Initial phase of the “Space Hummus” experiment to kick off in February

Israeli chickpea seeds will be among the materials and tools sent to the Global Place Station (ISS) on February 19, 2022. Contained for best advancement in a compact system known as a “miniature greenhouse,” they will be sent as section of Northrop Grumman’s 17th industrial resupply products and services mission to the ISS, aboard its Cygnus spacecraft.

Padwa Style and design

Picture: Aviv Labs

The chickpeas will be element of a task called “Space Hummus,” which will test hydroponic and aeroponic techniques for plant development in zero gravity. A superfood with substantial nutritional benefit, chickpeas increase swiftly and quickly, creating them excellent for area cultivation.

The goal is to maximize productivity and make it possible for productive administration of means on foreseeable future room colonies on the moon and Mars. The workforce believes that perfecting approaches for handle, aspect of a subject named artificial biology, could be important to increasing crops in a area station or on the moon and other planets.

Led by Co-Founder of SpaceIL Yonatan Winetraub (PhD, biophysics at Stanford University), scientists and engineers from Israel and Stanford University, VC fund Moon2Mars Ventures and the Desert Mars Analog Ramon Station (D-Mars), the experiments will get further aid from Yeruham Science Heart higher-school college students and be performed in section by Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe (RAKIA mission, 2022). 

Photo: Aviv Labs

Nutrient method
Haifa Team, which specializes in highly developed technological nourishment solutions for precision agriculture and has designed a exceptional nutrient formulation for expanding chickpeas in space to assure high-high quality crops for every device spot.

“We do not know if chickpeas can develop in place. This is one thing that has really never ever been completed in advance of,” reported Winetraub, the visionary at the rear of the experiment. “The challenge is not just how to expand as many chickpeas as doable, but how to control the way they are developed – so that we optimize our constrained sources. The a lot more we understand to improve foods with less assets, the much more geared up we will be for the difficulties that await us on Earth, as well,” he extra.

“In a fast transforming world, Haifa is relocating forward to pioneer the future of plant diet options that match new advancement environments – on Earth, and now in House. This mission manifests the revolutionary spirit of mankind, and as usually: Haifa plays an significant position in its results. I want to thank everyone engaged in this demo and congratulate you all for this astonishing accomplishment”, explained Natan Feldman, VP Advertising and marketing, Business Progress & Innovation at Haifa Group.