Made in space
How answers to some of agriculture's biggest questions could be found beyond Earth
Why are companies blasting bottles of alcohol and crops into space? Are they just publicity stunts, or are there some serious scientific discoveries to be made?
We explore the potential of space when it comes to producing food and drink - not for astronauts or the first settlers on Mars, but by developing crops that could be more productive and more resistant to climate change here on Earth.
A NASA scientist tells Graihagh Jackson how microgravity on the International Space Station could be the key to unlocking the potential of many Earth crops, and a serial entrepreneur explains why he鈥檚 investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the idea in a bid to save Bordeaux wine.
Plus, we find out how space science has already helped us grow indoor crops and develop more efficient and environmentally friendly fertilisers.
(Picture: Planet Earth, composed by NASA images. Credit: Getty Images/大象传媒)
Last on
More episodes
Broadcasts
- Thu 27 Feb 2020 02:32GMT大象传媒 World Service West and Central Africa
- Thu 27 Feb 2020 03:32GMT大象传媒 World Service Europe and the Middle East
- Thu 27 Feb 2020 04:32GMT大象传媒 World Service Online & UK DAB/Freeview only
- Thu 27 Feb 2020 05:32GMT大象传媒 World Service Australasia, Americas and the Caribbean, South Asia & East Asia only
- Thu 27 Feb 2020 11:32GMT大象传媒 World Service except West and Central Africa
- Thu 27 Feb 2020 18:32GMT大象传媒 World Service Australasia
- Thu 27 Feb 2020 21:32GMT大象传媒 World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Thu 27 Feb 2020 23:32GMT大象传媒 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Sun 1 Mar 2020 08:32GMT大象传媒 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
Food Chain highlights
Tea, coffee, spices, chillies ... snack on a selection of programme highlights
Podcast
-
The Food Chain
Examining what it takes to put food on your plate