FRAZER THORPE FOR MISSION: SPACE

As a young boy, Frazer Thorpe utilized to locomotion done his grandfather’s garden, which was filled pinch a diverseness of dainty fuchsias.

The flowers of nan elegant plants dangle successful pairs and sway for illustration ballroom gowns successful a breeze. But they’re not nan plants he remembers most. His grandfather’s plot had bigger issues.

“I person very fond memories of him complaining astir cabbage flies connected his cabbages whilst stepping done each nan fuchsias,” Frazer says.

As a precocious schooler, Frazer was inspired by a biology coach who had explored nan seed banks astatine nan world celebrated Royal Botanic Gardens successful nan United Kingdom. The story, mixed pinch his emotion for David Attenborough, sparked thing successful Frazer.

By nan clip he was successful his 2nd twelvemonth of university, he says he conscionable “kind of got” plants. They conscionable made consciousness to him. 

Planting nan seeds

Today, Frazer useful a agelong measurement from nan gardens of his youth, and his liking successful plants has only blossomed. 

Frazer did a PhD, but wasn’t truthful willing successful “the counting of leaves”. He was willing successful each nan ideas he was encountering.

“The evident adjacent measurement was to get paid for thing I enjoyed doing, truthful I retrained arsenic a teacher,” he says.

Now he is nan Education and Engagement Manager astatine nan Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Plants for Space.

He plays a important domiciled successful outreach for a burgeoning section of study, showcasing what is imaginable successful works science. 

Caption: Artist rendering that embodies nan Plants for Space ngo theme
Credit: Bruce Moffat, Supplied Frazer Thorpe

“My domiciled is to stock nan stories of nan researchers who person been figuring retired really to turn plants successful a abstraction context,” he says. 

Established successful 2024, Plants for Space hopes to alteration humans to “survive and thrive successful space” done genetically modifying plants aliases creating caller forms of nutrient that are much nutritious and digestible. 

“It’s a really future-focused and breathtaking abstraction to beryllium in,” says Frazer. “All of nan researchers are benignant of connected nan cusp of what’s benignant of scientifically known aliases scientifically possible.”

Growth spurts

This cutting-edge subject will thief america not only understand works maturation and sustainability successful abstraction but guarantee we tin create sustainable farming practices connected Earth too. 

Frazer’s domiciled gives him entree to immense amounts of frontier investigation that is occurring astatine Plants for Space, and he tin create strategies to guarantee its projects scope and prosecute nan public. 

There are galore projects he’s excited about. One of them is simply a abstraction nutrient cookbook and he hopes to get astronauts from astir nan world to supply immoderate of their favourite recipes from space. 

Caption: These plants are being tested for vertical farming, wherever plants are grown successful controlled conditions to trial lighting and nutrients to optimise growth.
Credit: Supplied Frazer Thorpe

Other projects impact getting experiments and kits successful nan hands of students and teachers. Plants for Space has conscionable released its Clinostat Build Guide. 

“A clinostat is simply a instrumentality that spins rather slow and simulates microgravity,” says Frazer.

By getting clinostats into classrooms pinch 3D printing, students are capable to usage them and understand really plants mightiness turn successful nan conditions they’d brushwood successful space. For instance, works roots don’t turn downwards retired successful nan cosmos – location is nary down!

Similarly, during National Science Week, Frazer is coordinating nan transportation of works maturation kits that let students to turn plants and trial their nutrients and really they respond to different maturation conditions and substrates. 

Space gardening 

When humans return to nan Moon, immoderate of nan researchers from Plants for Space will beryllium going along.

“A mates of our researchers are progressive successful nan Artemis III LEAF project,” Frazer says. 

LEAF, which stands for Lunar Effects connected Agricultural Flora, will analyse works maturation and accent connected nan lunar surface. Those samples will beryllium brought backmost to Earth for study. 

Right now, Frazer is trying to find nan champion measurement to pass this task to nan nationalist and is tight-lipped astir what that mightiness look like.

Caption: Frazer and workfellow Billie-Anna Dillon astatine a Plants for Space exhibit.
Credit: Megan Fisher/Shepparton News

The seed that germinated successful his grandfather’s fuchsia plot brought Frazer to his existent domiciled – and fortunately location are nary cabbage flies successful space. His proposal to those who mightiness want to travel nan aforesaid path?

“If you bask plants aliases bask increasing things, past this is for you,” he says.

Frazer besides notes that this is fundamentally abstraction farming and agriculture, but those fields look a batch different to nan stereotypes we mightiness beryllium utilized to. 

“The section is becoming much and much technical,” he says.

With ambiance alteration and utmost upwind events affecting life connected Earth, it’s important to deliberation astir caller ways of doing agriculture, Frazer says. That intends location are caller opportunities too.

“Look for those opportunities,” he says. “There’s tons of skills we’re going to request successful nan future.”

Frazer 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.