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>> We're going to go next to
Marshall Space Flight Center

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in Huntsville, Alabama.

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Where Lori Megs is
standing by live to tell us

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about a veggies experiment
in space.

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Lori?

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>> Well it's vital for
astronauts to learn how

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and be able to grow
their own vegetables

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as we further explore
the solar system.

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But what would it take to
grow a garden in space?

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Sounds easy, but is it?

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Joining me now is Paul
Zamprelli, and Paul,

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I'm told that you might
know the answer to this.

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You've got a new experiment up
and it's -- I like the name.

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It's easy.

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VEGGIE. I can relate.

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Tell us about VEGGIE.

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>> Well VEGGIE's -- it's a been
a 10 year development based

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on an SBIR -- or Small
Business Innovative Research --

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with NASA.

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Working out of Kennedy.

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It's a plant production system
basically, that's going up.

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Very interactive
with the astronauts.

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To be able to grow food,
lettuce and a whole dietary plan

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for the astronauts
for nutrition.

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>> So how does it work?

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>> So basically the unit is
a box that has LED lighting.

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And it actually -- you
can see it there --

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it has LED lighting that
is an accordion type

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and the plants grow as -- and
it is very interactive with,

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and the astronauts can
touch and feel and tend

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to it just like a real garden.

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So we're growing lettuce?

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>> We are.

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The first mission, as it goes
up, which is slated to be

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on Space X3, will grow
lettuce and take a look

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at the growth pattern.

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And then it will be
harvested and brought back

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down for research on the lettuce
itself, looking for microbials

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or any kind of impurities

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that may hurt the
astronauts if they eat it.

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>> And this is really
the first of its kind,

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because this is going to
have crew interaction,

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and it's also going to
grow off the cabin air.

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>> Correct.

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Correct. Most of the science --

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there's been a lot of plant
science put on station.

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But it's all been encased,
and very hands-off.

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The environment has been
very strict with it.

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This is open to the
air, being able to grow

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on the air that's
in the cabin itself.

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So it's different.

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>> Now it looks red, but
it's not right [chuckles]?

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>> No that -- actually it's
-- the LED lights, we --

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what we do for low
power consumption,

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we take just the light
a plant needs to grow,

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that light is a lot of
red and some other blends.

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It matters what type of plant
we have in it, but Dr. Morrow,

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back at Orbitech has been very
instrumental in being able

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to do the right pitches
for the plants.

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There's a lot of science
that goes into it,

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but it makes it grow
very fast and efficient.

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>> So what is the
science mission here?

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We're going to grow it.

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Harvest it.

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Then they won't eat it right?

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>> Correct.

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Correct. No, it has to be flown
back down, and then analyzed.

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And then once that is approved,
then they can start growing

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and eating it as a supplement

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for what they're
doing on station.

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>> And you have a
unit here, right?

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>> I do.

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>> This actually is what
we call pillow -- a pillow.

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And it has a spigot to
inject the water into it.

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It's a manual injection.

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And this goes inside
of the plant unit.

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And then the plant just
starts growing out of here,

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and it follows the
track of the light just

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like normal plants do.

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It -- the challenges
we have with 0 G is

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to keep everything encased.

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All the soil, the
nutrients, the seeds.

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We can't have everything
flowing around,

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because it is open to the cabin.

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And we don't want any of the
impurities or any of the --

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call it dirt -- to get out.

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And it grows very cleanly.

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And this material --

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it's a Kevlar material
-- and we're very happy.

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And this was co-produced
or co-developed

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with NASA and Orbitech.

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>> And growing a garden is just
not good for the return there,

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but it's also good for
mental health right?

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>> Absolutely.

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There's been a lot
of science done,

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and we work with the University
of Wisconsin in this as well.

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And the environment of a plant
or plants have been shown

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to create a stimulus
inside of the human being

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that is all goodness
and wholesome.

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And especially on
long duration space,

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and some of the terrestrial
applications too

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for here on Earth.

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It's very good for the brain.

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>> And why did you want
to grow plants in space?

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What brought the interest
about to your company

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and how did you get
involved with NASA?

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>> Well -- our owners, Dr.
Crice [phonetic] and Ron Teeter

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and Tom Kreb [phonetic],
they have a vision.

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And their vision is for
humankind out in space --

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not only habitating the moon and
Mars, but long duration space.

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And plants play a
big part in that.

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And of course, with Wisconsin,
and that influence on growing

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and farming, and everything like
that, it was just a natural,

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in this area, to
be able to do that.

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So we're very excited.

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Our engineers, Robert
Richter [phonetic].

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Ross -- well I don't want to
forget names here, because --

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Ross Ramicher [phonetic],
Jim Harris, and Dr. Morrow,

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have worked very hard.

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And the owners have given their
careers to a lot of this science

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that is now going
up on station again.

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And we're very happy about that.

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>> When will we see
this on station?

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>> So it's slated to fly
February on Space X3.

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So we're very anticipating that,

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and want to get this
up and going.

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We're going to first
grow lettuce.

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But when that comes down
we've also got loaded pillows

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to grow flowers.

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>> Oh, how nice [chuckles].

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>> While they're
waiting on that.

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So, you know, it's just we're
going to keep it going --

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>> Going to spiffy up
the place up there right?

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[Chuckles].

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>> Absolutely [chuckles]
it's -- and they're zinnias.

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That's what --

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>> Oh okay.

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>> I wrote it down to make
sure I remembered that.

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>> [Chuckles] and tell us
about the Earth applications.

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I know there's a
lot to that as well.

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And kids can get
involved too, right?

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Or they have before.

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>> Right. Yeah.

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That's a very good stem program.

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We've actually made
some space gardens here

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that we have put
into the schools.

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The Astro garden that is
like this unit has been

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on station many times, growing.

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And we'd love to interact
with the universities;

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elementary' S. They can actually
grow what the astronauts are

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growing up on space, so
-- or on space station.

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And, you know, one of
the things I wanted

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to do was thank some
people on this with --

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and I need to mention
the NASA folks.

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Our cooperation with NASA
has just been wonderful.

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And with -- especially with
Kennedy, on not only this,

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but advanced plan habitats
and things like that.

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Just to mention a few, and I
know I'll make some people mad,

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but Brian Onaudie [phonetic].

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Joy Amasa -- Joy Amasa
[phonetic] is the lead scientist

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for the science that's
going up out of Kennedy.

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Nicole Duffer [phonetic], Torri
Long [phonetic], Luke Robertson

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and Monica Solar [phonetic].

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The other is the support
we've had from NASA.

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Washington from the NASA brass

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with this project
has been great.

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And Charlie Qunicy and
Mary Beth Adine [phonetic].

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And of course Julie Robinson

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from the Johnson Group have
just been outstanding for this.

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The SBIR Program Works, we're
able to do a lot of things

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with the SBIR Program.

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We've enjoyed a bunch, which
we then commercialized --

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which we're commercializing
this as well.

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>> Mm-hmm.

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>> But the SBIR office
of Jennifer Van Pelt

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and Michael Vinceade
[phonetic] it was wonderful.

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They did a wonderful job
with us -- still doing --

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a wonderful job with more

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and more projects
that we have on this.

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>> Well Paul it takes a village.

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And we thank you for
sharing with us today.

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We can't wait to see
VEGGIE launch next year.

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And that will do it for us.

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From the Payload Operations
Integrations Center.