Life in Space
by Jackie Elowsky
Resource Magazine,
Published by American Society for Agricultural Engineers

From studying Panama's tropical rain forest to designing systems for growing plants in outer space, agricultural engineer John Sager has devoted his work to improving life for future generations. Sager, 55, has worked the past 11 years at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He oversees several projects including research with the Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) Breadboard Project. For this program, he supervises a team that designs, develops and tests systems for regenerating air, water and food in conditions that simulate the small, enclosed areas humans live in while traveling in space. These tests are done on Earth but the equipment could someday be used on long-term missions to other planets. Sager says it can take more than two years to travel to Mars and back. His goal is to find the best ways to raise crops such as lettuce, potatoes and soybeans for space travelers to eat during their journey. The engineering challenge is to design systems that will grow plants without the natural elements of sunlight, warmth and rain found on Earth. Another problem with working in a closed environment is dealing with waste. The team develops composting and other methods to recycle solid and liquid leftovers that can be reused for purposes such as fertilizer. Besides providing food, living plants help people feel more comfortable when isolated far from home. "Green things have a tremendous impact on how people perform," Sager says. He also helps design and develop tests that are conducted on space flights such as shuttle missions. He monitors the effects of outer space conditions on plants, animals and insects. Keeping equipment small enough to fit in shuttle chambers is a design challenge for engineers. Sager's team is working on a new microwave-powered lamp, which is less than 1.2 in. (3 cm) in diameter, to shine on plants. Although much of Sager's research focuses on space missions, he believes there is still a lot to learn about life on earth. Another of his projects is to monitor wildlife on the space center's 140,000-acre sanctuary to determine the ecological impact of shuttle launches. Before working for NASA, Sager spent 13 years conducting research for the Smithsonian Institution's Environmental Research Center in Rockville, Maryland. He spent much of his time studying how different types of light affect plant growth and development in enclosed environments. He also determined effects on plants due to temperature and humidity changes. Research with the Smithsonian took him to Chesapeake Bay and the rain forest in Panama. As an engineer, he designed the instruments needed to conduct research in these sensitive natural environments. Sager has bachelor's and master's degrees and a Ph.D. in agricultural engineering. He grew up on a farm and says he never dreamed his career would lead him to space research. But he is glad it did. "It is exciting to be on the forefront of technology," Sager says, and "Yes, I'm having fun."

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