Long-term space travel requires sustainable, reliable food. But transporting all that food is expensive and limits packing space for scientific equipment. That’s why University of Guelph researcher Mike Dixon has teamed up with the Canadian Space Agency and Com Dev Ltd. to create unique technologies, including LED lighting for growing food in modular controlled environments. They have prototyped the system and propose a pilot scale installation in the barren, rocky landscape of Canada’s North, the closest approximation to the climate and geography on Mars.
While the research is key to further space exploration, it also holds promise for supplying Northerners with year-round fresh produce, cutting back on the need for expensive imports.
