Gardeners of the Galaxy

In 2021, One Giant Leap Australia sent golden wattle seeds into space, as part of a nationwide STEM project to explore "What'll Happen to the Wattle??!". In this episode, Emma the Space Gardener talks to Jackie Carpenter about how the seeds got to space, and then back home again, and what's next for the space-flown wattle seeds.   Sign up for the Gardeners of the Galaxy: MIssion Report newsletter...

In this episode, Emma the Space Gardener talks to Mission Specialist Susan Young. Susan's new book, "Growing Beans: A Diet for Healthy People and Planet" aims to get us to look beyond green beans, as growing and eating shelled beans - fresh and dried - has numerous benefits for us and our home planet.    Sign up for the Gardeners of the Galaxy: MIssion Report newsletter to get new episode alerts a...

If you've ever carried out a research project, you know how hard it can be to find the relevant scientific papers. The SALAD (Space Agriculture Laboratory Analysis Database project aims to make astrobotany research widely accessible. By linking research papers according to their plants, spacecraft missions, and other details, SALAD compiles astrobotany research in one central location. In this epi...

Watering plants in space is a bit tricky, and something NASA is still working on. In this episode, Emma the Space Gardener explores one of the designs they've been perfecting. The Passive Orbital Nutrient Delivery System (PONDS) is a Tupperware-based upgrade to the Veggie growing system.  Sign up for the Gardeners of the Galaxy: MIssion Report newsletter to get new episode alerts and bonus astrobo...

An extraordinary apple tree in a garden in Lincolnshire is 400 years old. It inspired Sir Isaac Newton to think about gravity, and in 2015 British astronaut Tim Peake took its pips into space. In this episode, Emma the Space Gardener talks with Jeremy Curtis, Head of Education and Skills at the UK Space Agency, about sending Newton's apple seeds into space. She finds out what's happened to the spa...

Getting a plant payload into space is rarely straightforward. In this episode, Emma the Space Gardener chats with Dr Carl Carruthers, who started out sending his own research projects into space and then became Chief Scientist at Nanoracks. There he worked on projects to send palm tree seeds to the International Space Station for the UAE, and to design a kit to turn school kids into space farmers....

We all know that spaceflight is tricky, and after 18 months of hearing about some amazing astrobotany successes, in this episode, Emma the Space Gardener looks into some space plant experiments that didn't quite go according to plan. An astrobotanical blooper reel, if you like.    Sign up to the Gardeners of the Galaxy newsletter for new episode alerts and bonus content: https://emmadoughty.substa...

In this episode, Emma the Space Gardener talks to Vertical Veg Man Mark Ridsdill Smith, an expert on small space gardening on Earth. Small space gardening shares many of the same constraints facing space gardeners, although harvesting runner beans up a ladder isn't one of them! Sign up to the Gardeners of the Galaxy newsletter for new episode alerts and bonus content: https://emmadoughty.substack....

Join Emma the Space Gardener as she talks to Dr Wieger Wamelink about how he became a space farmer, his experiments growing plants on Moon and Mars soil simulants, the importance of developing off-world ecosystems, and whether we can bring pet chickens to Mars! Sign up to the Gardeners of the Galaxy newsletter for new episode alerts and bonus content: https://emmadoughty.substack.com/  

In episode 35, Emma the Space Gardener explores why bioregenerative life support systems are things we only see in the movies, and how far NASA has come in its quest to build a space salad machine. Sign up to the Gardeners of the Galaxy newsletter for new episode alerts and bonus content: https://emmadoughty.substack.com/  

Luke Fountain joins Emma the Space Gardener to talk about the different ways plants use nitrogen. Luke is investigating two different processes in the nitrogen cycle, and his work could help us to grow crops more sustainably on Earth - and have applications in space! Luke is also part of the team working on the SpaCEA Space Foam Crop Growth Challenge, which will turn everyday citizens into Earth-b...

Hello, Gardeners of the Galaxy! Just in time for Halloween, Emma the Space Gardener presents a truly terrifying episode, involving our gardening nemesis. When you learn just how many snails have been sent to space, you'll be horrified! 🐌 🚀 (And they're not the only pests to have made it into space 😱.)   Sign up to the Gardeners of the Galaxy newsletter for new episode alerts and bonus content:h...

There's growing evidence that gardening on Earth has both physical and mental benefits. However, so far there has been little research into the psychological benefits of gardening in space. In this episode, Emma the Space Gardener explores anecdotal evidence that suggests we should ensure long-duration space missions pack a greenhouse module, and takes a peek at an ongoing study into whether growi...

Lori Waters from Magnitude.io joins Emma the Space Gardener to talk about the Exolab experiments that have sent intrepid leguminauts into space, the student researchers involved in the ground control experiments, and her experiences as an analog astronaut. Sign up to the Gardeners of the Galaxy newsletter for new episode alerts and bonus content: https://emmadoughty.substack.com/

In this episode, Emma the Space Gardener talks with Dr Christina Johnson, who works with microgreens at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. She explains the benefits and challenges of growing microgreens in orbit, and what it's going to take to get them onto astronaut menus. Sign up to the Gardeners of the Galaxy newsletter for new episode alerts and bonus content: https://emmadoughty.substack.com/

Prof Mark Weislogel from Portland State University joins Emma the Space Gardener to explore engineering solutions to the challenge of watering plants in space. Sign up to the Gardeners of the Galaxy newsletter for new episode alerts and bonus content: https://emmadoughty.substack.com/

Join Emma the Space Gardener on the Tiangong space station to learn about China's botanical experiments in space, and why Chinese consumers are eagerly awaiting rice from heaven. Plus - what was the first plant grown in space? Sign up to the Gardeners of the Galaxy newsletter for new episode alerts and bonus content: https://emmadoughty.substack.com/

Gardeners of the Galaxy has completed its first solar orbit! Join Emma the Space Gardener for a birthday celebration and learn how GotG got started, hear the story of a space plants experiment you'll never forget, and find out which plant Emma would choose to take into space. Sign up to the Gardeners of the Galaxy newsletter for new episode alerts and bonus content: https://emmadoughty.substack.co...

Join Emma the Space Gardener in the Gardeners of the Galaxy time machine to learn about the time that NASA encouraged schoolchildren all over the world to grow killer mutant space tomatoes. That can't be right, can it? Sign up to the Gardeners of the Galaxy newsletter for new episode alerts and bonus content: https://emmadoughty.substack.com/

How will we pollinate plants in space? Join Emma the Space Gardener to discover why future space crops will need pollination, and how that might be achieved. And learn the history of bees in space, and whether our buzzy friends will be joining us on future space missions. Sign up to the Gardeners of the Galaxy newsletter for new episode alerts and bonus content: https://emmadoughty.substack.com/

NASA will soon be growing chillies on the International Space Station. Jacob Torres joins Emma the Space Gardener to talk New Mexico chiles in space, his Space Chile Challenge citizen science project, and more! Sign up to the Gardeners of the Galaxy newsletter for new episode alerts and bonus content: https://emmadoughty.substack.com/

In 2020, Morgan Irons made space exploration history when she sent the first Earth soils to the International Space Station. Morgan joins Emma the Space Gardener to talk about the importance of soil structure on Earth, why she sent soil into space, and how we might develop living soils on Mars.

Thirty years ago, Helen Sharman blasted off on her Project Juno mission, becoming the first British astronaut and the first women to visit the Mir space station. Join Emma the Space Gardener to discover how Helen was chosen for the mission, the plants she grew on Mir, and what happened to the pansy seeds she took into space.

In the Hi-Seas habitat in Hawaii, analog astronauts take part in simulated space missions. Ben Greaves joins Emma the Space Gardener to talk about the isolation, the dehydrated diet, and his experiment growing microgreens in space-age hydrogel.

Can sending vines into space help wine production on Earth? Nicholas Gaume and Dr Michael Lebert from Space Cargo Unlimited join Emma the Space Gardener to discuss Mission WISE, and why they've sent both wine and vines to the International Space Station.