OVERVIEW

During long-term missions in space or celestial bodies such as Mars, some resources will become limited due to the difficulties of transporting them from Earth or keeping them viable during the whole lenght of the mission. One potential solution is to produc some of these resources in situ, as it is the case for vegetables. Crops like cabbages and tomatoes have been successfully grown at the International Space Station, and a number of other species are being tested for missions to hostile environments such as Mars.

For crops to be able to grow in space they will have to withstand conditions as radiations higher than those on Earth, reduced gravity, and in the specific case of Mars, they need to grow on a regolith that contains perchlorates and other salts.

The objective of the Space Agriculture Research Team is to test crops that could be potential sources of food, medicine, oxygen and other vegetal products during long term missions in space. Latin American plants are well known for their exceptional properties to grow on hostile environments, and their nutritional and medicinal properties. These plants will be the focus of research proposals.

APPLICATION

In order to apply to this team you need:
* A resume/CV: 3 pages as maximum, focus on relevant experience and academic preparation.
* An intention letter of two pages indicating your interest in being part of the team, your interest in space agriculture and your current knowledge about space exploration.
* A recommendation letter is suggested, but not mandatory.

These documents must be sent to the Team Coordinator in an e-mail with the subject “Application for the Space Agriculture Research Team”.

After the review of these documents you will be sent a small test in english that should be answered and sent back to the coordinator in a maximum of two days.
Finally, the applicant will be interviewed in the preferred language. It will last no more than 20 minutes.

After the process is finished, you will be invited to weekly meetings to work on the team’s project.Carlos Enrique Ballón Salcedo
Space Agronomy Science Manager: Nancy Hilda Garay

TEAM

Team Coordinator: Roberto Adolfo Ubidia Incio | adolfo.ubidia@gmail.com
Space Nutrition Science Manager: Carlos Enrique Ballón Salcedo
Space Agronomy Science Manager: Nancy Hilda Garay Durán