Millions of twinkling stars peppered the night canvas above Elison Blancaflor as he squinted at the once-lopsided pineapple stem. Somehow the plant had corrected itself, fascinating Blancaflor, who worked as a pineapple field supervisor in his birth country of the Philippines . He shifted his gaze up while he mused, “How did the plant know how to correct its growth so it could stand back up?” The stars flickered as though winking to assure the future scientist that he would one day find the answer.

 

          He’s expanding on the same question 30 years later. Blancaflor studies root growth as a Noble Research Institute principal investigator and professor. He has made a remarkable number of breakthroughs in his career and continues to patiently weave discoveries into a grander tapestry of plant knowledge. His masterpiece will create more resilient crops not just on this planet but beyond.

 

          Blancaflor has devoted more than a decade to understanding plant roots’ relationship with gravitropism, which is a gravity-directed growth process. It’s critical work because gravity not only anchors plants but also guides root systems to nutrients and water and shoots toward light for photosynthesis — all of which is essential for agriculture.

 

          His explorations into gravity’s impact on plant growth long ago surpassed the bounds of what is possible on Earth. It’s challenging to understand or improve plants’ response to gravity if it’s always present.

 

          But the stars aligned for Blancaflor to send seedlings soaring into space. Blancaflor’s work has implications for NASA’s space colonization ambitions because astronauts will depend on plants when missions launch them millions of miles away from the nearest grocery store.

 

Encountering New Environments

          NASA has partnered with Blancaflor for 11 years. Together, this dynamic duo has grown plants in space twice. Blancaflor discovered that without the force of gravity to guide root systems and shoots, plants craft ways to grow in an environment they’ve never before encountered. He’s recently received his fourth NASA grant to replicate his interstellar discoveries with technology on Earth.

 

          “During spaceflight we found a number of plant processes were altered by microgravity,” Blancaflor says. “They responded to the new environment by changing their genetic expression. Imitating zero-gravity conditions on Earth is a way to discover genes that control gene growth so that we can design more resilient plants.”

 

          Harsh environments may no longer be such a significant adversary to agriculture. Blancaflor’s discoveries could bring up a generation of plants tailor-made to thrive in extreme environmental conditions. If plants can alter their genetic expression to survive in space, then they should flourish anywhere on Earth. The world’s food security may be hidden within plants’ genetics.

 

Bringing Space to Earth

          Blancaflor’s surroundings have advanced along with his questions. Pineapple rows have given way to shelves bedecked with lab equipment in his state-of-the-art laboratory at the Noble Research Institute. Constellations of neatly labeled jars with colorful tops adorn workstations. Family photos and children’s drawings garnish the industrial countertops. Machinery hums rhythmically. Pipettes drip fluid from one tiny tube to another.

 

          One primitive object rests inconspicuously among the sophisticated technology. The wooden open rectangle resembles a B-grade middle school science project. This unassuming gadget functions as a microgravity simulator. Plants slide into a cylinder suspended above the half-rectangle. The plants rotate hypnotically as the instrument randomizes gravitational direction. NASA used the prototype at Kennedy Space Center to develop the Microgravity Simulator Facility, or MSF, where Blancaflor will move his experiment from DIY to high-tech.

 

          Blancaflor will be a nomad scientist for the next three years as he routinely journeys the 1,286-mile pilgrimage from the Noble Research Institute to Kennedy Space Center. While flames leap from rocket boosters to blast them out of atmosphere, Blancaflor and his research team will launch their own celestial mission. Behind pressurized doors, they will conduct some of the most painstaking work critical to the future success of space exploration.

 

          “In space, astronauts have more things to do than take care of plants,” Blancaflor says. “With the simulator, we can be more hands-on with the plants and watch them more closely.”  

 

          True microgravity is impossible to mimic on Earth. Rather than eliminate gravity, the MSF neutralizes its influence with a counterforce. This exposes plants to weightlessness without the expense of space travel. Blancaflor is among the first wave of scientists to experiment with the MSF.

 

Galactic-Sized Solutions

          For the Noble Research Institute, this experiment further fulfills its charge to deliver solutions to great agricultural challenges.

 

          “The research we are doing is only a small part of the great challenge the Noble Research Institute has,” Blancaflor says. “What we contribute is a small part of that. We feel it’s a significant part and a step to fulfill this great challenge.”

 

          Blancaflor’s work also advances NASA’s mission to pioneer the future in space exploration. His results could mean that living away from Earth isn’t such a far-off dream. Science fiction is barely ahead of space exploration. If astronauts are going to embark on long-duration space missions, they’re going to need some veggies.

 

          “When I watched the film The Martian, I dreamed about having greenhouses in space or on Mars,” Blancaflor says. “Maybe the research we’re doing can help design the ideal space plant. I don’t even know if I’ll be around to see that.”

 

          Blancaflor’s curiosity burns as brightly as the stars glittering in their heavenly finery over the pineapple fields. When the International Space Station glides above him, he intentionally scours the sky. If he doesn’t spot the vessel, he gazes at the stars while they flicker like pinpricks on a black curtain.

 

          They are still winking.