A 'final frontier' for growing technology

Plants are resilient life forms. They can grow in one form or another in nearly every ecosystem on the planet — whether it be massive redwood forests, sweeping plains of grass or hardy cacti in arid deserts. One environment, however, poses more challenges for plants than any other: outer space.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has a history of tackling this challenge with constantly developing growth technology. One of the latest incarnations of this effort is the Veggie program, a cultivation system for growing fresh produce in microgravity. Here’s a look at the history, accomplishments and features of this out-of-this-world process.