space far beyond Earth's orbit. Humanity’s experiments in space with edible organic material go far beyond yeast. So far, scientists have successfully managed to grow Chinese cabbage, three varieties of lettuce, mustard, kale, and Zinnia flowers.
In fact, the International Space Station has its own dedicated area for vegetable farming called the Vegetable Production System. Impressively, inhabitants of the floating orbital lab managed to revive a dying Zinnia plant in the radiation-heavy, cold vastness of space. The objective clearly is to master the art of producing food in space to the dreams of long-term exploration missions. However, work is also underway to understand the effects of space on certain plant and microbial species to see how they cope, and whether the beneficial aspects of the research can also be replicated for astronauts.
One such endeavor involves blasting baker’s yeast samples into space with the Artemis I mission. Experts at the University of British Columbia (UBC) specifically aim to better protect humans living in space. As part of the research, the team will be sending samples of yeast that have been genetically modified to produce no less than 6,000 samples, all of which have a unique identifier genetic sequence that will react in its own unique way when bombarded with cosmic radiation in space.
Studying Radiation, One Yeast Colony At A Time
A dried sample of the yeast will be launched inside the Orion capsule with the Artemis I mission. Once it reaches space, it will be activated by exposing it to water. The yeast cells will then grow for multiple generations before the Artemis I mission lands back on Earth, which is when the samples will be retrieved for in-depth analysis in labs. The yeast samples were selected because they serve as a fitting analog for the human genetic code, despite the two species evolving separately across thousands of years. In an interaction with CBC, UBC pharmaceutical scientist Corey Nislow explained that “half of all yeast genes function nearly identically to human genes.”
Plus, yeast cells make for a convenient research platform because they need little care and maintenance in of hydration, temperature, and other such parameters required for a regular plant’s growth. This experiment also marks the first time that live biological material will leave Earth’s orbit in half a century. However, this won’t be the first time that a yeast species is hitching a ride to space. In 2011, NASA documented the journey of a yeast species called Saccharomyces cerevisiae that was launched into space with the Atlantis space shuttle, with a similar goal of studying radiation impact on biological cells. The ongoing research aims to solve critical health issues, because radiation in space is unforgiving and can lead to conditions ranging from cataracts to skin cancer.