FIT’s Andrew Palmer is part of a team exploring a new method of growing crops in space. He will work with Winston-Salem State University’s Rafael Loureiro and Anna Simpson of Blue Marble Space Institute of Science to study how microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi can promote extraterrestrial crop growth through bioleaching, in which nutrients otherwise trapped in compact lunar soil are dissolved for plants to absorb.

Palmer’s lab will provide the bacteria used for bioleaching. The planted microbes will absorb nutrients embedded in the regolith through a hydroponic system that transports nutrients to the plants’ roots more efficiently. Palmer believes the techniques could be beneficial to improving space crop growth from any substrate – not just lunar soil. “This is a real step forward into the next generation of space agriculture.”

• Andrew Palmer