Peggy Whitson has now broken the record for longest amount of time spent in space by a U.S. astronaut, with more than 534 days spent in the International Space Station. NASA scientists and agriculture researchers at the University of Arizona are now trying to answer how to feed people who spend even more time in space and have developed an inflatable greenhouse to grow plants that will provide a diet to sustain astronauts.
The greenhouse is built to serve as a way to revitalize air, and recycle water and waste as well. Carbon dioxide breathed out by astronauts is introduced into the greenhouse and used by the plants to photosynthesize and generate oxygen—as plants do on Earth—forming a bioregenerative life support system.
A series of circular frame pieces, measuring 18-by-7 feet in total, are covered in a skin. The hydroponic plant growth chamber can use both natural and LED lighting to grow plants, depending on where it is needed. The greenhouse is intended to provide a more autonomous approach to long-term exploration on the moon, Mars and beyond.