Plant Space Biology: An Assessment

NASA has supported a research program in plant space biology as well as supporting ground-based gravitational biology investigations for over three decades. The research in plant space biology is advancing at an increasingly rapid rate as more versatile hardware is developed for flight. The new hardware has supported experiments which have and will continue to allow a greater variety of research approaches. The overall goal is focused on characterizing and explaining the effects of gravity on growth, development, composition and functions of higher plants.