NASA Funds 12 Space Research Projects

Over $7 million will support food and health innovation for space explorers.

NASA has announced 12 new research projects aimed at aiding human space exploration, with a focus on food and health. Of these, six projects will explore enhancing food production in space, including studies on plant growth in harsh conditions and the impact of spaceflight on algal genes. The remaining six focus on space health, investigating issues like lunar dust exposure and the effects of space stressors on gene expression and aging-related physiological changes. More than $7 million have been allocated to these initiatives, involving researchers from 10 institutions across eight states. Notably, nine of these awards will go to first-time recipients from NASA's Space Biology Program, distributed over the next several fiscal years.