Micro-Lada

Lada aboard the International Space Station

Lada aboard the ISS

International Space Station

International Space Station

Micro-Lada is a classroom version of Lada, a vegetation chamber created to provide a "space garden" for astronauts during their long flights. Named for the ancient Russian goddess of spring, Lada resides on the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS). Since its launch in 2002, Lada has produced a harvest of fresh vegetables, providing cosmonauts with nutritional supplements and therapeutic recreational activity.

Utah State University's Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) collaborated with the Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems to develop Lada. The information collected by Lada and SDL's other space agriculture experiments will be vital for the future design of long-term space missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

SDL developed Micro-Lada to help teachers and students learn more about plant growth and considerations in a micro-gravity environment. Working with Micro-Lada, students can explore challenges such as watering plants without gravity and optimizing light for plant growth.

Participants

Japan


Okayama, Japan Research Institute for Bioresources, Okayama University

Russia


Moscow, Russia Environmental Educational Center of Moscow City Palace of Children’s and Youth’s Creativity (EEC MCPCYC)

United States


Sterling, Alaska Sterling Elementary School
Cocoa, Florida County Extension 4-H
Pocatello, Idaho Indian Hills Elementary
Plant growth data 2010 (PDF 103 KB)
Pocatello, Idaho Highland High School
Plant growth data 2007 (PDF 236 KB)
Bountiful, Utah Bountiful High School
Bountiful, Utah Viewmont High School
Farmington, Utah Davis School District
Watch our plants grow! (webcam data)
Farmington, Utah Knowlton Elementary
Hyrum, Utah South Cache Middle School
Plant growth data 2010 (PDF 22 KB)
Plant growth data 2007 (PDF 13 KB)
Layton, Utah Adams Elementary
Plant growth data 2010 (PDF 19 KB)
Plant growth data 2007 (PDF 16 KB)
North Logan, Utah Cedar Ridge Middle School
Syracuse, Utah Bluffridge Elementary
Bristow, Virginia Cedar Point Elementary
Plant growth data 2007 (PDF 379 KB)
Making contact with the ISS (Windows Media® 33 MB)
Rocky Mountain NASA Space Grant Consortium Davis School District and Adams Elementary are sponsored by Rocky Mountain NASA Space Grant Consortium