Tomatosphere Project
In our quest to travel deeper into space for extended periods, we need to find ways to expand life support provisions in the limited room available in space vehicles. A plant-based life support system may provide part of the solution. Through photosynthesis, plants use light energy to consume carbon dioxide exhaled by humans and return oxygen to the air that is needed for survival. One of the most popular and valuable plants for space applications is the tomato. Tomatoes provide wholesome nourishment and purified water through transpiration from their leaves.
The number of plants that can be grown and the number of people who can be supported for extended time periods, is limited. When a seed — and the plant that grows from it — is assigned to a space mission, it must germinate quickly and successfully and continue to grow as a healthy strong plant with an abundance of fruit. Seeds that don't germinate, plants that are weak and plants that do not grow properly are not contributing to the mission. Weak plants may also become sick and contaminate the controlled environment system.
The Canadian Space Agency needs your help! They need you to take two packages of seeds that they have provided (one has been in space for 22 months and one has not) and answer the question:
Can seeds survive the transit flight from Earth to Mars and still be able to germinate when on Mars?
Tomatosphere project from Ian Hancock on Vimeo.