NASA Selects 12 Investigations to Advance Space Agriculture and Astronaut Health

NASA has selected 12 new investigations to support human exploration in space. Six studies will improve the ability to produce food off Earth, while the other six will advance understanding of how the unique conditions of space exploration affect astronaut health and physiology.

NASA Space Crops Studies Target Food Production in Space

The six food-focused studies are supported by NASA Space Crops grants. They will advance the agency’s goal of harnessing plants to improve the quality of human life in space and enable exploration of the Moon and Mars.

Four of the space crop proposals focus on edible plants and examine how their growth, physiology, and associated microbial communities are affected by environmental conditions in space or on other planets.

Another proposal will investigate how certain plant species, known as resurgent plants, tolerate extreme dry conditions. The final space crop proposal builds on previous research aboard the International Space Station to clarify the functions of algae genes, which control algae survival and change their expression during spaceflight. This research could help scientists integrate biologically based solutions into space life-support systems.

Space Health Research Examines Radiation, Lunar Dust and Aging

The second group of six proposals falls under the Biophysical Sciences Division’s precision health focus area. The research seeks to understand the mechanisms through which space exploration affects health and well-being.

One proposal will study how exposure to lunar dust affects respiratory, immune, and inflammatory responses. Another will identify repurposed medicines that could reduce the effects of space travel on human health and physiology.

Two additional proposals will examine how radiation and other stressors interact to affect age-related properties in various organs and physiological systems. The final two proposals will evaluate molecular and cellular changes caused by cosmic stressors that can alter gene expression or protein function. The research could help identify ways to mitigate health issues and develop an early-warning detection system for potential concerns among crew members.

The principal investigators conducting the astrobiology research come from 10 institutions in eight states. Nine of the awards will go to researchers receiving Astrobiology Program funding for the first time.

Six NASA Space Crops Research Awards

• Janelle Bazurt, University of Minnesota
  Growing space: Investigating plant and microbial dynamics for sustainable space agriculture
• Miranda House, Michigan State University
  Investigation of legume crop rotation and microbial interactions in regolith pseudoplants
• Andrew Settles, NASA Ames Research Center
  Genetic mitigation of spaceflight stressors on Chlamydomonas production
• Christopher Taylor, Ohio State University
  Hydroponic microorganisms in a low-carbon, high-radiation environment. Identification of genetic determinants of survival of water- and plant-associated microorganisms in extraterrestrial environments
• Robert Van Buren, Michigan State University
  Utilizing the natural resilience of revived plants for space bioregeneration systems
• Shuyang Zhen, Texas A&M AgriLife Research
  Environmental optimization and variety selection to enhance growth and stress tolerance of dwarf tomatoes in space agriculture

Six NASA Precision Health Research Awards

• Archana Dhasarathy, University of North Dakota
  Epigenetic memory as an adaptation mechanism to microgravity and radiation exposure
• Andriy Holian, University of Montana
  Contribution of aging to particle-induced chronic inflammation
• Mert Garr, University of Pittsburgh
  Searching for pathogenic mutations under spaceflight-related stressors using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations
• Grace O’Connell, University of California
  Persistent spinal health effects of microgravity and radiation after recovery
• Satoshi Okawa, University of Pittsburgh
  Investigating spaceflight-induced brain axis aging and identifying repurposed drugs to reduce its effects
• Sanghee Yun, Ph.D., Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
  Effects of spaceflight-related hypercapnia on biological aging induced by space radiation and social isolation: A systems biology analysis of multiple aging hallmarks.

More Than $7 Million in NASA Grants Through 2030

Once fully implemented, more than $7 million in grants will be awarded between fiscal years 2026 and 2030. The awards were made in response to research proposals submitted to ROSES-2024: Program Element E.9: Astrobiology, under Research Survey (NNH24ZDA001N-SBR).

Learn more about NASA’s biological and physical research in space below.