Freshly-baked bread on the dinner menu of the International Space Station may not be far away if an experiment launched aboard shuttle Atlantis on Thursday bears fruit. The Photosynthesis Experiment and System Testing and Operation, referred to by its gastronomically-correct acronym PESTO, is to provide NASA scientists with a detailed look at how wheat growth is affected by long-term exposure to micro-gravity conditions. “Plants are a crucial part of the ecological system that supports human life,” said David Cox, NASA project manager for the PESTO experiments. “This research will provide important knowledge necessary for future interplanetary travel as well as provide additional insight into crop growth here on Earth.”
