E. coli was detected in the crops’ roots and leaves for several weeks post germination. At day 28, plants from sanitized seeds had significantly higher counts of E. coli on the roots than those from unsanitized seeds. E. coli was also detected on a few uninoculated plants indicating airborne cross contamination among plants in the same growth chamber and suggesting an influence of the natural microbiome on human pathogen survival and persistence in leafy greens. Sequencing analysis revealed variations in composition and diversity between the communities. Understanding the microbial community of the rhizospheric microbiome is only the first step in determining the relationships between plants. Additional studies to include genotypic and phenotypic variations in the plants should be considered to determine if the natural microbes in the rhizosphere may contribute to the health and therefore, safety of the edible plants.

Khodadad, Christina L. M.↗
NASA NTRS2019

New Frontiers in Food Production Beyond LEO

New technologies will be needed as mankind moves towards exploration of cislunar space, the Moon and Mars. Although many advances in our understanding of the effects of spaceflight on plant growth have been achieved in the last 40 years, spaceflight plant growth systems have been primarily designed to support space biology studies. Recently, the need for a sustainable and robust food system for future missions beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) has identified gaps in current technologies for food production. The goal is to develop safe and sustainable food production systems with reduced resupply mass and crew time compared to current systems.

Monje Mejia, Oscar A.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Survival of E. Coli in the Rhizosphere and Phyllosphere of Leafy Greens Grown in Controlled Environment Chambers Under International Space Station Conditions

NASA's mission for manned long- duration space exploration drives the research for crop selection to provide a nutritious and safe supplement to an astronaut's diet. Understanding plant growth, health, and the associated microbial communities in closed environments will be critical to the success of this mission. Cultivation of crops in closed controlled environment agricultural systems may limit microbial colonization and reduce diversity of the microbial communities. Furthermore, practices like seed and growth medium sanitization may impact microbial communities in the mature plant and the capacity to limit the growth of food borne pathogens through competition.

Hummerick, Mary E.↗
NASA NTRS2019

NCERA-101 Station Report from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA (April 2019)

This is our annual "station report" of activities related to controlled environment research to the North Central Education Research Activity (NCERA-101) committee. The committee is sponsored the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Kennedy Space Center has participated in this committee for over 30 years.

Plant↗
NASA NTRS2019

Researching Plant Growth in Amended Martian Regolith Simulant, Photosynthetic Rates of Plants, Seed Surface Decontamination by Plasma Methods, New Crop Development, and Porous Concrete Media

Plant growth research for food production at Kennedy Space Center looks at how future residents of Mars and the Moon will enjoy the sight, smell, taste, and nutrition of plants. Overall, the goal is to provide a sustainable source of healthy food, on long-duration space flights, so astronauts can get the nutrition they need and produce food. The sustainable production of food will aid in the efforts of closed life support. Plants have a vital application for bio regenerative life support as demands for food and oxygen can be provided through photosynthesis, while the carbon dioxide from human respiration is removed. Transpiration is also used in life support processes as waste water that can be recycled through plant systems with the resultant humidity then condensed as clean water. Selected crops will provide the nutrient requirements needed for long duration space flight. Currently, projects in food production are investigating how plants grow in Martian regolith simulant, new crops testing with tomato and pepper cultivars, acquiring real-time photosynthetic data on crops, assessing plant growth in porous concrete media, and the use of plasma for surface decontamination of seeds.

food production↗
NASA NTRS2019

Leafy Greens Grown on the International Space Station May Provide a Nutritious Supplement to Astronauts' Diet

Supplemental safe food production has been an essential goal of NASA to meet the nutritional needs of astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) as well as for future long duration missions to the moon and beyond. Food crops grown in space experience different environmental conditions than plants grown on Earth (i.e. microgravity and spaceflight physical sciences impacts). To test the growth methods and effects of the space environment, red romaine lettuce Lactuca sativa cv. 'Outredgeous', was grown in Veggie plant growth chambers on the ISS. Microbiological food safety of the plants grown on the ISS was determined by heterotrophic plate counts to assess total microbial load for bacteria and fungi as well as screening for specific pathogens and isolate identification. Molecular characterization was completed using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to provide valuable information on the taxonomic composition and community structure of the plant microbiome. Chemical analyses of plant tissue were conducted to understand spaceflight-induced changes in key elements in the space diet, phenolics, anthocyanin levels, and Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), a measure of antioxidant capacity. Three growth tests of red romaine lettuce were completed on ISS, VEG-01A, VEG-01B, and VEG-03A. Plants were harvested using two harvest methods, either a single terminal harvest (after 33 days) or cut-and-come-again repetitive harvesting (64 days total growth). Ground controls were grown simultaneously with a delay to accommodate condition monitoring and replication. A comparison of the plant tissue returned to Earth showed leaves from the second grow-out had significantly higher bacterial counts than the preceding or subsequent growth test or any of the ground controls. Fungal counts were significantly higher on the final cut-and-come-again harvest of the third grow out. None of the potential foodborne pathogens that were screened for were detected. Bacterial and fungal isolate identification and community characterization indicated similar diversity between VEG-01A and VEG-01B growth tests, however, there appeared to be subtle differences in diversity and distribution among the three growth tests. Chemical analysis of plant tissue revealed significant variation in a few elemental data, but variation in levels of phenolics, anthocyanins, and ORAC was not significantly different. This study indicated that leafy vegetable crops could safely provide an edible supplement to astronauts' diet, and our analysis provided baseline data for continual operation of the Veggie plant growth units on ISS. This research was funded by NASA's space biology program.

Food Production↗
NASA NTRS2018

Vegetable Production Systems Component Tests

As long-term spaceflight missions become ever more imminent, astronaut nutrition and diet require further investigation and development. Dehydrated or stabilized food sources are currently used for spaceflight, but growing fresh produce aboard spacecraft can potentially supplement the astronauts’ diets. Further, having astronauts work with plants while in space can provide psychological benefits by serving as a tangible passage of time and representing a living component aboard an otherwise mechanical environment. As spaceflight duration will lengthen as missions head back to the Moon and to Mars, having the ability and knowledge to grow fresh produce will become even more vital. The following experiments were conducted in the late summer and fall of 2018. The purpose of these studies were to examine potential off-gas from a system component that could potentially inhibit plant germination, optimizing lighting methods and protocol for mizuna production, determining a fertilizer method that best promotes healthy mizuna yields, and troubleshooting tomato production for the next generation of the Vegetable Production System.

international space station↗
NASA NTRS2017

Plant Growth Optimization by Vegetable Production System in HI-SEAS Analog Habitat

The Vegetable Production System (Veggie) is a scientific payload designed to support plant growth for food production under microgravity conditions. The configuration of Veggie consists of an LED lighting system with modular rooting pillows designed to contain substrate media and time-release fertilizer. The pillows were designed to be watered passively using capillary principles but have typically been watered manually by the astronauts in low-Earth orbit (LEO). The design of Veggie allows cabin air to be drawn through the plant enclosure for thermal and humidity control and for supplying CO2 to the plants. Since its delivery to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2014, Veggie has undergone several experimental trials by various crews. Ground unit testing of Veggie was conducted during an 8-month Mars analog study in a semi-contained environment of a simulated habitat located at approximately 8,200 feet (2,500 m) elevation on the Mauna Loa volcano on the Island of Hawaii. The Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) offered conditions (habitat, mission, communications, etc.) intended to simulate a planetary exploration mission. This paper provides data and analyses to show the prospect for optimized use of the current Veggie design for human habitats. Lessons learned during the study may provide opportunities for updating the system design and operational parameters for current Veggie experiments being conducted onboard the ISS and for payloads on future deep space missions.

Ehrlich, Joshua W.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Identification of Fungal Colonies on Ground Control and Flight Veggie Plant Pillows

The Veggie system focuses on growing fresh produce that can be harvested and consumed by astronauts. The microbial colonies in each Veggie experiment are evaluated to determine the safety level of the produce and then differences between flight and ground samples. The identifications of the microbial species can detail risks or benefits to astronaut and plant health. Each Veggie ground or flight experiment includes six plants grown from seeds that are glued into wicks in Teflon pillows filled with clay arcillite and fertilizer. Fungal colonies were isolated from seed wicks, growth media, and lettuce (cv. 'Outredgeous') roots grown in VEG-01B pillows on ISS and in corresponding ground control pillows grown in controlled growth chambers. The colonies were sorted by morphology and identified using MicroSeq(TM) 500 16s rDNA Bacterial Identification System and BIOLOG GEN III MicroPlate(TM). Health risks for each fungal identification were then assessed using literature sources. The goal was to identify all the colonies isolated from flight and ground control VEG-01B plants, roots, and rooting medium and compare the resulting identifications.

Scotten, Jessica E.↗
NASA NTRS2017

FY 2017 Center Innovation Fund Annual Report - Highlights/Abstract section

This project evaluated the feasibility of low pressure cold plasma (CP) for two applications: disinfection of produce grown in space and sterilization of medical equipment in space. Currently there is no ISS capability for disinfecting pick and eat crops, food utensils, food production areas, or medical devices. This deficit is extended to projected long duration missions. Small, portable, cold plasma devices would provide an enhanced benefit to crew health and address issues concerning microbial cross contamination. The technology would contribute to the reduction of solid waste since currently crews utilize benzalkonium chloride wet wipes for cleaning surfaces and might use PRO-SAN wipes for cleaning vegetables. CP cleaning/disinfection/sterilization can work on many surfaces, including all metals, most polymers, and this project evaluated produce. Therefore CP provides a simple system that has many different cleaning application in space: produce, medical equipment, cutlery, miscellaneous tools.

plant growt↗