NASA selected 12 new research investigations to study crop cultivation and astronaut health in space, the agency announced on Sept. 14, 2026. Six of the projects focus on food production off Earth, while the other six examine how spaceflight conditions alter human physiology.
The agency will distribute more than $7 million in grant funding across fiscal years 2026 through 2030. Principal investigators represent 10 institutions across eight states, and nine are receiving Space Biology Program funding for the first time. NASA issued the awards under the ROSES-2024 Space Biology Research Studies program element.
Space crop research
Six investigations supported by Space Crops grants aim to advance lunar and Mars exploration. Four of these evaluate edible plant growth, physiology, and plant-associated microbes. Jannell Bazurto of the University of Minnesota will study plant-microbe dynamics for space farming, while Miranda Haus of Michigan State University will examine legume crop rotations in regolith simulants. Christopher Taylor of Ohio State University will identify genetic determinants of microbial survival in low-carbon, high-radiation hydroponic environments. Shuyang Zhen of Texas A&M AgriLife Research will test environmental conditions and cultivar selection to improve dwarf tomato stress tolerance.
Two additional agricultural studies examine resilience mechanisms. Robert VanBuren of Michigan State University will investigate how resurrection plants survive extreme dry conditions. Andrew Settles at NASA's Ames Research Center will study algal gene function in Chlamydomonas to mitigate spaceflight stressors and support biological life-support systems.
Precision health studies
The Biological and Physical Sciences Division funded six precision health projects to identify ways to protect astronauts and build early-warning health detection systems. Archana Dhasarathy of the University of North Dakota will study epigenetic memory under microgravity and radiation. Mert Gur of the University of Pittsburgh will use all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to analyze pathogenic mutations under space stressors. Grace O'Connell of the University of California will investigate lingering spine health impacts after recovery from spaceflight.
Three health investigations focus on aging and tissue inflammation. Andrij Holian of the University of Montana will study how aging contributes to chronic inflammation caused by lunar dust exposure. Satoshi Okawa of the University of Pittsburgh will test repurposed drugs targeting spaceflight-induced brain-heart axis aging. Sanghee Yun of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia will evaluate how spaceflight-relevant hypercapnia interacts with radiation and social isolation to drive biological aging.
