In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Gioia Massa, Senior Project Scientist for Space Crop Production at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, about how NASA is preparing to grow food on the Moon, Mars, and future deep-space missions. As human space exploration moves beyond short-duration missions, reliable food production will become a critical component of life support systems. Gioia explains the science behind space agriculture, including how researchers are overcoming challenges such as microgravity, radiation, water management, and limited resources while testing crops aboard the International Space Station and developing future lunar and Martian growing systems. The conversation explores how plants can provide food, oxygen, and psychological benefits for astronauts, as well as how technologies developed for space farming are already influencing vertical farming and sustainable food production on Earth.
Check out NASA’s show: Houston, We Have a Podcast
More episodes from Earthlings 2.0 on space exploration:
#55 – Hyperspectral Satellite Data Putting Many Eyes on the Earth
#18 – The Recycler for Spaceship Earth with Brittany Zimmerman