ANNA SZE WAI TSE FOR MISSION: SPACE

Anna useful successful nan ARC Centre of Excellence successful Plants for Space astatine nan University of Western Australia. 

Its 7-year ngo is to create plants that nutrient nutrients, narcotics and moreover structural materials and to guarantee those plants tin past successful nan harsh artificial situation of abstraction habitats.

“We dainty a works for illustration a biologic factory,” says Anna.

“So you springiness nan instruction, written successful DNA, ‘please make this macromolecule for me.’ And it will nutrient that macromolecule – antibodies, vaccines, different nutrients.”

From there, astronauts tin process nan works to purify nan substances they need. Or, successful nan lawsuit of nutrients, they tin conscionable … eat nan plant.

A budding scientist

Anna’s profession didn’t commencement pinch abstraction aliases plants. For astir of precocious school, she aspired to go a master basketballer. 

Then a emotion of lit convinced her to go a writer. Anna only realised subject mightiness beryllium for her astatine nan extremity of precocious school. 

While she initially felt biology was conscionable memorisation, she learned much astir biotechnology and realised really overmuch productivity a subject profession required.

Caption: Anna says getting distant from her workspace successful nan Plants for Space laboratory makes her a amended scientist
Credit: Rockwell McGellin

“If group are willing successful science, I would really promote having a broadside hobby,” says Anna. 

“If you’re looking astatine subject 24/7, you don’t get creative. You request that benignant of inspiration coming from different direction.”

“Being a intelligence doesn’t extremity you from being everything else.”

Production plants

So far, Anna’s productivity has focused connected moss. While that doesn’t sound very abstraction age, successful conscionable a fewer months, Plants for Space has taken regular, boring moss and made it glow brightly nether ultraviolet ray to beryllium its DNA instructions are working.

Caption: The moss connected nan left, engineered by Anna’s workfellow Patrick Gong, glows nether UV light
Credit: Rockwell McGellin

“When you’re building a factory, nan first point disconnected nan accumulation statement is usually a prototype,” says Anna. “This is our prototype.

Sadly, nan glowing moss won’t go portion of astronaut diets. The scheme is to move connected to thing bigger – and tastier. 

“I haven’t tried eating moss myself,” says Anna, “but I don’t envision it to beryllium very delicious.”

“If it’s a radish aliases a strawberry aliases thing that we cognize is delicious, past that mightiness beryllium of much liking from nan astronaut’s constituent of view.”

Respiration, transpiration … inspiration?

Anna’s not an astronaut – yet.

But her profession has taken her astir nan world, from Hong Kong to Australia, Singapore and nan United States, to a PhD astatine Cambridge, and backmost to Perth. 

So if she was going to space, what works would she return pinch her?

“It would really beryllium a flower – a rose!” says Anna.

Caption: Plants for Space is simply a 7-year task pinch investigation centres astir Australia to create plants that will thrive successful space
Credit: Rockwell McGellin

A bloom truthful thorny floating astir a spacecraft sounds for illustration a nightmare – but Anna insists it’s very comforting.

“My mum utilized to support immoderate successful her garden, and past erstwhile I was successful nan UK, erstwhile I walked astir nan town, usually group turn roses successful their plot too,” she says.

“Roses to maine trigger a very fond memory. If I’m going to space, if I’m going to beryllium acold from each nan things I’m acquainted with, I want to bring immoderate of that pinch me.”

“We are location to supply materials, to supply nutrients and to supply things that they tin activity with,” says Anna.

“Apart from each nan beingness benefits, we ought to supply them pinch a spot of joy, pinch a spot of hope, pinch a small spot of inspiration too.”

Anna is progressive successful nan Mission: SPACE programme delivered by Scitech and powered by nan Australian Space Agency. You tin registry for this nationwide virtual excursion here.