GreenCube: on-ground space environment simulation effects on Lepidium sativum L. microgreens
Author(s)
Metelli, Giulio
Date Issued
July 26, 2022
Type
Doctoral Thesis
Abstract
Space exploration will live soonly a new era of funding and achievements thanks to the Artemis project coordinated by NASA. In this framework, new lymph will be given to BLSSs that are mandatory systems to gain the possibility to live far from Earth's biogeochemical natural cycles. Unfortunately, the possibility to gain a place in space facilities for research purposes is hard. The exploitation of new forms of space accommodations represented by micro and nano CubeSat is the new frontier of plants in space science. By using these minisatellites and a proper set of remote sensors and actuators it is possible to perform many experiments with remote ground control directly into the harsh space environment and with a relatively low budget. In this framework, the GreenCube mission will be sent into space on board the maiden flight of the new ESA rocket, the VEGA-C, made by Avio, in mid2022 together with other CubeSats. Into the GreenCube CubeSat, there will be housed cultivation of Lepidium sativum L. microgreens that will start sprouting once it reaches the orbit in the Van Allen belt at about 6000km altitude. The cultivation will be held into a hypobaric pressure tank, in real microgravity conditions and exposed to the galactic cosmic weather while an array of white full-spectrum LEDs will illuminate the cultivation process and an automated syringe will water the seeds regularly. In this contest the necessity to assemble an on-ground test facility capable to perform the same environmental factors was mandatory. The facility was built-up into the ENEA “Casaccia” Research Centre thanks to the already present Calliope 60Co irradiation facility that made it possible to expose samples to low chronic γ radiations and that can host the 2D clinostat that was properly modified to light-up plants solidly with clinorotation. The tests on the microgreens were held to explore the new possibility of studying multiple stress together belonging to the space environment while being on Earth. Morphometrical measurements, fluorometric and plant flow cytometry analysis and metabolomics profiling were performed on microgreens after exposure to several stress such as: simulated microgravity, hypobaria and γ radiation, taken singularly or in combination, with the aim to highlight the potential plant response to the space environment. Probably for the first time, it was possible to cultivate microgreens into an hypobaric cultivation volume during chronic clinorotation and chronic γ rays exposure. It was developed a new solid method of nuclei extraction for plant flow cytometry that should be performed directly in space facilities like the ISS. One of the first studies on multiple space stress performed simultaneously was carried on with a multidisciplinary approach. Plants of Lepidium sativum L. cope with simulated space environment and simulated microgravity was the most effective stress on the variance of the measurements done.
Additional information
Dottorato di ricerca in Scienze delle produzioni vegetali e animali
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