Latest news with #DonPettit
Time of India
a day ago
- Science
- Time of India
NASA proves growing plants in space is key to healthy astronaut life on Mars missions and deep space travel
The idea of growing plants in space once sounded like a far-off dream, but modern scientific advancements have brought it closer to reality. This achievement is not only about enjoying the sight of greenery in a weightless environment but also about ensuring survival, maintaining astronaut mental health , and supporting future deep space missions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Fresh vegetables in space could reduce dependency on pre-packaged food, recycle air and water, and offer emotional comfort during long-duration journeys to Mars or beyond. These experiments lay the groundwork for sustainable life-support systems essential for deep space exploration . Why growing plants in space is important Space travel involves extreme isolation and limited resources. Currently, astronauts rely on vacuum-packed and freeze-dried meals, which lack freshness and can lose nutritional value over time. Growing plants on spacecraft or space stations offers multiple benefits: Nutritional value: Fresh vegetables retain essential vitamins and minerals lost during food processing. Psychological comfort: Caring for plants and witnessing natural growth provides a sense of home and stress relief Life-support role: Plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and can help purify water, contributing to a closed-loop life-support system. NASA's Veggie project overcomes challenges to bloom a Zinnia aboard the ISS In 2016, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly posted an image of a blooming zinnia aboard the International Space Station (ISS), calling it the 'first flower grown in space.' This was a breakthrough moment as it symbolized humanity's ability to grow complex plants beyond Earth. However, the journey to that bloom wasn't easy. The zinnias initially faced mold growth and were on the verge of dying. By following modified care instructions from NASA scientists and Kelly's careful attention—his 'green thumb'—the plants recovered and successfully bloomed. This experiment was part of NASA's Veggie project, which focuses on growing food in microgravity. Earlier attempts at growing flowers in space While Kelly's zinnias were celebrated worldwide, they were not technically the first flowers grown in space. There have been several earlier milestones: 2012 – Don Pettit's sunflower experiment: Astronaut Don Pettit cultivated a sunflower aboard the ISS using improvised containers and documented its journey in his blog Diary of a Space Zucchini. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 1990s – Wheat growth on Mir Station: Russian cosmonauts grew dwarf wheat aboard the Mir space station, demonstrating flowering in microgravity conditions. 1982 – Arabidopsis on Salyut 7: The Soviet crew successfully grew Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant, which Guinness World Records recognizes as the first plant to bloom and produce seeds in space. 1966 – Cosmos 110 Bean experiment: Even earlier, the uncrewed Soviet Cosmos 110 mission germinated and bloomed beans, which astonishingly grew almost twice as fast as on Earth. NASA's Veggie experiment: Pioneering growing plants in space NASA's Veggie experiment was developed to explore food production in space for long-duration missions. Initially, it focused on lettuce, later expanding to zinnias and eventually targeting tomatoes and other crops. Growing food in orbit is not just about nutrition but also about sustainability, reducing dependence on supply missions from Earth. In the future, space farming systems could become standard on missions to Mars or permanent lunar bases, providing astronauts with fresh food, cleaner air, and improved psychological well-being. Also Read |
Digital Trends
6 days ago
- Science
- Digital Trends
Watch these Starlink satellites whiz by as a comet makes a cosmic cameo
Recent space station inhabitant Don Pettit has shared a remarkable video showing dozens of orbiting Starlink satellites streaking across the dawn sky, photobombed by comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS). Captured from the International Space Station (ISS) during his stay there earlier this year, the footage, which also includes a part of the station at the bottom of the frame, clearly shows a number of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites moving from left to right in low-Earth orbit, and what appears to be the comet traveling in the opposite direction, far from our planet. Dozens of orbiting Starlink satellites streak visibly at dawn, photobombed by comet C/2024. — Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) July 24, 2025 The difference in direction is due to the relative motion of the satellites, which orbit Earth and reflect pre-dawn sunlight, and the comet, which is distant and moving along its own trajectory across the sky. Recommended Videos SpaceX began deploying its Starlink internet satellites in 2019 and currently has around 8,000 of them in orbit, making it the world's largest satellite constellation. The Elon Musk-led company is aiming to deploy another 4,000 satellites, though the final constellation could expand to as many as 42,000 satellites. The more Starlink satellites SpaceX deploys, the wider the broadband coverage and the more reliable the service becomes. Starlink currently serves broadband internet to around 120 countries and territories, with more than 6 million customers on its books. But there's also a cost to having such a large constellation. Astronomers, for example, have been complaining for years that the growing number of Starlink satellites is interfering with their observations of deep space. The issue concerns sunlight reflecting off the satellites' surfaces. SpaceX has attempted to reduce the brightness of the reflected light by coating the satellites in a dark material, and also by adding reflective film to redirect the sunlight away from Earth. But that's not the only problem. Starlink satellites also emit radio signals that can interfere with sensitive radio astronomy observations, making it harder for astronomers to study the universe at certain wavelengths. As for Comet C/2024, it won't be appearing in other ISS videos anytime soon. The comet made its closest pass to Earth on January 13, coming within 8.7 million miles (around 14 million km) of our planet. But it's not expected to return for hundreds of thousands of years, so this particular flyby was a very rare approach. Interested to see more of Don Pettit's work? Then check out this collection of his best imagery from his most recent orbital mission.
The Sun
20-07-2025
- Science
- The Sun
From remarkable ‘red lightning sprite' to once-in-a-lifetime comet – 7 breathtaking snaps captured by Nasa astronauts
FROM roiling storms, rare comets and volcanic eruptions, there is lots to see aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Fortunately, astronauts are not only equipped with suites of scientific instruments, but cameras too - so we at home can enjoy the view as well. 7 Lightning sprite Nasa astronaut Nichole Ayers caught a phenomenon known as a sprite near the Texas-Mexico border from the ISS, some 250 miles above Earth. 'Just. Wow. As we went over Mexico and the US this morning, I caught this sprite," Ayers wrote on X earlier this month. "Sprites are TLEs or Transient Luminous Events, that happen above the clouds and are triggered by intense electrical activity in the thunderstorms below. "We have a great view above the clouds, so scientists can use these types of pictures to better understand the formation, characteristics, and relationship of TLEs to thunderstorms." Ayers snapped the picture with a Nikon Z9 using a 50mm lens (f/1.2, ¼ sec, ISO 6400) as part of a time-lapse set up in the Cupola - the domed window module on board the ISS. "It takes planning, timing, and a lot of pictures to capture such a rare phenomenon," she added. 7 7 Once-in-a-lifetime comet Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS - dubbed the 'once-in-a-lifetime comet' - was photographed by Nasa astronaut Don Pettit from the ISS last autumn. Scientists at the Royal Astronomical Society dubbed it the "comet of the century" because of its brightness and rarity. The icy comet won't be visible on Earth again for another 80,000 years - making the sighting particularly rare. 7 Aurora meets airglow Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Tim Peake shared this snap or aurora - or Northern Lights - dancing near Earth's airglow in 2016. In his whopping 340 days in space, Kelly was able to provide some stunning images of Earth seen from above. These are two of Earth's most colorful upper atmospheric phenomena. The wavy green, red-topped wisps of aurora borealis appear to intersect the faint red-yellow band of airglow. Though they appear at similar altitudes, aurora and airglow are different. Nighttime airglow - also known as nightglow - is a type of chemiluminescence that occurs all around the Earth, all the time. This is where light is emitted from chemical interactions between oxygen, nitrogen, and other molecules in the upper atmosphere. Auroras, on the other hand, are caused by charged solar particles colliding with Earth's atmosphere. 7 'Devil horned' volcano While technically snapped by data visualisers at Nasa's Earth Observatory, this "devilish" Russian volcano was captured spitting out a 1,000-mile-long stream of smoke into Earth's atmosphere. The striking image was snapped by Nasa's Aqua satellite between June 22 and Dec. 31, 2023. It was during an active eruption phase of the volcano, known as Klyuchevskoy or sometimes Klyuchevskaya Sopka - an area home to more than 300 volcanoes. The two-pronged devil horns depict twin lava flows spewing out of the volcanoes mouth. Spacewalk The ISS has been orbiting Earth for nearly three decades, after first launching in November 1998. Astronauts have conducted 275 spacewalks since the station opened - one of the riskiest jobs an astronaut will ever undertake. Backdropped by New Zealand and the Cook Strait in the Pacific Ocean, astronauts Robert Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang participate in an extravehicular activity, December 12, 2006. Their job was to support the construction of the orbital outpost, and proved the source of quite the stellar image. 7 Ganges river The Ganges river, the world's largest river delta, was photographed in near-infrared from the ISS by Pettit. The ISS utilises near-infrared imagery for various scientific purposes, including atmospheric studies and Earth observation. It is key to capturing images of the Earth's airglow, clouds, and other surface features during nighttime. The end result are incredible false-colour images that show Earth in a completely new light. False-color images combine and rearrange colour channels from multiple sources to visualise new details. These details are either things that cannot be seen by the human eye - or aspects that may be obscured in true colour images, such as healthy vegetation or different soil types.
The Advertiser
15-07-2025
- Science
- The Advertiser
'Return to home planet': 70-year-old astronaut performs zero-gravity yo-yo trick
NASA's oldest active astronaut, Don Pettit, has performed a new yo-yo trick on the International Space Station, dubbing it with an extremely apt name. The 70-year-old said a circular motion was required to ensure the yo-yo's string was kept taut in space. The video shows the orbiter unwinding the yo-yo before spinning it 360 degrees. He flips it with his finger before it launches back to his hand. "When in space, you get to name what you discover. I call this yo-yo trick 'Return to Home Planet'," Mr Pettit said. The fitting name comes as the septuagenarian had returned to his home planet after a seven-month mission on the International Space Station on April 20 - his 70th birthday. He landed in Kazakhstan, alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagne. "During his time aboard the space station, Pettit conducted research to enhance in-orbit metal 3D printing capabilities, advance water sanitisation technologies, explore plant growth under varying water conditions, and investigate fire behaviour in microgravity, all contributing to future space missions," NASA said at the time. READ MORE: Australia's first astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg inspires children Mr Pettit has been known to capture attention with his videos of experiments in space. In 2013, the space agency shared a video of him utilising Angry Birds to explain how physics works in space. It was his fourth mission to space after he was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1996 and his first launch as a flight engineer in 2006. Mr Pettit also invented the "zero-g" coffee cup that carries fluid along a crease to avoid the need for a straw. NASA's oldest active astronaut, Don Pettit, has performed a new yo-yo trick on the International Space Station, dubbing it with an extremely apt name. The 70-year-old said a circular motion was required to ensure the yo-yo's string was kept taut in space. The video shows the orbiter unwinding the yo-yo before spinning it 360 degrees. He flips it with his finger before it launches back to his hand. "When in space, you get to name what you discover. I call this yo-yo trick 'Return to Home Planet'," Mr Pettit said. The fitting name comes as the septuagenarian had returned to his home planet after a seven-month mission on the International Space Station on April 20 - his 70th birthday. He landed in Kazakhstan, alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagne. "During his time aboard the space station, Pettit conducted research to enhance in-orbit metal 3D printing capabilities, advance water sanitisation technologies, explore plant growth under varying water conditions, and investigate fire behaviour in microgravity, all contributing to future space missions," NASA said at the time. READ MORE: Australia's first astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg inspires children Mr Pettit has been known to capture attention with his videos of experiments in space. In 2013, the space agency shared a video of him utilising Angry Birds to explain how physics works in space. It was his fourth mission to space after he was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1996 and his first launch as a flight engineer in 2006. Mr Pettit also invented the "zero-g" coffee cup that carries fluid along a crease to avoid the need for a straw. NASA's oldest active astronaut, Don Pettit, has performed a new yo-yo trick on the International Space Station, dubbing it with an extremely apt name. The 70-year-old said a circular motion was required to ensure the yo-yo's string was kept taut in space. The video shows the orbiter unwinding the yo-yo before spinning it 360 degrees. He flips it with his finger before it launches back to his hand. "When in space, you get to name what you discover. I call this yo-yo trick 'Return to Home Planet'," Mr Pettit said. The fitting name comes as the septuagenarian had returned to his home planet after a seven-month mission on the International Space Station on April 20 - his 70th birthday. He landed in Kazakhstan, alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagne. "During his time aboard the space station, Pettit conducted research to enhance in-orbit metal 3D printing capabilities, advance water sanitisation technologies, explore plant growth under varying water conditions, and investigate fire behaviour in microgravity, all contributing to future space missions," NASA said at the time. READ MORE: Australia's first astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg inspires children Mr Pettit has been known to capture attention with his videos of experiments in space. In 2013, the space agency shared a video of him utilising Angry Birds to explain how physics works in space. It was his fourth mission to space after he was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1996 and his first launch as a flight engineer in 2006. Mr Pettit also invented the "zero-g" coffee cup that carries fluid along a crease to avoid the need for a straw. NASA's oldest active astronaut, Don Pettit, has performed a new yo-yo trick on the International Space Station, dubbing it with an extremely apt name. The 70-year-old said a circular motion was required to ensure the yo-yo's string was kept taut in space. The video shows the orbiter unwinding the yo-yo before spinning it 360 degrees. He flips it with his finger before it launches back to his hand. "When in space, you get to name what you discover. I call this yo-yo trick 'Return to Home Planet'," Mr Pettit said. The fitting name comes as the septuagenarian had returned to his home planet after a seven-month mission on the International Space Station on April 20 - his 70th birthday. He landed in Kazakhstan, alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagne. "During his time aboard the space station, Pettit conducted research to enhance in-orbit metal 3D printing capabilities, advance water sanitisation technologies, explore plant growth under varying water conditions, and investigate fire behaviour in microgravity, all contributing to future space missions," NASA said at the time. READ MORE: Australia's first astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg inspires children Mr Pettit has been known to capture attention with his videos of experiments in space. In 2013, the space agency shared a video of him utilising Angry Birds to explain how physics works in space. It was his fourth mission to space after he was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1996 and his first launch as a flight engineer in 2006. Mr Pettit also invented the "zero-g" coffee cup that carries fluid along a crease to avoid the need for a straw.
India Today
14-07-2025
- Science
- India Today
Yesterday's coffee is today's coffee: What it takes to survive at the Space Station
In 2008, when American astronaut Don Pettit arrived at the International Space Station (ISS), he found himself sipping coffee from sealed pouches with straws. It was a far cry from the comfort of a warm morning mug back on Earth. Unwilling to part with the ritual, he improvised. Using a folded piece of plastic, he crafted the makeshift "space cup" that let him sip his brew without it floating away in zero gravity. It's this kind of ingenuity that captures the essence of life aboard the ISS, where even the simplest routines require extraordinary the ISS, "yesterday's coffee is today's coffee", and haircuts require vacuuming. But, there's more. Survival up there is nothing short of a masterclass in adaptation. Surely, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who created history by becoming the first Indian astronaut to reach the ISS on the Axiom-4, got used to because astronauts like Shukla, mostly with a hardcore military background, undergo months-long simulations on Earth to prepare for every aspect of space life, from zero-gravity hygiene to handling emergencies in orbit. Shukla is set to start his journey to return to Earth on Monday. Here are five interesting facts about how astronauts survive in the extreme environment that Shukla called home for 18 days, 400-kilometres above Earth. 1. YESTERDAY'S COFFEE IS TODAY'S COFFEEWhere do astronauts at the ISS get their supply of water from?Astronauts at the ISS rely on a water recycling system that recovers 93% of wastewater, including urine, sweat, and even breath Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) purifies this water to potable standards, meaning the coffee an astronaut would drink today might literally be his yesterday's pee. This closed-loop system ensures no drop is wasted in space's unforgiving this video, Nasa astronaut Andrew Morgan explains how astronauts get their coffee while living at the ISS. Astronaut Chris Cassidy in this video from Texas' Johnson Space Centre demonstrated, through simulation, how "the business" is done at the ISS. 2. YOU FLOAT, SO DO THE FARTSIn microgravity, everything floats, gases ISS's air filtration system removes volatile organic compounds (like methane from flatulence) to keep the air breathable. Without gravity, bodily functions don't settle as they do on Earth, so astronauts must rely on advanced ventilation to avoid breathing their own astronaut Chris Hadfield demonstrated how water behaves in of pouring, it formed floating bubbles that stuck to surfaces and drifted until they were caught by airflow. Just like gas particles such as CO2 or methane would. 3. ASTRONAUTS VELCRO EVERYTHING, EVEN THEMSELVESZero gravity means objects and people drift freely in sleep, astronauts zip into sleeping bags strapped to walls with Velcro or bungees to avoid floating into equipment. Everyday items like tools, utensils, and even laptops are secured with Velcro patches to prevent them from becoming hazardous projectiles in the ISS's cramped astronaut David SaintJacques demonstrates how he zips himself into a sleeping bag attached to the wall, showing exactly how astronauts stay anchored while they rest. 4. THERE'S A VACUUM SALON FOR HAIRCUTS AT ISSCutting hair in space is a logistical nightmare. Astronauts use clippers attached to a vacuum system to suck up stray hairs, preventing them from clogging air filters or floating into sensitive equipment.A single stray hair could cause havoc in the ISS's delicate systems, making the vacuum-clipper combo a non-negotiable grooming astronaut Chris Cassidy gave himself a haircut using Nasa's vacuum-clipper setup. He demonstrated how every strand is sucked in immediately after it was cut, leaving no floating mess. The video is available on YouTube and remains a go-to example of space-safe grooming. Not everyone goes for the trim at the ISS, and that's fine too. Just like Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams, who recently had to spend 286 days in space and chose not to trim her hair, even if someone called her a "woman with wild hair". Astronauts like Sunita Williams keep their hair loose in space because, without gravity, hair simply floats and never falls onto their face. It eliminates the need for ponytails or ties. Plus, microgravity means zero pull, so styling is pointless, leaving hair free, comfortable, allowing airflow to the scalp. (Image: Nasa) advertisement5. NO SHOWER. JUST SPACE-WIPE IS THE BALTI-MUGShowers are impossible in zero gravity, as we saw water would float and damage ISS electronics and astronauts use rinse-less wipes, dry shampoo, and no-rinse body wash to stay clean. These products, combined with strict hygiene protocols, keep astronauts fresh despite the lack of running water, creating a unique 'Eau de ISS' that's a tongue-in-cheek phrase that mimics the naming convention of fancy perfumes (like Eau de Parfum or Eau de Toilette). In the following Nasa video, astronaut Karen Nyberg demonstrated her hygiene routine aboard the ISS. She showed how she used no-rinse shampoo to stay clean in important (and fun) fact about the ISS is that it's essentially divided into two main segments. Astronauts don't need a passport to navigate between the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) and the United States Orbital Segment (USOS).No matter how tense things may get on Earth, up there, not national boundaries, but by shared purpose, where cooperation, mutual respect, and the spirit of humanity, work talking to Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the ISS, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla said he saw Earth as a complete planet with no apart from the camaraderie and shared pulse for survival, life on the ISS runs on zero-gravity hacks and floating coffee. It demands ingenuity and discipline. All these allow astronauts like Shukla to live and work in one of the most extreme environments humanity has ever explored, and turn the ISS into a home, at times for months.- EndsTune InMust Watch
