Mitch Varnes Sept. 18, 1992 407/867-2468 KSC Release No. 128-92 NASA & EPCOT CENTER JOIN UP TO PUSH FRONTIERS OF PLANT BIOLOGY The time when astronauts will be required to grow their own foods in space may still be many years away, but a pair of scien- tists from NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center are already mixing soil, planting crops and prepar- ing for humankind's long-distance voyages of the future. Their goal is to see that food is not an issue when astronauts once again leave Earth orbit and move on to the moon, Mars or beyond. The arrangement is an interesting one that involves two of Central Florida's largest employers dedicating two of their most highly educated employees to a project in a field where neither conglomerate is best known. Chris Brown, Ph.D., a plant physiologist with The Bionetics Corporation, and Andrew Schuerger, Ph.D., a plant pathologist based at The Land pavillion at EPCOT Center, joined forces just over a year ago and have since been diligently experimenting with lighting, plants and various types of growing environments. Working in a laboratory near The Land pavillion, Brown and Schuerger have not only devoted their attention to plant develop- ment but also to new ways of growing them. The most unusual aspect of their research is the artificial lighting used to nourish and stimulate the plants. Rather than relying on tried and true fluorescent or high-pressure sodium lights, the two scientists are instead experimenting with light emitting diodes (LEDs) -- basically identical to those that illuminate digital clocks and watches -- to stimulate their crops. Even more sig- nificant is the color of the LEDs and lights: They're red and blue. With a limited area to grow plants on Space Station Freedom or inside some yet to be designed spaceship, Brown and Schuerger were forced to exercise a bit of creative foresight in their ap- proach to the project. "Sodium or fluorescent lights work great in indoor laboratories here on Earth, but we're going to have some substantially different circumstances once we start growing plants in space," remarked Brown. "The presence of humans and a less than ideal environment provides us with some unique challenges." Those challenges primarily center around the intensity and types of lighting needed to invigorate and substain the plants. Typical greenhouse lighting was ruled out for a number of detrimental reasons that included short lifespans, poor energy efficiency, safety concerns with fragile glass lights and an in- tolerable amount of heat output -- all things to be reckoned with when dealing with humans, computers and other electronic equip- ment. The idea of using LEDs as an artificial light source for plants is not a new one. Developed and marketed by Quantum Devices, Inc. of Barneveld, Wis., the growth-spurring LEDs were first checked out by scientists at NASA's Ames Research Center. Experimental studies have since been undertaken by a handful of researchers from various universities and private institutions, but none are believed to be as extensive or fruitful as those conducted by Brown and Schuerger. Although outfitted with much of the same paraphernalia typi- cally found in indoor plant facilities, this duo's lab more closely resembles science fiction than science fact. The bright, hot lights associated with most plant factories are gone; re- placed instead with warm, fingernail-sized red LEDs and pencil- thin blue bulbs positioned only inches above rows of pepper plants. Velcro-bound covers shroud the plants, but the near- surreal red light still manages to waft from the seams of the small growing areas and into the lab's open spaces. "Plants only need to receive certain types of color through light, and common broad spectrum lights give us much more energy and heat than what they really need or use," Schuerger remarked. "LEDs dispel very little heat and have a thin, narrow band of light...We've found red to be a highly effective wave length for promoting photosynthesis and acutally managing plant growth." The scientists' observations are obviously valid judging from the well-colored and broad leafed state of most of their pepper plants. The first three weeks of the plants' growth cycle are spent beneath common white lights, but from the 22nd day on they are exclusively under blue lights and red LEDs. "The transition of the pepper plants from the white lights to red LEDs is fairly smooth and almost undetectable," commented Brown. "The plants respond well enough to the red LEDs, but we really start seeing some good reactions when we intersperse blue lights among the red ones." Together, the blue lights and red LEDs not only stimulate healthy pepper plants, but also have positive effects on diseased crops, helping to invigorate them to good health. "No matter how hard you might try, it's almost impossible to grow an entirely disease-free crop," remarked Schuerger. "Integrated Pest Manage- ment (IPM) is a continuous effort here on Earth, and we can only assume that pests will likely be a problem to plants in space...One of our objectives is to make sure we've looked at every possible scenario so that we're not too surprised when we begin growing plants in space." The LEDs are being tested for their usefulness in spaceships, but spin-offs of the research conducted by Brown and Schuerger will likely someday find its way into the commercial marketplace. The miniature LEDs -- which can generate up to 1/2 the light intensity of mid-day sunlight -- may have uses in com- mercial gardening, pest management, experimental growth chambers and other yet to be imagined areas. "The technology is still early in the development, but I think LEDs could have far- reaching applications," said Brown. "We're delving into a new area of plant research here," ac- knowledged Schuerger. "I'm involved because EPCOT Center and The Land pavillion are dedicated to the future and particularly futuristic research...It may be a while before the results of our studies fly in space or before their spin-offs are in your local garden shop, but we're confident that those days will come."