Microbial community characterization of multi-crop growouts in the XROOTS aeroponic–hydroponic system on the International Space Station
Christina L. M. Khodadad, Cory J. Spern, Mary E. Hummerick, Jennifer L. Gooden, Cristiana J. Morales, Raymond M. Wheeler, Orlando Melendez, Robert Morrow, John Wetzel, Ye Zhang · 2026
Read Microbial community characterization of multi-crop growouts in the XROOTS aeroponic–hydroponic system on the International Space Station by Christina L. M. Khodadad, Cory J. Spern, Mary E. Hummerick, Jennifer L. Gooden, Cristiana J. Morales, Raymond M. Wheeler, Orlando Melendez, Robert Morrow, John Wetzel, Ye Zhang (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13311008.txt.
Description
Christina L. M. Khodadad and colleagues check germs on crops grown in a space station growth system in a 2026 study. Long space trips need fresh food grown with little mass, and a mist and water root system called XROOTS was tested in orbit. Returned lettuce, mustard, wheat, radish, tomato, and pea samples were checked for food safety.
Counts on root unit surfaces fell after cleaning, and leaf tips held fewer germs than roots or wicks. Tomato fruit and pea pods held the lowest counts. All screens for foodborne pathogens came back negative. Gene reading showed low leaf diversity and richer root communities, much like past space greens.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Christina L. M. Khodadad, Cory J. Spern, Mary E. Hummerick, Jennifer L. Gooden, Cristiana J. Morales, Raymond M. Wheeler, Orlando Melendez, Robert Morrow, John Wetzel, Ye Zhang |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 63156 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |