KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — As the nation sets its sights on a return to the Moon and a human mission to Mars, researchers at the University of Florida are developing the technologies that will help humankind reach beyond Earth orbit.

Working through the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at Kennedy Space Center, researchers at UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences are working to solve some of the toughest challenges posed by deep space travel — challenges in the life sciences.

On Thursday, Dec. 9, UF/IFAS researchers will offer a tour of their labs at the space center, giving journalists a first-hand look at their work.

Among other projects, UF/IFAS researchers are now:

• Investigating the effects of space travel on “extremophiles” — terrestrial microbes that can survive stresses that would be lethal to other organisms. If they can survive long periods in deep space, earth microbes could contaminate the surface of Mars, complicating the search for life there.
• Developing equipment astronauts can use to grow gardens in space — either inside a spacecraft or on the surface of a planetary body. Such “space greenhouses” may be needed to provide astronauts with enough food for a long trip into space.
• Developing plans to send plants into space as “sentinels” to detect properties of Martian soil — long before humans set foot on the Red Planet.
• Researching the effects of space flight on the plants that would be grown on an extended trip into space — effects such as microgravity, dry air, and low air pressure — and selecting the plants that are best suited for growth in that environment.

Reporters who have current Kennedy Space Center press passes can join the tour by showing up at the Credentials Station on the NASA Parkway at 9:45 a.m. on Dec. 9. NASA will provide buses to the Space Life Sciences Laboratory, and those buses will leave promptly at 10 a.m.

After brief opening comments, reporters will be able to tour laboratories at the SLSL, interviewing researchers from UF/IFAS, NASA, and NASA contractors. For more information, contact Don Poucher at 392-0437.

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