SSAF2013 Space Experiment Report No. 3: Watering to start cultivation

Astronaut Karen Nyberg initiated SSAF2013 experiment by giving water to the seeds on board Kibo. At 22:15 on August 30, 2013 (Japan time), she completed all procedures and put the seeds into storage.

Although the seed container used for space may look tightly sealed to prevent water from leaking out, measures are taken to make gases permeate. On the ground there is no need to use water tight container.

There are two temperature probes in Kibo. The readings before starting the procedure were, 22.2°C and 23.1°C.

Four hours prior to the operation on board Kibo, a ground set of seeds were given water at Tsukuba Space Center using identical hardware to those in space. The seeds were then cultivated at 22.5°C.