BLiSS+Sim+Home

=**Welcome to the __B__ioregenerative __Li __ fe __S __ upport __S __ ystem (BLiSS) Simulator **= == ====BLiSS for the iPad was developed by the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future Program at the [|Center for Educational Technologies] at Wheeling Jesuit University====

**What kind of app is the //BLiSS// for iPad?**

 * The BLiSS Sim is an interactive application for the iPad that is based on authentic NASA plant science research data.
 * In the BLiSS Sim, you can test and re-test your ideas for combining the four crops in different planting and harvesting cycles to support hypothetical human crews. The four crops you'll be working with are lettuce, potatoes, soybeans, and wheat--a yummy and nutritious combination of food sources.

**Why is NASA interested in plants as the basis for a life support system?**

 * Between 1970 and 1999, NASA conducted research to explore the possibilities of growing plants to support extended human travel in space or human habitation of the Moon, Mars, or other extra-terrestrial locations.
 * The idea of using a plant-based biological system to support humans in a controlled life support system was originally explored by NASA as a component of its Microgravity and Life Sciences Research program.

**Using plants to support humans in space makes sense doesn't it?**
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 * It's like engineering a modular and portable Earth-like ecosystem: green plants absorb light energy to combine carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates and other food products. The process of photosynthesis gives off oxygen, which is needed by both plants and humans to support cellular respiration and growth.

We encourage educators and plant scientists and all those interested in BLiSS, to share your comments and follow on-going developments related to this project. Find out more about the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future development of the BLiSS app on the following web sites: BLiSS Sim website BLiSS Sim wiki: You're here now! BLiSS Sim on iTunes Follow as new developments are discussed related to BLiSS on this NASATalk blog.

Related Information
Below is a photo of USU-Apogee dwarf wheat grown in three cycles of 23 days on the International Space Station (ISS) by Gary Stutte. Stutte spent 73 days on the ISS so he could conduct Photosynthesis Experiment Systems Testing and Operations (PESTO, Photosynthesis and Assimilation System Testing and Analysis (PASTA)). Stutte's experiments showed that the effects of microgravity did not inhibit plant growth and development. Read more about this research.

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