Plants in Space!

For humans to travel to the Moon and Mars, they'll need a companion - a lowly weed. Just as Matt Damon survives on Mars in The Martian because he cultivates plants in the red planet's hostile conditions, astronauts will need to understand how to grow plants in extreme climates. Dr. Anna-Lisa Paul and Dr. Robert J. Ferl at the University of Florida, Gainesville Space Plants Lab, put weeds in unique situations - like sending them to the International Space Station - to study their behavior on a molecular level. Their research could pave the way for growing plants in extreme climates on Earth, the Moon, long-term space travel, and even Mars.