Micro-Lada
Lada aboard the ISS
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) |
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Davis School District and Adams Elementary are sponsored by Rocky Mountain NASA Space Grant Consortium |
