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The chimpanzees awarded to the Center for Captive Chimpanzee Care are direct descendants of those who
paved the way for human space travel. The most famous of these descendants is Ham, the first chimp in space,
who preceded Alan Shepard's inaugural manned space slight. CCCC's chimpanzees range in age from 6 to 40
years old. The oldest is Hanzie who was born in Africa right around the time Jane Goodall began her study of
chimpanzees. The youngest is Lil' Mini whose mother died last year. Minnie was used in the original Project
Mercury tests including zero gravity testing. Mercury "couch" training – the chair Ham and Enos (the second
chimpanzee in space) were strapped into during their space flights. Enos' flight was a full dress rehearsal for the
space flight that would carry it into orbit.
14. AGRICULTURE DEVELOPS ROOTS IN SPACE
The $60 billion-plus International Space Station is allowing scientists and other researchers to explore and
develop food production systems in space that will enable sustained life support systems. Termed astroculture,
these studies hold clues for increasing and sustaining Earth's environmental and public health.
Crops in Space? Absolutely... especially if people are to travel for months and years to other worlds and
systems. It would be impossible, for instance, to send along enough food and water for a team of space explor-
ers on a mission to Mars.
The reality is food and water production over a full life cycle is essential for extended space exploration.
But more importantly, space offers extraordinary possibilities for increasing the yield and vitality of food
production on Earth and for the generation of self-sustaining life support systems wherever people may live.
Astronauts have been trying to grow plants in space since the early days of space exploration. When the
Apollo astronauts explored the Moon, scientists attempted to grow seeds in the lunar soil that was returned to
Earth. But with the establishment of the Russian space station Mir and the International Space Station com-
pleted last March, agriculture in space took on new dimensions.
Despite all of Mir's technical challenges, the space station delivered the first wheat crop ever grown and
harvested in space, thanks to a special Bulgarian-built greenhouse that created the right conditions for growth.
Thus, a new age of food production in space was born, and scientists began to see how space technology can
positively impact many of Earth's environmental problems.
An advanced AstroCulture plant growth unit is helping scientists gain new insights about how to improve
food products including crop production.
Astroculture, as trademarked by NASA, is a pioneering science that connects people directly with the ele-
ments essential to the web of life that depend on healthy, natural processes. Whereas on Earth, the processes for
healthy life are naturally occurring, systems have to be put in place for these same processes to occur in space.
And NASA is well along in the study of creating these bioregenerative life support systems capable of indefi-
nitely supporting human and plant life.
The lack of gravity is essential for plants to develop strong rooting, sunlight, available nutrients, insects
(for cross pollination), controlled climate and clean water are all challenges for astroculture. Bioregenerative
support systems take all of these vital elements into consideration.
First of all, humans and plants are ideal companions in space and on Earth.
People breathe air and produce carbon dioxide, and plants consume the carbon dioxide to produce oxygen.
Humans can also consume edible plants or plant parts for sustenance. This produces waste by-products, which
can be broken down to supply nourishment for plants.
Given this unique relationship between plants and humans, all that is left for consideration is the supply of
energy, regeneration of clean water and the effect of gravity to make it all work. Energy, which must be highly
efficient, is provided in the form of light. And clean water comes from re-occurring and self-sustaining natural
cleaning and filtration systems inherent to regenerative life support systems.
A space greenhouse creates energy from light sources, which must be as efficient as possible to reduce en-
ergy demands. Here, wheat is growing under Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), which are generally used in to-
day's consumer electronics.
LEDs save energy by only releasing light in frequencies that plants can use for photosynthesis.
