The “”Mind-Blowing” challenges of a good tea supply for space travellers.
Well think about this research!
Before the end of this Century, generations of space tourists could be drinking tea on demand in our distant universes. Of course long term Space Station Communities would need not just food and drinks , but warmth , light and all kinds of comforts if they were to settle there.
So what better place to start than making a cup of tea?!
A British Tradition
The British public are a nation of tea drinkers – every day, 40% of all the drinks consumed in the UK is tea. And much science explains the intricacies of tea growing – even British growers understand what conditions are needed. And owners of Dartmoor Estate Tea , based near Ashburton, in Devon since 2015, prove just this point.
Historically, 19th Century tea production in India followed the monopoly of production in China. It is rooted in British life and culture. So much so that during World War 2, Churchill was concerned the flow of tea from the far continents may stop. Churchill invested much effort into a plan for British tea production. Just in case overseas supplies dried up.
That notion of British grown tea is reality now with several great producers who know the intricacies of tea plant growth. Amongst them, Dartmoor Tea know all too well what is needed.
The Tea in Space Project
The “Tea in Space” project is in its early days and these local Devon tea producers on Dartmoor were requested to supply tea plants to the research team.
Researcher Professor Nigel Mason, from the University of Kent , heads up the project and his team contacted Devon.
It was Jo and Kathyrn Harper , the Dartmoor tea growers , who supplied twelve young, Devon bred tea plants for the project. . These were placed in soil conditions similar to that in space – well the moon and Mars to be exact.
For this science project , growing covers just 30 days . – The conditions are controlled and so the tea plants are followed for only the first 30 days of their growth – before too many other factors start to influence success.
The research aim is to investigate whether tea plants could survive in the harsh soil conditions that occur in space , together with conditions that mimic temperature, light and humidity –
So impose space like conditions on tea plants and see if they like it. And bingo! Off they go!
Camellia and The Project Design
Camellia Sinensis is the commonest variety of tea plant. Its suited to the UK’s generally damp and cooler conditions. It favours acid soils and the Dartmoor water and can tolerate temperatures down to -10 C . Fine for the UK!
Now 12 of these plants are taking their chance “in space” thanks to our Dartmoor Tea producers.
Four of the plants were sown in the control, Devon soil.
Then a further four plants in lunar characteristic soil ( the so called lunar regolith). And the final ones in soil akin to the landscape on Mars. That’s the martian regolith!
The soil from the moon’s surface is mimicked by Lunar regolith. It’s a man-made material made from components like crushed rock and minerals that even copy the size of particles found in normal moon dust.
It’s a similar picture with martian regolith – pretending to be soil from Mars.
The researchers claim that these poor soil conditions that feature in the experiment are increasingly common with climate change.
And here we are, awaiting the results of this mini lunar project as the starting point for tea drinkers in space.
Check back here for results!