How will we go to Mars?

Space exploration poses unprecedented challenges for human survival beyond our planet. While short-term missions can rely on supplies from Earth, future long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond require a radically different approach. This is where the new frontiers of space farming come into play. But how?

NASA plans to decommission the ISS (International Space Station) by 2031, aiming to reach the Moon by 2026 (Artemis mission) and then venture towards Mars. The average distance from Earth to the Moon is about 380,000 kilometres, while to Mars, it varies between 55 and 400 million. A journey to Mars takes approximately 500 days with an estimated payload of resources ranging from 2.5 to 7.5 tonnes per person. Space agencies and private companies around the world are then exploring innovative solutions to make long-term missions possible. How can space farming contribute to this goal? Stefania De Pascale shed light on this question through innovation, adaptation, and sustainability.

Space farming is a field that mixes science and space. Where does this interest come from? What drew you to these sectors in your academic and professional choices?

From a young age, curiosity has been my main driving force, a push that led me to become a researcher. Growing up at a time when humanity began dreaming of the stars, I was captivated by the magic of space exploration. The excitement of the Moon landing in 1969 and, years later, the thrill of the International Space Station assembly accompanied my youth. I dreamed of becoming a journalist, but after high school, a visit to the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Federico II in Naples, housed in the picturesque Reggia di Portici, changed everything. I fell in love with the place and the subjects of study. Against all odds, I chose to study agriculture to follow my passion for nature. Then, I spent a year studying in Amsterdam, thanks to a scholarship, and I got closer to the world of space exploration. There, I met an aerospace engineer – who would later become my life partner for a couple of decades and the father of my son – who worked at the Mars Centre in Naples and collaborated with the European Space Agency (ESA). His stories sparked my interest in microgravity research, that is, on gravitational fields with low values like those on spacecraft. I realised that space offered a unique laboratory to address crucial scientific questions, even in the field of plant biology.

What does a researcher in space farming specifically focus on?

When I talk about my work in space agriculture, I often encounter a limited perception of its true potential. People tend to think of agriculture only in terms of food production, forgetting how essential agriculture, plants, and the plant world, in general, are for life itself. Plants shaped our planet long before humans appeared.

Specifically, space agriculture studies agriculture in extraterrestrial environments: experiments conducted on the ISS and other missions in low Earth orbit have demonstrated the feasibility of growing plants in microgravity.

As research progresses, new goals have emerged, and now space agriculture is focused on producing a sufficient quantity of fresh vegetables on orbiting platforms such as the ISS or the future Lunar Gateway¹ to supplement astronauts’ diets with nutraceutical compounds; on optimising the production of ascorbic acid² (vitamin C) from fresh micro-vegetables; or on ensuring the growth and development of staple crops like cereals, legumes, and tuberous species³, on board the ISS. This is vital because in space, there are no “taverns”, to quote a well-known seafaring proverb. Operations occur in closed circular systems where resource conservation and sustainability are essential requirements.

Speaking of Mars: future long-duration missions to the Moon or Mars will require a radically different approach to resupply and resource sustainability. How is research in space farming contributing to this?

Currently, the ISS crew in low Earth orbit receives all the food they need from Earth, and physical-chemical systems partially regenerate air and water, with frequent resupplies and filter replacements. For journeys to Mars, the solution lies in creating self-sufficient artificial ecosystems where plants can regenerate air through photosynthesis; purify water through transpiration; produce fresh food for nutrition; and provide, through inedible waste, a useful substrate for decomposer organisms.  Not only that, but it has also been demonstrated that plants have a positive impact on the psychological well-being of astronauts, reducing stress and homesickness.

In the MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative)⁴ programme, which I collaborate on, the goal is to develop an artificial ecosystem that will ensure the survival of the crew on future space bases and the regeneration of resources in a sustainable way.

This ecosystem is called the Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS) and is based on the interactions between humans, microorganisms (microalgae, bacteria), and photosynthesising organisms (algae and higher plants). The growth conditions of the plants, such as the intensity and spectrum of light, partial pressures of O2, CO2, H2O, and temperature, must be modulated to optimise growth, photosynthesis, and transpiration. These studies are conducted on Earth in special growth chambers that simulate the behaviour of plants in a BLSS.

At the Department of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Naples Federico II, specifically on 19 November 2019, the Laboratory of Crop Research for Space was inaugurated—a laboratory I direct that is exclusively dedicated to the study of plants for BLSS⁵. The core of the laboratory is a Plant Characterization Unit (PCU) where we conduct studies related to crop selection and optimisation of growth conditions, equipped with cutting-edge LED panels and sophisticated monitoring and environmental control systems.

Complex systems integrated with artificial intelligence (AI) will be essential for efficiently managing BLSS, monitoring and modulating in real time the functions of the plants and the entire system to respond to the needs of astronauts. The field of robotics and automation is another crucial area of research that is developing, with a concrete example being the BIOLUNA project, which aims to develop an AI algorithm for the multi-objective control of a photobioreactor for algae cultivation and a growth chamber for plants. The project was launched in February 2024, funded by ASI and coordinated by Thales Alenia Space Italia, and I am pleased to say that the Department of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Naples Federico II collaborates on the plant aspect.

What are the benefits or lessons from an agricultural point of view that have been gained from space exploration over the years on Earth?

From its inception, space agriculture has drawn inspiration from terrestrial agriculture.Today, terrestrial agriculture can learn much from space agriculture. The first lesson concerns the centrality of the agricultural sector, not only as a primary sector but also, and above all, for its ecosystemic role, going far beyond the mere production of food. The second lesson is that space represents an extremely hostile environment, and in the case of the future colonisation of Mars, it cannot be considered as an escape in search of a “Planet B” because no planet to date can hold a candle to Earth. The third lesson concerns the need to make the most of the natural resources our planet offers.

In practice, the pioneering application of techniques such as closed-loop hydroponics and aeroponics, vertical farming, and LED artificial lighting for plants in space farming has already stimulated the development of similar systems in our protected crops, with potential advantages, especially where resources are scarce or degraded.

My motto reflects this ideal: “Plants in Space, more space for plants on Earth”.

Not to mention that studying how plants adapt to space factors like altered gravity or ionising radiation not only expands our understanding of living organisms’ adaptations but also promises to revolutionise key sectors such as agriculture, medicine, and space exploration, opening new frontiers for a more sustainable future.

How does One Health, with its holistic vision of human, animal, and environmental health, become relevant in space?

In space, the three elements of One Health are interconnected in a delicate balance within a confined and extreme environment. Aiming at long-duration space missions and the colonisation of other planets, this approach underpins the very creation of self-sufficient artificial ecosystems, the study and implementation of which require a deep understanding of interactions between organisms and the environment.

Final question: would you like to go to Mars?

Not at all! I have profound respect for those who choose to become astronauts (I have a particular admiration for Samantha Cristoforetti), but I prefer to focus on the mysteries of space from a terrestrial perspective (and position), with my “roots” firmly planted on Earth.

---

1. A space station being developed under NASA’s Artemis programme to orbit the Moon. ↩︎
2. As part of the MicroX2 project coordinated by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), for which Stefania De Pascale is technical-scientific manager. ↩︎
3. This activity is carried out within the Precursor of Food Production Unit (PFPU) project, funded by ESA and coordinated by Thales Alenia Spazio Italia. The group from the University of Naples “Federico II”, co-ordinated by Stefania De Pascale, focused on the selection of the most suitable varieties, propagation material and growth substrate, as well as the definition of the characteristics of the root module intended to host the hypogeal part of the plant. ↩︎
4. Since 2013, the Department of Agriculture of the Federico II University of Naples has been an official partner of the programme (MELiSSA). The decades-long ESA programme has been studying closed-loop life support systems with an ecosystem approach since 1987. ↩︎
5. The laboratory is a collaboration between ASI and ESA. The PCU was realised thanks to the research project PlAnt Characterization Unit for closed life support system – engineering, MANufacturing and testing (PacMan), financed by ESA within the MELiSSA programme and coordinated by EnginSoft Italy. ↩︎