The University of Southern Mississippi graduate student Sebastien (Seb) Malbrough is spending his summer at NASA‘s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where he is helping researchers explore how food can be grown during future missions to the moon, Mars and beyond.
A second-year master’s student in the School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences, Malbrough is contributing to research focused on space agriculture and sustainable food production for long-duration space travel.
Working near Cape Canaveral, he is helping develop nutrient solutions for vertical farming systems designed to support plant growth in space. His work focuses on crops such as leafy greens that could provide astronauts with a sustainable source of nutrition during extended missions.
“Research in space agriculture is crucial for long-term missions to space,” Malbrough said. “Astronauts need access to caloric leafy greens that provide sustainable nutrition.”
Unlike traditional agriculture, growing crops in space requires researchers to account for limited resources, waste management, nutrient recycling and other factors that become increasingly important during long-duration missions.
“There are many challenges when thinking about space agriculture, from technology, bioreactors, closed looped systems, radiation shields, nutrient solutions, waste-management and more,” Malbrough said.
Researchers are exploring ways to create closed-loop systems that reduce the need for consumable resources while allowing nutrients to be recycled and reused.
“If we want to push humanity to the moon and hopefully Mars, nutrition is a top priority for astronauts, and the science behind agriculture is even more important,” he said.
Malbrough believes advances in space agriculture could also help address agricultural challenges on Earth.
“I plan to research and demonstrate how space agricultural solutions can be applied for arid terrestrial agriculture amidst the rising challenges of climate change,” he said.
He credits his experiences at Southern Miss with helping prepare him for the opportunity.
“Southern Miss has provided the foundational experiences that prepared me for this,” Malbrough said. “From day one of graduate school, Dr. Clay Tucker told me that to work or intern somewhere as prestigious as NASA, you have to demonstrate professionalism and excellence in every aspect of your daily life.”
Malbrough credits Tucker, assistant professor, for helping shape both his professional mindset and approach to research. He also credits assistant professors Dr. Nikki Camlin and Dr. Alexandre Marques for providing opportunities to expand his laboratory and research skills.
“Dr. Tucker, along with the entire geography and environmental sciences department, is responsible for the scientist I am today,” he said. “Dr. Camlin and Dr. Marques also gave me opportunities to learn and work in their labs, helping me expand my laboratory skills in molecular biology.”
Looking ahead, Malbrough plans to pursue a Ph.D. in plant molecular biology and continue researching agricultural solutions for extreme environments.
“I hope to be a part of this rising niche in plant sciences, ultimately to pioneer a new era of international collaboration with plant biology and agriculture for space missions,” Malbrough said.