LED Lights for Plant Growth Experiments in Space

Radish plants were harvested from a plant growth chamber. The plants were grown under red and blue LED lights.This plant experiment studies the effects of different types of lighting on plants such as radishes and leaf lettuce. 

A group of plant biologists works on NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Projects at Kennedy Space Center's Space Life Sciences Laboratory.

Dr.Massa,a Postdoctoral Fellow conducted an experiment and looked at the responses of a red leaf lettuce called "Outredgeous" and radish plants to different light sources -- broad spectrum fluorescent lighting and solid state red and blue LED lighting. He said "LED lights are efficient and versatile” because of their durability and long life.

The same experiment was conducted earlier by Dr.Wheeler and he found wheat plants were very leggy and almost bleached out and finally he used blue fluorescent lights. Now he emphasized “Blue LEDs weren't very good but Today's LEDs have vastly improved in their efficiency."

As a result, Dr.Mickens followed the same experiment for plants growth and he discovered considerable physiological differences between the two light treatments and changes in light quality can potentially increase antioxidant properties of crops.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/plant_growth.html