Dr. Ed Rosenthal, D.Sc., a Space Technology Hall of Fame inductee whose work helped NASA grow vegetables on the International Space Station, will conduct an open presentation about the rapidly developing science of space agriculture.

Rosenthal helped develop a controlled-release fertilizer that functions in microgravity - a technology NASA tested and later adopted for growing vegetables on the International Space Station. He worked with NASA’s Veggie team to supply plant nutrients used by astronauts cultivating leafy greens in orbit.

Rosenthal said watching the first plants grown in space with his team’s fertilizer was a milestone he still finds difficult to describe.

“It’s hard to explain the pride you feel being able to help your country achieve that,” he said. “The first crop of food ever grown in space was grown with the fertilizer that we invented. It’s just incredible. We knew it would work, but until you actually see the lettuce and the astronauts are so happy munching on it, you just breathe out and say, ‘Yes!'"

During his talk, Rosenthal will outline why fresh produce is critical for long-duration missions and how his fertilizer is being used both in terrestrial agriculture and in developing food systems for future space travel.

The event, hosted by the Sarasota Sister Cities Association, takes place on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 5 p.m. at Selby Library. It is free and open to the public and will include a video message from an astronaut scheduled to fly on NASA’s upcoming Artemis mission.

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