What do the moon and Iowa have in common? More than you think.

GRINNELL — What do farmers and astronauts have in common? More than you might think, said Cedar Falls native and NASA astronaut Raja Chari.

From the guidance system of the Apollo 11 command module, to the suite of onboard tracking and imaging sensors, GPS and telematics inside the cab of today’s modern combine that can make adjustments on the fly based on crop conditions, much of the technology common in agriculture and daily life today originates from the drive to put a human being on the moon.

“That’s all relics of the Apollo (moon-landing mission) investments,” Chari said Monday during a round table discussion on agriculture and ag science policy at Grinnell College with members of Iowa’s congressional delegation.

Chari, who grew up in Cedar Falls and graduated from Columbus Catholic High School in Waterloo, served as commander of the NASA SpaceX Crew mission to the International Space Station.

Chari returned to Earth in May of last year, after 177 days in space, where the International Space Station crew participated in more than 350 scientific investigations.

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“A lot of that is plant research,” Chari said, from using a centrifuge to change the amount of gravitational force and stress put on plants and measuring the outcome, to growing plant cell cultures in microgravity.

“We know how to grow plants in space. That’s, I would say, easy … but it takes a lot of time,” he said. “So the focus now is, how do we do it with less time? How can it be automated?”

Additionally, astronauts can grow larger plant cell cultures in space.

“Things that are harder to genetically manipulate on the Earth are easier in microgravity,” Chari said. “So we are (experimenting) with drought-resistant cotton strains. … That kind of research is where we’re going with a lot of the agriculture research.”

The Indian American astronaut is among 18 picked for NASA’s Artemis moon-landing program, which aims to send astronauts back to the moon by 2026 for the first time in more than 50 years.

Chari said NASA is seeking to collaborate with commercial and international partners to establish the first long-term presence and shared exploration of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits and to inspire a new generation of explorers.

He said three Iowa companies are supporting the Artemis missions — one for the rocket, one for the ground systems and another that builds components for the crawler that takes the rocket to the launchpad.

“That’s just one program, and there’s 300 other pieces of NASA programs that are part of what Iowa contributes,” Chari said.

Collins Aerospace, with operations in Cedar Rapids, signed a $320 million contract with Lockheed Martin to provide critical subsystems for NASA’s Orion spacecraft fleet for Artemis missions III through VIII. That includes environmental, waste and power management and distribution systems for the crew both in the spacecraft cabin and while isolated in launch and reentry suits.

Work for the systems will be performed in Connecticut, Texas, Illinois and California, according to the company.

Collins Aerospace was also selected to produce NASA’s next-generation spacesuit for astronauts to wear when working outside the International Space Station and — within the next decade — on the moon.

Chari was joined by Iowa Republican U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst and Rep. Ashley Hinson, of Marion.

Both Grassley and Ernst serve on the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

All three said NASA’s lunar research may help improve food production and resource conservation for Iowa and U.S. farmers.

Learning to live on the moon means astronauts will need to learn to grow their own food in mirco-gravity, Chari said.

“I think it’s important that we invest in the technology in getting there so that we can continue to lead as a nation and lead the world,” he said, “just as we did during the Apollo era.”

Ernst said what astronauts learn from living on the moon may wind up influencing a wide range of federal policies.

“It’s important not just for the Farm Bill, but it’s important for other departments as well as we’re moving forward doing research on crops, on protecting our water (and) water purification,” Ernst said. “The experiments that they work in space and out of space as well can apply to so many different avenues in the federal government.”

Chari noted much of the research currently being done by NASA has practical applications for agriculture in the United States — from water reclamation to hyperspectral imaging for crop analysis to studying the targeted delivery of water and nutrients to artificial root systems.

“This state feeds the vast majority of the country and the world,” Chari said. “And so the expertise you have here is what’s going to enable us to do the same on the moon. … And how can Congress utilize the data that we see with the research from NASA and their partnership with the USDA … whenever we look at ag research?”

Grassley noted NASA’s ag research could also benefit the private sector.

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“What we learn from research out of gravity is very important for agriculture research,” Grassley said.

Hinson said her key take-away from Monday’s discussion “is that collaboration is essential.”

“Hearing about the work happening on the International Space Station down to the work we’re going to be doing on the Farm Bill to make sure that research and that innovation is supported, I think it’s absolutely critical,” Hinson said.

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