BIOMASS INTEL

A new experiment aboard the International Space Station is testing whether microgravity can favorably affect the growth of Jatropha curcas plant cells.  Jatropha can produce high-quality oil that represents one of the more promising possibilities for a source of alternative energy.

Jatropha’s hardy, drought-resistance, low-maintenance, and ability to grow on marginal lands has made it the darling of the advanced biofuels agenda.

What is microgravity?

National Geographic explains:

Objects in orbit are really in a constant state of freefall, like being stuck on a roller coaster just as the car tips over a rise.  In fact, to create the sensation of being in orbit, those “zero G” tourist flights are doing nothing more than making roller coaster-esque swoops and dips in the sky.  What people in space experience is known among the science crowd as microgravity, and its effects have been studied on everything from protein crystal growth for pharmaceuticals to mammalian reproduction.

The National Lab Pathfinder-Cells 3 experiment launched aboard the space shuttle Endeavour’s mission in February.  The plant cells will endure the microgravity environment inside their flasks containing nutrients and vitamins, until they return to Earth aboard the space shuttle Discovery mission slated for April.  This first-ever experiment to test a possible biofuel in microgravity aims to improve cell structure, growth, and development in the Jatropha curcas plants.

Study leader, Wagner Vendrame of University of Florida, explains:

Our goal is to verify if microgravity will induce any significant changes in the cells that could affect plant growth and development back on Earth.

Crops grown in space have already been used to produce space beer, courtesy of the Sapporo brewery company.  But the possibility of improving biofuel stock courtesy of a space ride might have far greater implications for the world, assuming that the crops do respond well to microgravity.

More on the story here and here.

Image: Flickr/tonrulkens