 much about the shuttle program is spectacular, from launches to spacewalks, that it's easy to overlook the mundane. Though they seem herculean at times, astronauts in space are still bound by basic human needs, fresh air, clean water, and nutritious food. Today, bringing necessary supplies from Earth hasn't been a problem since the longest shuttle flight was 10 days. But now NASA is looking towards longer duration missions, including a permanent orbiting station, lunar base, and trip to Mars, where the costs of hauling all life's essentials would be prohibitive. Seeking alternatives, scientists at the Kennedy Space Center are working to develop a controlled ecological life support system, or cells, where plants recycle air, water, and waste to produce food. Their effort is currently centered in an old pressure vessel salvaged from the Mercury era. It's called the biomass production chamber, and in it, KSC researchers are producing their first meat crops. Every day, workers tend the small farm, taking measurements and ensuring that everything is functioning properly. The wheat is grown in an enriched water-based solution, a process called hydroponics, which eliminates the need to carry heavy, potentially contaminating soil. Hydroponics offers another advantage as well, according to the head of the project, Bill Naught. It's very easy to very quickly control exactly what the roots are seeing. Computers are used to adjust the contents of the nutrient solution, as well as atmospheric conditions of the chamber. Growing plants is only the first step in creating a complete life support system. Food processing, crew habitation, and waste management modules must all be developed. That is our big challenge, to really put it together and operate it as a system so that we can ultimately influence what happens in space in a long period of time. At Disney's Epcot Center near Orlando, there's a pavilion called The Land, showcasing future agricultural technologies. Certainly growing plants in space is futuristic, which is why there's a display featuring the research going on at Kennedy. But Andrew Scherger, Epcot senior plant pathologist, is not just part of the exhibit. He's investigating root diseases in hydroponic systems. Keeping the plants healthy is a critical concern in developing a life support system for astronauts thousands of miles from Earth. NASA and Disney scientists are also looking into the possibility of growing plants in lunar soil, using earthly mineral deposits similar to those found on the moon. They're trying to determine if lunar farms might be another alternative to resupply from Earth. Everything is open. Everything is possible. And I think the more information we have on different types of systems and the way to do things, the better off we are, and the more intelligently we can make decisions to meet the specific mission requirements as they evolve. Lunar farms and controlled ecological life support systems work aimed at providing the essentials for long duration space missions.