From (Space) Farm to Table: Using Autonomy and Robotics to Produce Crops in Space
The Exploration Research and Technology Programs at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida hosted a two-day workshop, Aug. 6 and 7, 2019, focusing on robotics and automation in space crop production.Credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett Researchers from around the world convened at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in August for a two-day workshop focused on the use of autonomy and robotics for crop production in space. Over seventy researchers representing NASA, industry, academia and other government agencies came together to share their expertise in robotics, controlled environment agriculture, systems engineering, and horticulture. “Our mission was to vet NASA’s ideas with a diverse group of experts,” explains Ralph Fritsche, senior project manager for space crop production in support of deep-space exploration at Kennedy. “We wanted to explore how autonomy and robotics could contribute to the role that plants will play on future exploration destinations, as well as the role of crop plants as sources of...