Shukla goes farmer in space; plants fenugreek and green gram.

Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s Space Research

• Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, in his final space mission, turned into a farmer, observing green gram and fenugreek seeds sprouting on the International Space Station (ISS).

• The experiment, led by Ravikumar Hosamani of the University of Agricultural Sciences and Sudheer Siddapureddy of the Indian Institute of Technology, aims to study how microgravity influences seed germination and early plant development.

• The seeds will be cultivated over generations to examine genetic changes, microbial ecosystems, and nutritional profiles.

• Shukla also deployed and stowed microalgae, which are being investigated for their potential to produce food, oxygen, and biofuels.

• The crop seeds experiment aims to identify plants with desirable traits for genetic analysis for sustainable farming in space.