Botany experiment will try out zero gravity aboard space station

Gravity: It's the law in these parts. But to reach the stars, humans may have to learn to live outside the law. "Gravity is the most pervasive thing on the planet, and it's always been there," says Simon Gilroy , University of Wisconsin-Madison botany professor. "Terrestrial biology has evolved with this constant force in the background, and when you remove it, things start to happen that you wouldn't necessarily think of." Simon Gilroy will be sending a canister of plants to the International Space Station in March to test how well they do in a zero-gravity environment. The long-term goal is to integrate plants to grow food and purify the air and water, and microbes as the waste-processing system, into future space travel. Photo: NASA Surprises are not welcome in space, especially surprises that interrupt the supply of vital oxygen, water and food. For travel beyond a narrow envelope around the Earth, the connection to those supplies is — for all intents and purposes — severed.