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LADA, A JOINT RUSSIAN – US ISS PLANT GREENHOUSE: CONTINUING THE SVET SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT TRADITION.  G.E. Bingham¹ I.G. Podolsky², М.А. Levinskikh², and V.N. Sychev². ¹Space Dynamics Laboratory, Utah State University, Logan, UT. ²Institute for Biomedical Problems, RAS, Moscow, Russia. 

     A new greenhouse of the Svet style is being prepared for deployment in the Russian section of the International Space Station.  Svet was used for seven experiments on Mir between 1990 and 2000.  LADA is being developed under a joint cooperative agreement between the Institute of Bio-Medical Problems, RAS, Moscow, Russia and Space Dynamics Laboratory / Utah State University.  LADA is currently completing qualification and biotechnology testing and is expected to launch to the ISS in mid 2002.   LADA is being developed to allow continuation of the Russian National Program on Microgravity Plant Technology.  International cooperative experiments are being planned for LADA, structured like those conducted in the Svet greenhouse on Mir. 

     The initial (2002) experiment is expected to involve Russian and US participation (additional participation is in negotiation) and will grow Muzina (B. rapa var. nipposinica), using a single greenhouse for power considerations  (LADA can support two).  LADA will also carry a full root zone environment characterization package similar to Svet, but expanded to include additional sensor types.   The root module is 15 x 18 x 10 cm deep with a leaf chamber 26 cm tall.  The leaf chamber provides light and air temperature profile measurements as well as humidity and IR leaf temperature.  The light profile varies from 200 – 400 mm m^-2 s^-1 through the canopy area.  The standard arrangement is for two 16 cm long plant rows, with a sliding window for crew interaction. 

     LADA is expected to remain on the ISS, and is designed to allow crew interaction studies of the psychological, recreational and nutritional supplement that can result from an onboard greenhouse.  

     (LADA has been developed using SDL, IBMP, RKK Energia and Russian Space Agency support.)