Virtual Science Demonstration: pH testing our hydroponic garden

Join one of our educators to learn more about how we test and modify the pH levels in our hydroponic vegetable garden!

The need to feed astronauts is an ongoing concern for space programs, particularly when it comes to long-term missions. Food and water are necessities to sustain human life, but these materials are heavy—and thus, expensive to transport to a destination in space. For this reason, scientists are very concerned with establishing ways to obtain clean water and healthy food right at the site of the mission, rather than shipping these materials from Earth.

One solution is hydroponics: growing plants in a medium of water and liquid nutrients, rather than in soil. In our Lunar Colony exhibit, staff at McAuliffe-Shepard grow green leafy vegetables in a hydroponic tower, to demonstrate what it might be like to produce your own food during a long-term space-based mission. Follow along with one of our educators, for a behind-the-scenes look at how we keep the pH of our water in tip-top shape!