“Look!” A man in the parking lot shouted, pointing up. A shaft of light glistened on the steely structure overhead. Surreal giant in the sky — a massive, cruising, otherworldly ship. A formidable presence, yet it almost seemed like I could reach up and touch it. A smile spread across the man’s face. “We did that! We can do anything!”
Who did he mean, “we”? It was the International Space Station — the ISS — a victory for all humankind. All of us. Together.
What better way to celebrate Earth Day than to discover the unique perspective of an ISS astronaut looking down on our planet? Read about the experiences of NASA Astronaut Dr. Kjell Lindgren, ISS crew member for 141 days in 2015 on Expeditions 44 and 45.
The ISS mission is dedicated to advancing humanity’s knowledge about how to live in space, but it’s also about improving life here on Earth. Can you describe the ISS work that translates into improvements for how we live now?
The International Space Station is a designated National Laboratory and a unique platform to conduct science in multiple domains. Gravity is an overwhelming force. Having a setting where we can perform research in the absence of gravity is a unique opportunity.
Partnering with universities and research labs across the country and world, we conduct science in fluid dynamics, combustion, materials processing and life science, to name a few. Ultimately, our goal is to conduct science and research that will extend our presence in the solar system and improve life back here on Earth.
The research we’re doing to understand how the human body changes in weightlessness is important. Not only does it help us maintain the health of our astronauts during long duration missions, it also sheds light on changes we see in the body that are similar to disease processes here on Earth. These findings benefit the fields of medicine and physiology.
Our water supply is another important topic. We have to recycle our water on the ISS. I think we’re approaching about 92% efficiency right now — and we’re still seeking ways to improve. Water is heavy and takes up room — we simply can’t afford to transport all the water we’ll need for a trip to Mars, just to use it and then throw it away. We have to be able to recycle it.
We have been making incremental improvements in our water reclamation and recycling processes over the past 20 years. We are able to take what we have learned in Low Earth Orbit and provide that technology to communities here on Earth that do not have easy access to clean water.
On the NASA web site, there’s a photo of you and NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly munching lettuce. Where did that lettuce come from?
That was an experiment called “Veggie.” We grew red romaine lettuce in a special plant habitat payload that provided the necessary light, temperature and ventilation. We were the first U.S. crew to grow a crop and eat it in space. We’ve been growing crops in space for some time — the Russians have a long history of it. In the past, we wanted to make sure that growing crops in space didn’t result in some weird mutations or anything that made that crop unhealthy to eat.
About half of the crop was set aside for us to consume and half of it was frozen and sent back down for study. Since that time, we’ve expanded our capability. We have a second platform where we’re growing plants. They’ve grown a lot of different things — flowers, cabbage and most recently, I think they’ve grown some kale.
The research is aimed at optimizing how we grow plants in weightlessness — how much water, humidity, ventilation, and light to provide. Also, which plants survive and even thrive in that environment? This basic research feeds into answering a bigger question: Can we grow plants to be a dependable part of the food and environmental control system?
The mass and volume of consumables associated with supporting a crew for a long duration mission — for the two to three years that may be needed for a round trip to Mars — is almost overwhelming to consider. Food, water, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide scrubbing capability are all critical to supporting life. If we can use plants both as a food source and for their ability to scrub carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, the better off we’re going to be from a logistics standpoint.
There’s obviously a very beneficial psychological impact as well. Millions of gardeners around the world can attest to the joy that comes from attending to a growing life form. That benefit translates over on the space station — even more so because we’re surrounded by this sterile, white, aluminum environment.
Having something that’s green and growing, and that you’re attending to on a daily basis is really special. All of these benefits are things that we want to capture for future exploration.
Growing food here on Earth involves extremely complex ecosystems. The complications involved in growing it in space seem prohibitive. Are you talking about creating a sustainable food source for the crew for the duration of their mission?
I think the idea would be to provide the crew with a continuing source of fresh food if possible. The idea is not to create a hugely diverse ecosystem and transplant it to some future destination, at least not initially.
Science fiction dreams of providing planetary colonies with diverse ecosystems of flora and fauna. It is a great goal, but I think right now we are just looking for a few species of resilient, nutritious and — most of all — edible crops that could supplement the standard astronaut diet.
But it is a great question. Is the goal to have plants that would self-pollinate and be able to perpetuate themselves? Or do we need to store seeds that we could then grow in multiple generations? It’s a challenging process even with a single generation of plants. On the space station, our plants are embedded in little pillows of growth media. It’s not just a matter of bringing a bunch of seeds and putting them in the dirt.
Of course, you have to have soil, but soil is going to float away. Soil has to be packaged in a way that it can accept the seed and still allow roots to penetrate it. And then you need to have a way to deliver water and light to the system. The set up we have on the ISS works well for a few research plants, but If we are looking to provide a reliable source of nutrition and environmental control, it will have to be scaled way up.
It’s very complicated when we think of how we can use plants both in an environmentally controlled system, and as a source of nutrition over a long period of time. And if you start to dive into the complex interactions needed in healthy ecosystems — how plants grow, mature, and are perpetuated — there are many challenges to be addressed.
I’m glad you brought up science fiction, which is a wonderful storytelling vehicle. My concern is that it may focus on the future of colonizing another planet as a feasible solution, rather than focusing on healing the planet we have now.
Well, I think that there are two important pieces there. First, I think science fiction has inspired us to imagine what the possibilities are. There was a time when flying, much less flying in space, was just a dream — a complete impossibility. Yet here we are — not only transporting millions of people around the world every day in aircraft — but we now have people living and working in space, continually, and have done so for over twenty years.
Science fiction helps us imagine what the possibilities are. The idea right now of colonies of humans reaching other planets may seem like a complicated, crazy idea, but I have no doubt we will achieve it at some point.
I think that your last point is very important. I think that, of course, we must continue to explore and expand our understanding of the solar system and universe. But it emphasizes the importance of what we have here, now, and being good stewards of what we’ve got. It’s great to think about having another place where humanity can expand — but not at the expense of the Earth.
I think that’s one of the greatest perspectives generated by the space program: The opportunity to look back with human eyes at our Earth and realize what a vital, vital resource it is. It’s all we’ve got. Sure, we can dream about colonization, but the Earth is what we’ve got here and now. We’ve got to take care of it.
You mentioned the unique perspective of looking down from space on the Earth. What kind of emotion does that foster?
I think it’s different for each individual. Some people look back at the Earth and it makes them feel small and insignificant. For me, it was the opposite. It made me value what we have. To look back at the Earth and to see this beautiful jewel of a planet! The vibrant color of life leaps out at you.
Space has an inky blackness stippled with little spots of light from distant stars — it’s beautiful — but it’s a void. Sure, there are planets out there that can potentially sustain life, but as you look out across that span of space, Earth stands out.
It boasts magnificent colors: greens, blues, purples, reds, browns, oranges, yellows — gorgeous! But it is finite. It is singular and everything else is black. It makes an indelible impression on you.
It’s such a joy to be flying over Earth — it is central to our experience. We’re only flying 250 miles above — it’s a great view! I enjoyed picking out locations that I would love to visit someday.
And then there are all these places that have been part of my journey and my personal history. I can see where I was born, where I’ve visited, where I have friends. In particular I remember a day when we were flying north to south, traveling west to east. We were flying over Colorado, where I have family, and so many memories of school and of growing up.
Then off in the distance I could see the Mississippi Delta. I could see Galveston Bay and knew we’d be flying over Houston, and over the Gulf. For me, that’s a little bit of the path of my history, making my way from Colorado ultimately to Texas to this amazing job — a job that has given me the privilege of experiencing this view from above, of tracing my path from this orbit.
Earth is this amazing resource that we live on, that we call home. It’s everything. Everything you know and love — where your family is, where you grew up — all those memories spread across that planet. Being up there, you definitely feel the separation from your family, your friends, and all things familiar. But it made me feel another connection — with the Earth itself, and with all the people on the Earth. The Earth is home.
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This is the first of three installments of an interview revealing the insights of NASA Astronaut Dr. Kjell Lindgren about his experience on the ISS. Also posted are the blogs "Inside/Out the ISS" and "Down to Earth."
NASA Astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren
(Pronunciation: CHELL LIND-grin)
Dr. Kjell N. Lindgren was selected by NASA in 2009. He spent most of his childhood abroad and returned to the U.S. to complete his education and earn a Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Colorado. He is board certified in emergency and aerospace medicine.
After serving as the Deputy Crew Surgeon for STS-130 and Expedition 24, he was selected as an astronaut in June 2009 as one of 14 members of the 20th NASA astronaut class. Dr. Lindgren flew on Expedition 44/45 and logged 141 days in space. He participated in two spacewalks and in more than a hundred different scientific experiments.
Photo: “Expedition 44 NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren” courtesy of NASA
Video: “Meet Artemis Team Member Kjell Lindgren” courtesy of NASA
Video Credits: Producer: Paul Wizikowski; Directors: Ryan Cristelli and Paul Wizikowski; Editor: Amy Leniart
Photos courtesy of NASA:
NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren on the International Space Station are getting their taste buds ready for the first taste of food that’s grown, harvested and eaten in space, a critical step on the path to Mars. The crew took their first bites on Aug. 10, 2015.
Water Valley Color, “Gorgeous Africa #WaterColor. The #StoryofWater.” – Kjell Lindgren taken on November 14, 2015
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