Page 46 - MANN KI BAAT (English)

where the modules will dock with technology in satellite servicing,
a re-entry module designed to resupply missions and deep-
withstand Earth’s atmosphere. space explorations in the global
In the context of global space arena. For short-duration
missions seeking to establish human spaceflights, food and
new space stations, lunar bases water for the crew are transported
and interplanetary human from the earth. However, for long
exploration, the essential duration flights, such as in space
docking technology will enable stations, it is desirable to cultivate
our country to be at par with food materials in orbit. For
the international space trends. interplanetary missions, creating
It has bestowed greater one’s own food is an absolute
flexibility in mission planning necessity, as replenishment from
and also would pave the way the ground is not practical. One
for increased collaborations in major breakthrough with respect
very complex and challenging to experiments on growing plants
missions that continue to in space conducted by ISRO was
expand the horizon. These achieved in ISRO's PSLV-C60.
complex technology missions In this specific experiment,
pave the way for leveraging aptly titled ‘Compact Research
international partnerships Module for Orbital Plant Studies
to exchange expertise and (CROPS)’, ISRO has successfully
expand applications of docking demonstrated seed germination,
plant growth and its sustenance
in space.
The CROPS module
was designed as a fully
automated system and was
accommodated in the PSLV PS4
Orbital Experimental Module
(POEM). As the first phase of
CROPS, a 5 to 7-day experiment
was conducted in POEM to
demonstrate seed germination
and plant sustenance till the
two-leaf stage in a microgravity
environment. The experiment
was envisaged to grow 8
numbers of cowpea seeds in
a closed box environment with
active thermal control. Cowpea

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