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 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

Russia

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
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
	Davis School District and Adams Elementary are sponsored by Rocky Mountain NASA Space Grant Consortium