NASA has selected 12 new research investigations aimed at improving food production in space and understanding how the conditions of space exploration affect astronaut health. The selected studies are divided equally between space crops and precision health research.
6 investigations supported through NASA’s Space Crops grants will explore how plants can support human life beyond Earth. 4 of these studies focus on edible plants, examining how their growth, physiology, and associated microbial communities respond to conditions in space and on other planetary bodies.
Another study will examine how resurrection plants survive extremely dry conditions. These findings could help scientists understand natural mechanisms that may support biological systems in space.
The 6th space crops investigation builds on earlier research aboard the International Space Station. It will study algae genes, or DNA segments that control survival, whose activity changes during spaceflight. The research could help integrate biological solutions into future space life-support systems.
The remaining 6 investigations fall under NASA’s precision health research program. One study will examine how exposure to lunar dust affects respiratory, immune, and inflammatory responses. Another will identify existing drugs that could be repurposed to reduce the effects of space travel on health and physiology.
2 studies will investigate how radiation combined with other stressors affects age-related characteristics across different organs and physiological systems. The final 2 will examine molecular and cellular changes caused by spaceflight stressors that can alter gene expression or protein function. The goal is to identify ways to reduce health risks and develop early-warning systems for potential problems.
The principal investigators represent 10 institutions across 8 states. 9 of the selected researchers are receiving Space Biology Program funding for the first time.
The selected Space Crops researchers are Jannell Bazurto, Miranda Haus, Andrew Settles, Christopher Taylor, Robert VanBuren, and Shuyang Zhen.
The selected Precision Health researchers are Archana Dhasarathy, Andrij Holian, Mert Gur, Grace O’Connell, Satoshi Okawa, and Sanghee Yun, Ph.D.
When fully implemented, the investigations will receive more than $7 million in grants between fiscal years 2026 and 2030. The awards were made through NASA’s ROSES-2024 Space Biology Research Studies program.
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