By:
Tim Lockette (352) 392-1773

Source(s):
Don Poucher (352) 392-0437

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.—With NASA now drafting plans to send humans beyond Earth orbit, Americans are once again imagining what it might be like to travel to the Moon or Mars.

Now the University of Florida is offering reporters a peek at some of the technologies the space agency might use to send humans to their nearest planetary neighbor.

On Dec. 9, researchers from UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences will take reporters on a tour of Kennedy Space Center’s Space Life Sciences Laboratory, where they are working with NASA scientists to develop spaceborne gardens and other technologies to help astronauts deal with long-term space flight.

“UF is uniquely positioned to assist NASA in providing a wide range of life support technologies for future human exploration missions to the Moon and Mars,” said Peggy Evanich, director of UF’s space research programs.

People often think of space flight as an engineering challenge — with thousands of scientists working on new propulsion systems, space suits, and other tools.

But long-term space travel also poses challenges in the life sciences. Astronauts on a Moon base or Mars mission will need new, more efficient ways to produce food and get rid of waste. There’s a chance that a human mission to Mars could contaminate the planet with microbes from Earth, complicating the search for life there. And much is still unknown about how people, animals, and plants are affected by conditions in space beyond earth orbit, or by long stretches of time in low gravity.

Through its NASA-affiliated Center for Space Agriculture and Biotechnology Research and Education, UF is finding new ways to meet all these challenges. Reporters, photographers, and other media representatives can meet the researchers involved in this work — and see their labs — during the Dec. 9 tour.

The tour will begin with reporters picking up their credentials at 9:45 a.m. at the Credentials Station on the NASA Parkway. NASA will provide bus transportation to the Space Life Sciences Laboratory, and buses will leave promptly at 10 a.m.

After brief opening comments, reporters will be able to interview UF scientists about their work at the SLSL. A lunch will be provided by the university, and buses will bring reporters back to the Credentials station at 2 p.m.

To participate, reporters must apply for NASA credentials no later than Dec. 3. To request an application for credentials, contact the office of Don Poucher, UF/IFAS Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Communications, at (352) 392-0437.

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