By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
A local librarian is working on two more experiments that are aimed at helping scientists learn how to grow food in space.
He is also looking for local students, families and gardeners to participate in a second round of the space chile pepper challenge.
The goal of the ongoing space food projects is to develop ways to grow food in space. This would include during missions to Mars or at a long-term base on the moon.
Space rye, wheat
"One of the things that I started thinking about was if we colonize Mars, eventually they are going to need grains," he said. "You can't live off vegetables and salad forever. I want to try to grow wheat in this."
Although Arthur still intends to grow wheat, his latest space food experiment involves growing Elbon rye, a variety developed in Oklahoma. Arthur chose to start with the rye on the suggestion of a seed dealer in Healy, who said the rye was developed to grow in very harsh environments.
Arthur wanted to best simulate the growing conditions on Mars. He ordered regolith, a loose combination of dust and rock, that mimics what would be found on Mars.
However, he needed some organic matter to fertilize the plants. Scientists in Holland had used grass clippings and cow manure, but Arthur knew astronauts would not have access to those materials in space.
He obtained a bag of dried sludge (partially decomposed human waste) from the wastewater treatment plant. He mixed that with the regolith and planted the rye. Arthur is using grow lights that simulate a 12-hour day on Mars.
Arthur said he was amazed at the rye's growth. The rye germinated within four days. By the end of the week, the rye was 4 centimeters tall. After two weeks of growth, the rye was 24 centimeters tall.
"It's kind of fun to come to work every day because the first thing I do is go in there and get my meter stick out and start measuring leaves to see if it's grown any more," he said.
Once the rye sets on seeds, Arthur plans to harvest it and reuse the regolith, including any roots that are left in the potting material.
At this point, he will start another cycle of plants, but will introduce earth worms. A previous study found the worms cannot only process the organic matter in the regolith, but they can reproduce in the regolith.
In researching his grains project, the seed dealer in Healy also provided Arthur with samples of Turkey Red wheat, which was the original wheat variety grown in Kansas by early settlers, and Tatanka wheat, which was developed by the wheat breeder at the K-State Ag Research Center in Hays.
Arthur said he hopes to plant a crop of wheat as part of his Mars experiment this fall. Wheat is different than rye in that it has to be exposed to cold, which forces the plants into a dormancy period.
Mars doesn't have Earth's seasons. Arthur said he may try to replicate the wheat dormancy period by using an old refrigerator.
Space microgreens as food, medicine
Another researcher contacted Arthur to join yet another citizen scientist experiment growing microgreens.
Microgreens are leafy greens that are harvested shortly after they sprout. You may have eaten them on a salad or seen them used as a garnish.
Dr. Richard Barker, astrobotanist at the University of Wisconsin, is interested in microgreens for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as a source of vitamin C. This could be important for astronauts who would be exposed to higher levels of radiation than their peers on Earth, Arthur said.
Barker has enlisted Arthur's help as a project manager to develop this as a citizen-scientist project. The goal would be similar to the pepper project, in that growers would collect data and help the scientist refine growing strategies to be used in space.
Initially, Arthur plans to grow Genovese basil, borage and tricolor amaranth.
"Our participation in all of this is one, super cool," Arthur said, "because who would think a little library in a little town would be able to have input into big science?"
First round of space peppers struggle
Only three families' and the St. Mary's Catholic School's plants produced peppers out of the first space pepper experiment.
Arthur also had some peppers, but he said his results were inconclusive.
Growers struggled to keep the peppers warm enough to produce, especially when the area was hit with frigid temperatures in February.
NASA scientists have struggled growing the peppers, as well. The peppers that are being grown in the lab are not hot and don't have a lot of flavor, Arthur said. He said some of his peppers had a little heat, but others were bland.
Arthur said he set up his grow area using the dimensions of the grow space on the International Space Station. He said this inhibited the peppers' growth, so he plans to give the plants a larger growing space for the next round of peppers.
The NASA scientist in charge of the project encouraged Arthur to not be discouraged by what might first appear as a failure.
"Everything that you do is a potential data point, and he goes, 'Even if it doesn't look successful, it is still successful because now we know how it responds to these conditions,'" Arthur said.
You too can be a space farmer
Arthur has already received seeds and is looking for volunteers for the next phase of the space chile challenge.
During this experiment, citizen-scientists will be asked to grow chile peppers again and keep data on their growing methods. You don't have to have fancy grow lights to grow the peppers. They can be grown in containers in soil outdoors, Arthur said.
Similar peppers are going to be launched into space on June 3. Scientists will look at the Earth data and compare it to results in space to refine growing methods that will be used in space in the future, Arthur said.
"This is potentially going to be the biggest ground experiment in astrobotany history because there are so many people internationally and in the United States who are participating in this," Arthur said. "I want people in Ellis to be a part of that. I hope more people will get interested, because they are making history."
Fueling dreams
Arthur said these experiments are important as a way to involve young people in science. He said he sees libraries as fueling dreams.
"I want people out here to have that opportunity," he said, "because there are a lot of dreamers out here. I think this a good opportunity to do something like this and reinforce those dreams they already have."
When Arthur was a child, a Disney library book on space sparked a lifelong love of space, rocketry and astronomy.
"Hopefully, this library can hook a kid too," he said. "We start his dream here and the teachers at the schools help him realize it and send him on the right path."
If you are interested in being part of the PH-04 Space Chile Challenge, contact Arthur as soon as possible by coming by the Ellis library, 907 Washington, call 785-726-3464 or email [email protected].