Professor's research out in space

Joining the payload of the seven astronauts on board last week's launch of the space shuttle Discovery, IU biology professor Roger Hangarter's research now is orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 250 statue miles above the Earth and carries implications that may carry mankind much farther into space than that. \nIn collaboration with Miami University of Ohio professor John Kiss, who served as the principal investigator for the project, Hangarter is investigating the effects of gravity and light signals on plant growth. He said this could lead to breakthroughs in creating sustainable plant-based food and an oxygen source for future long-distance manned space flights. \n"If we are going to send human flights to Mars, we can only do that if they grow their own food," Hangarter said. "This experiment should yield information that may be very successful for that in the future." \nThe experiment -- only one of two research projects Discovery took aboard that will be conducted on the International Space Station -- consists of dried Arabidopsis seeds that were put inside a special chamber designed by NASA engineers to ensure its safe arrival to the ISS. Once transferred into its new home on the space station, the seeds are then put into an advanced biological incubator made by the European Space Agency that features computerized temperature and light controls, Hangarter said. \nIn order to compare how the plant will react to the near-zero gravity on the space station, Hangarter said the control plant for the experiment will rest in a spinning centrifuge that will simulate Earth's natural g-force. \nOne of the benefits of the project is it requires very little attention from the science specialist aboard the space station. Hangarter said data will be automatically sent back in real time to Earth via video cameras. In addition the lights and temperature controls are computer automated to turn on and off and various times, as are other variables within the incubator. \n"The specialist who is overseeing it will keep an eye on it and then just terminate it when the project's done," he said. "It was designed with the NASA engineers so that the specialist doesn't have to do too much, since they are so busy while they're up there." \nAnother aspect the experiment will investigate is how roots orientate themselves on Earth and how much influences of light, rather than just gravity, affect which way the roots grow. \n"In past experiments we have discovered plants grow toward red light as opposed to blue, but in very weak responses," he said, adding that they haven't been able to discover how much this influences growth because gravity is a predominant factor in which way it grows. "Now we will be able to see the red light effect without gravity, and hopefully we will get some responses to see if there is any real relevance whether this affects which way they are growing." \nBesides the ramifications for long-term space missions, Hangarter said the results from the experiments may also provide new information for growing plants on earth and how to maximize growth and space by determining which way the plants should grow. \nOnly part of the experiment went up on the current space flight, Hangarter said. Several other treatments of seeds are scheduled to come up on a future mission. \nWhile Hangarter said they expect the experiment to be concluded by August, the return date of the actual plants is unknown at this time. He said the project will not be completed when the next space shuttle is scheduled to go up, but he hopes it will return on the mission which follows that one. \n"We are not clear when we will get our seedlings back," he said. "You never know these days, with so many delays"