Seeds from MSU lab part of NASA mission

EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Seeds from a Michigan State research lab are being sent into space.

Seedlings provided by the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory are aboard the Orion spacecraft as part of the Artemis 1 NASA mission, which launched Wednesday morning.

One of the mission’s goals is to better understand how to grow food during space travel.

Space flight affects vital building blocks like amino acids that keep seedlings strong on Earth.

The seedlings selected from MSU’s lab are enriched with amino acids and will be compared to regular seeds when they are grown.

Officials said the experiment will help determine if fortifying seeds on Earth could create a more sustainable path to healthier plants and food in outer space.

“You only get one shot, so everything has to be perfect,” said MSU Professor Federica Brandizzi. “I’ve lived through this two times already, so I know it’s going to be a mix of emotions. The preparation is intense, it’s tiring, but it is so rewarding.”