Unfortunately times have a-changed and an original VW Camper Van now costs a small fortune! Not to mention that we're now all a bunch of day-dreaming squares working 9-5 for "the man". Ugh! PRO TIP: Try to hang ‘em on the higher up branches so that any wayward children don’t drink the magic Christmas liquid. The festive period is stressful enough without tipsy kids. Or a very sad trip to A&E. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Publisher’s Note

Goins, G. D., Yorio, N. C., Sanwo, M. M., and Brown, C. S. (1997). Photomorphogenesis, Photosynthesis, and Seed Yield of Wheat Plants Grown Under Red Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) with and without Supplemental Blue Lighting. J. Exp. Bot. 48, 1407–1413. doi:10.1093/jxb/48.7.1407 Zhen, S., and Bugbee, B. (2020). Substituting Far-Red for Traditionally Defined Photosynthetic Photons Results in Equal Canopy Quantum Yield for CO2 Fixation and Increased Photon Capture During Long-Term Studies: Implications for Re-Defining PAR. Front. Plant Sci. 11, 1433. doi:10.3389/fpls.2020.581156No longer do you have to "leaf" your plants in the murderous hands of a friend or relative whilst you’re away on that dream trip. You can allow Plant Life Support ™ to drip-feed everything your plant needs for the duration of your vacation. Peace of mind: it’s the "root" of all happiness.

NASA has sponsored extensive research on growing various species of leafy vegetables and small fruits in controlled environment chambers. This research revealed the importance of managing water and nutrient supplies to the plants, the effects of elevated and super-elevated CO 2 on plants, and the profound influence of light on crop growth and development. This in turn has driven the development and testing of LED lighting and other new technologies for space crop production. Other key gaps exist in our knowledge base, such as the effects of reduced gravity on the plants and their support systems, such as water delivery, and the effects of space radiation. Most of this testing occurred in “ground” settings, but small plant chambers have been built and tested in space. These chambers have become successively larger with better environmental control, but none have been used with the sole intent for providing fresh food for the astronauts. Exploratory tests with the Veggie plant chamber are beginning to do this, but a dedicated “vegetable production unit” with better environmental control is still needed. Concluding Remarks Morrow, R., Crabb, T., and Lee, M. (2004). “Evolution of Space-Based Plant Growth Systems from Research to Life Support,” in Space 2004 Conference and Exhibit, San Diego, CA, Sept, 2004, 6022. doi:10.2514/6.2004-6022 Citation: Johnson CM, Boles HO, Spencer LE, Poulet L, Romeyn M, Bunchek JM, Fritsche R, Massa GD, O’Rourke A and Wheeler RM (2021) Supplemental Food Production With Plants: A Review of NASA Research. Front. Astron. Space Sci. 8:734343. doi: 10.3389/fspas.2021.734343 Three times a year you’ll receive your copy of your Plant Life magazine full of interesting stories and information on the impact you’re having MacElroy, R. D., and Bredt, J. (1984). Current Concepts and Future Directions of CELSS. Adv. Space Res. 4, 221–229. doi:10.1016/0273-1177(84)90566-0

Porterfield, D. M., Neichitailo, G. S., Mashinski, A. L., and Musgrave, M. E. (2003). Spaceflight Hardware for Conducting Plant Growth Experiments in Space: The Early Years 1960-2000. Adv. Space Res. 31, 183–193. doi:10.1016/s0273-1177(02)00752-4 Zabel, P., Bamsey, M., Schubert, D., and Tajmar, M. (2016). Review and Analysis of over 40 Years of Space Plant Growth Systems. Life Sci. Space Res. 10, 1–16. doi:10.1016/j.lssr.2016.06.004

We also run an annual virtual Members Day and other events where you can meet the Plantlife team and other members Perchonok, M., Douglas, G., Cooper, M., and Center, L. B. J. S. (2012). Evidence Report: Risk of Performance Decrement and Crew Illness Due to an Inadequate Food System. Houston, TX: NASA Johnson Space Center.

Gitelson, J. I., V, B., Grigoriev, A. I., Lisovsky, G. M., Manukovsky, N. S., Sinyak, Y. U. E., et al. (1995). Biological-physical-chemical Aspects of a Human Life Support System for a Lunar Base. Acta Astronautica 37, 385–394. doi:10.1016/0094-5765(95)00053-3 Fu, Y., Li, L., Xie, B., Dong, C., Wang, M., Jia, B., et al. (2016). How to Establish a Bioregenerative Life Support System for Long-Term Crewed Missions to the Moon or Mars. Astrobiology 16, 925–936. doi:10.1089/ast.2016.1477 Burgner, S. E., Nemali, K., Massa, G. D., Wheeler, R. M., Morrow, R. C., and Mitchell, C. A. (2020). Growth and Photosynthetic Responses of Chinese Cabbage (Brassica Rapa L. Cv. Tokyo Bekana) to Continuously Elevated Carbon Dioxide in a Simulated Space Station "Veggie" Crop-Production Environment. Life Sci. Space Res. 27, 83–88. doi:10.1016/j.lssr.2020.07.007 Subbarao, G. V., Wheeler, R. M., Stutte, G. W., and Levine, L. H. (1999). How Far Can Sodium Substitute for Potassium in Red Beet? J. Plant Nutr. 22, 1745–1761. doi:10.1080/01904169909365751 Link, B. M., Durst, S. J., Zhou, W., and Stankovic, B. (2003). Seed-to-Seed Growth of Arabidopsis thaliana on the International Space Station. Adv. Space Res. 31, 2237–2243. doi:10.1016/s0273-1177(03)00250-3